T Levels

Gordon Brown urges Labour to ‘ignore’ pause and review promise

Ex PM and Lord Sainsbury want new government to renege on a pledge made last year to rethink level…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Skills Federation appoints first CEO in 3 years

West Midlands Combined Authority skills head set to take on the role

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Ofsted

Ernst and Young among latest batch of Ofsted ‘outstandings’

Four providers have achieved the feat in recently published reports

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Devolution

Manchester mayor builds support for MBacc

FE Week visits an Andy Burnham regional event to learn more about his plans to boost technical education

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor
Employment

DWP to merge Jobcentre Plus and National Careers Service

New work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall announces overhaul to focus on career advice

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Politics

Jacqui Smith: 10 facts about the new skills, FE and HE minister

Roles have not been officially announced, but Smith confirmed her brief in a recent podcast ahead of a college…

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor


Higher education

OfS chair Lord Wharton suddenly resigns

The political independence of the HE regulator has been criticised under Wharton’s tenure

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Exams, T Levels

NCFE fined £300k for 2022 T Level exam fiasco

Awarding body has taken measures to ensure errors will not happen again

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
WorldSkills 2024

Call for WorldSkills winner cash prizes

FE Week investigates how other countries reward their WorldSkills medal winners

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Election 2024

Damian Hinds named shadow education secretary

Former schools minister and education secretary will shadow Bridget Phillipson’s new DfE team

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Election 2024, Politics

No ‘quick and easy solutions’ to ‘major’ challenges, Phillipson warns education sector

Labour’s 6,500 new teachers pledge will apply to colleges, according to a letter from the new education secretary

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Long read, Qualification fraud

How fake skills cards have opened the door to building site blaggers 

The person purporting to be Adam Philip showed me “evidence” the CSCS card he was selling would evade anti-fraud…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill

Must read

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
Adult education, ITPs

Mayors dump adult education cuts on independent training providers

Up to two-thirds axed from devolved procured budgets

Josh Mellor
Josh Mellor