News

Terminated: Government bans major levy provider after FE Week exposé

A major training provider claiming to have £130m of apprenticeship levy business has had its contract with the ESFA…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Festival of Skills: Apprenticeship starts ‘a quarter’ of what they were before May

Members of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers have reported apprenticeship starts in May falling to around a…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Festival of Skills: Start assessing as apprentices begin, providers told

Providers need to assess new apprentices’ skills as soon as they begin training in order to establish a baseline…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Second consecutive grade four Ofsted for previously ‘outstanding’ college

A former ‘outstanding’ college has been hit with a second consecutive ‘inadequate’ rating from Ofsted in just 15 months….

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Government urged to do more to rescue struggling UTCs

Far more needs to be done by the government to support its struggling University Technical Colleges programme, a new…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

£10 million refund claims expected from colleges as HMRC accepts euro VAT ruling

Colleges will be exempt from VAT on important training supplies following a landmark European Court of Justice ruling –…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden


News

Queen’s speech confirms it is full steam ahead for introduction of T-Levels

The Queen’s speech has confirmed that the drive towards T-Levels will continue full steam ahead. The monarch delivered her speech…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

New skills minister Anne Milton speaking at AELP conference 2017

The first major speech delivered to the sector by the new skills minister will be at the Association of…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

‘Maximum disruption’ criticism of strike picket line planned for enrolment day

Striking union members have been criticised for trying to cause “maximum disruption to the community”, by taking the unusual…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Private equity firm pay £700 million for major provider

A private equity firm has reportedly paid a massive £700 million to buy out a major independent training provider….

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

DfE blames lack of resources for loans figures suspension

The Department for Education has blamed a lack of resources for its failure to publish up-to-date advance learner loans…

Paul Offord
Paul Offord
News

Apprenticeship vacancy adverts in May lower than last year

Update 1 : At 17:45 the DfE responded by saying the data they published for May is not full…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter

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