News

Eight things we learned from the Skills Funding Agency’s annual accounts

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has released its annual accounts and report for 2014/15, so we had a comb…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Dates announced for next year’s National Apprenticeship Week

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) will run next year from March 14 to 18. The dates for the ninth annual…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Five colleges announce ‘collaboration’ plans after pioneering area review

Five FE and sixth form colleges facing “significant financial challenges” are “actively considering” collaboration plans, following a pioneering review…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Boles tasks Education and Training Foundation with functional skills ‘reform programme’

The Education and Training Foundation has been asked to draw up a “programme of reform” for functional skills qualifications,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Additional adult skills cuts account for just 13 per cent of required BIS savings

Further cuts to college budgets will account for just 13 per cent of extra savings needed at the Department…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

BIS committee announces inquiry into government Productivity Plan

The government’s Productivity Plan will be the first focus of the new business, innovation and skills (BIS) select committee,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


News

SFA confirms further 3.9 per cent ASB cut as in-year departmental savings bite

FE providers face a further cut of almost four per cent to their non-apprenticeship funding in 2015/16, the Skills…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Colleges claw-back warning after audit reveals SFA may have wrongly paid out £50m

Almost £50m of funding may have been wrongly paid out by the Skills Funding Agency last financial year and…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Sixth Form Commissioner warns of large-scale mergers for sixth from college

Large-scale mergers may be needed among sixth form colleges (SFCs) to cope with looming funding problems, Sixth Form Commissioner…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Police disperse overnight protest at Lewisham Southwark College led by NUS

Protestors led by National Union of Students (NUS) vice president for FE Shakira Martin were dispersed by police after…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Ten things we’ve learned about the government’s post-16 education and training review

The government has announced a national review of post-16 education and training, and admitted the number of general FE and…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

SFA criticised for failing to check ‘realism’ of ‘over-optimistic’ college financial forecasts

A report out this morning by the National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) for…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter

Must read

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
Bootcamps, Skills bootcamps

Coding firm caught charging students for free bootcamps

Ed tech provider ‘regretful’ after complaints and promises full refunds as bosses try to sue DfE over non-payments

Billy Camden
Billy Camden and Frances Read