News

DfE call for £600-a-day assessment consultants branded ‘recipe for failure’

The Department for Education is on the hunt for £600-a-day consultants to advise on the “suitability of proposed assessment…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

DfE refuses to reveal April apprenticeship starts

The Department for Education has refused to tell FE Week how many apprenticeship starts there were in April –…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Government listen to concerns and pause all apprenticeship framework removals

The government’s decision on the phasing out of the next wave of apprenticeship frameworks has again be postponed, this…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Government revises 29 apprenticeship framework funding rates

The potential funding rates for health and social care apprenticeship frameworks, among many others, have been increased by the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Scrap the new and ‘controversial’ £200,000 non-levy tender minimum, says AELP

A request to scrap the “controversial” £200,000 threshold in the new non-levy procurement process is going to be put…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

IfA appoints small exam board as apprenticeship ‘External Quality Assurance’ delivery partner

A small awarding organisation that appears to have little experience in the apprenticeships market will deliver external quality assurance…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

SFCA welcome significant funding win for two year courses

Funding for students that drop-out in the second year of their two year course will be doubled, under a…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Providers to be blocked by DfE from speaking directly to the media – it’s ‘nonsensical’ says AELP boss

The government has told providers who deliver apprenticeship provision for non-levy-paying employers that they must not speak directly with…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Apprenticeship reforms and social mobility under the spotlight in new inquiry

Social mobility and the government’s apprenticeship reforms are set to come under the spotlight of a major new inquiry,…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

A busy day for mergers as 21 colleges join 10 partnerships

A record-breaking 10 partnerships involving 21 colleges have been made official today – making this the single busiest day…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Hartpury becomes second FE college to earn degree awarding powers

A college in Gloucester is only the second FE provider in the country to be granted powers by the…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

IPPR: The apprenticeship levy needs a ‘radical rethink’

The apprenticeship levy needs a radical rethink to double investment in skills, according to a new report from a…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke

Must read

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, FE Commissioner

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
T Levels

NAO reveals enormity of T Level take-up failure

Forecasts missed by 75% and secret DfE estimates show staff and employer shortages could limit places to 48,000 students

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel