News

Somerset provider reopens courses after major AEB increase – but it’s still £1m short

A large community learning provider in Somerset has reopened courses today after the government granted it substantial extra emergency…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Greening announces 27 new degree apprenticeship projects, but no new money

UPDATE: HEFCE has now announced details of the 27 projects on its website.  We’ve alerted the DfE ———————————————————————————————————— Justine Greening…

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
News

DfE confirms HE fee policy change WILL apply to FE loans

The government’s proposed rise in the repayment threshold for student loans will apply to FE loans, it has been…

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
News

ESFA finds additional AEB funding in effort to solve tender chaos

The ESFA has confirmed it has found additional adult education budget funding and sent out letters to relevant independent…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

DfE to announce solution to AEB tender chaos later today

UPDATE: An hour after publishing this article the ESFA sent out electronic letters confirming the additional AEB funding (click…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Review of apprentice provider list planned

The government is already planning to review its register of apprenticeship training providers, but not until the new window…

Pippa Allen-Kinross
Pippa Allen-Kinross


News

Editor asks: Can mega colleges ever be too big to fail?

With colleges across the country pressured into mega-mergers and the government dishing out special treatment to the ailing FE…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Details of new T-level tendering timeline revealed

The Department for Education is moving forward with a detailed new timetable for the implementation of T-levels, FE Week…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

First4Skills: what happened after its disastrous collapse?

The apprenticeships giant First4Skills went bust in March after its skills funding was pulled due to an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Revealed: £200m adult education budget underspend

FE providers failed to spend a giant chunk of the adult education budget over the past academic year. A…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Learndirect Apprenticeships tries to avoid the past with major rebrand

A firm set up by Learndirect as a separate entity to run its apprenticeships division has begun a significant…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Labour conference: Corbyn to tackle automation jobs threat with free FE

Jeremy Corbyn will pledge to tackle the threat to jobs from automation by offering free tuition for all FE…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Colleges on the frontline of a divided nation

As social media algorithms fuel intolerance and binary thinking, college staff increasingly find themselves dealing with the fallout. Jessica…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Colleges, Long read

Alun Francis, chair of the Social Mobility Commission

Deprived areas need vision – not victimhood – to level up, and Social Mobility Commission chair Alun Francis is…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, Prison education

The prison that’s offering hope for a new life upon release

‘We’re saving people’s lives as well as turning them around’

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Apprenticeships, Politics

Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe

Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges

Weston chair felt powerless over £2.5m payments to former principal

Ex-Weston college chair gives tell-all interview following FE Commissioner probe

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

Weston College governance failure allowed ‘concealment’ of £2.5m payments to former principal

Paul Phillips was paid £1.8m in 2023, including a ‘significant’ six-figure retention payment which his COO son ‘resisted’ paying…

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel