News

Labour loses vote on apprenticeship two-year minimum duration and level three start

Labour this afternoon lost a House of Commons vote on plans to scrap apprenticeships of less than two years’ duration…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

‘Be brave and stand’ says AoC president as election process for new leader gets under way

Principals have been urged to “be brave and stand” as the Association of Colleges today (AoC) begins the hunt…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Ofsted pushes ahead with unified inspection plan for FE and skills, schools and early years

Ofsted today confirmed it was pushing ahead with “some of the most significant changes to the inspection of education…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

FE leaders criticise ‘disappointing’ and ‘disgraceful’ decision to deny FE funding ringfence

A decision by the Conservative Party not to pledge the same funding protection for FE as is afforded to schools has…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Threefold increase in sixth form college commissioner visits

A threefold increase in the number of inspections by Sixth Form College Commissioner Peter Mucklow this academic year is…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

‘Open traineeships up’ plea after starts hit 5k in first quarter

The government has been urged to open traineeships up to more providers after the programme was boosted with figures…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


News

Law change ‘could lead to HE in FE complaints rise’

Student complaints about FE colleges offering degrees could rise with a proposed new law putting them under the universities…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

A sector in freefall? English and maths take their toll

    The FE and skills sector is performing worse in Ofsted inspections this academic year than last year,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Director defends subcontracting with 120-plus providers

A director of a general FE college has defended its quality assessment procedures after FE Week research found it…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Learner needs top in functional skills revamp

Learner needs for “frequent retakes” need to be taken into account amid Ofqual-recommended improvements to Functional Skills, Federation of…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Research on creative leadership case study: Ruth Allen

The Further Education Trust for Leadership (Fetl) last week unveiled the four people chosen for its first wave of…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Tables joy for duo on A-levels and vocational study

Truro and Penwith College and Runshaw College dominated this year’s league tables for general FE (GFE) and tertiary colleges,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Resilient Ricketts: How Brooklands was saved from going broke

The story of a college’s fight for survival after a subcontracting scandal left it on the brink of insolvency

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Politics

Exit interview: Why Robert Halfon quit ‘the best job in government’

Halfon tells FE Week he ‘did all he could’ after leaving skills minister role

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships

National apprenticeship achievement rate rises to 54%

Slight increase leaves sector way off government target

Billy Camden
Billy Camden and Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship growth pilot cash would reach just 15 ITPs

Providers need to start at least 15 apprentices on the chosen standards to be eligible for extra funding

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships

Treasury announces £3k top-up for 13 ‘growth sector’ apprenticeships

Training providers will have to deliver a minimum number of starts to access the cash

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Apprenticeships, Politics

DfE set to surrender £60m apprenticeship cash in 2023-24

Just 2% of total ring-fenced budget expected to be handed back to Treasury

Billy Camden
Billy Camden