News

Recipe for confusion concern as IfA seeks up to 150 expert advisers

A call for up to 150 industry experts to join new Institute for Apprenticeships advisory panels, has prompted concerns…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Learndirect : One in ten staff could face redundancy at nation’s largest provider

The nation’s largest training provider is consulting on a new wave of redundancies – with its chief executive admitting…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

ESFA concern: providers subcontracting to employers

Providers using employers as subcontractors in ways that are “contrary to the spirit” of the apprenticeship reforms will face…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Skills minister the fixer promises to listen and ‘make it work’

The new skills minister has reassured the sector that her motivation in the role is “to make it work”…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Advertorial | Area review: how can digital technology help your college transform?

Colleges are facing a tough period of transformation, with area review implementation presenting an unavoidable challenge for all, while…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

New skills minister brings welcome news as apprenticeship reforms suffer slow start

The new skills minister, Anne Milton, has announced that the non-levy growth requests will be brought forward to July, at the…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


News

Merger collapse makes it a dozen area review failures

Yet another merger recommended in the area reviews has collapsed, as a planned link-up between two colleges in the…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

DfE publish long awaited off-the-job training guidance

This morning the Department for Education published additional guidance on the 20 percent off-the-job training rule for apprenticeships. Click…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Achievement rates at Learndirect fall under minimum standards

The nation’s largest FE provider has been badly shaken by the changes in the way achievement rates are calculated,…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Prison education reforms on hold for another year

Reforms to prison education seem to be back on hold, as existing offender learning contracts are being extended for…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

NCG and others blame IT ‘glitches’ for achievement rates table absence

Providers have blamed “data glitches” for their absence from the latest national achievement rate tables. The five colleges and…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Colleges in dark over data reporting rule

Many colleges aren’t managing to fulfil their legal duties to publish 16-to-18 performance data – apparently because they don’t…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke

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, 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