News

Skills Funding Agency demands answers from Nescot following FE Week probe

LATEST: Nescot accepts former £360k a year principal was unfairly dismissed The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has demanded an…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Don’t ‘reinvent the wheel’ with ethnic minority work review

A prominent campaigner for more black and Asian college principals has warned against “reinventing the wheel” — after a…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

TPE review delayed again – this time until July

The findings of a hotly anticipated review into technical and professional education (TPE) have been hit by further delays…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Four in five apprentices studying at a level they already have

Four out of five people doing level two and three apprenticeships are on a level they have already studied…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Key Saudi deal architect advising commissioner

One of the architects of the controversial deal to set colleges up in Saudi Arabia is now an adviser…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

One in three providers threatened with subcontracting ban after failing to follow funding rules

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has written to a third of prime providers, after it was unable to find…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson


News

ATA starts confusion reigns: Were there 16,000 or 1,340?

There are now more than 50 apprenticeship training agencies (ATAs) — but confusion surrounds how many apprentices each one…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Treasury tight-lipped over the size of restructuring fund

The Treasury is remaining tight-lipped on the size of the cash pot it has set aside for sector restructuring…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

New city mayors reaffirm their FE commitments

Sadiq Khan, the new mayor of London, has spoken out in support of the “neglected” FE sector — telling…

Alix Robertson
Alix Robertson
News

Four more college merger proposals unveiled

Four more mergers involving seven FE colleges and one sixth form college (SFC) have been proposed this week. Three…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Here we Gove again: Now we’re getting academies for prisons

Governors at prisons will get direct power to hire providers for offender learning — as the Justice Secretary Michael Gove…

Jude Burke
Jude Burke
News

Leaked minutes expose Manchester area review delay concerns

The government is privately worried about the ongoing delays with the Greater Manchester area review – despite skills minister…

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