News

Careers guidance issue raised as scorecards to rate councils on tracking young people’s education and employment status welcomed

New scorecards that rate local authorities for their performance in helping young people into employment or training and tracking their…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

AELP urges government to ‘wait three or four years’ before bringing in apprenticeship levy

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has warned the government to hold off introducing its apprenticeship levy…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Lords social mobility committee asks young people to share their experiences of going from education to work

The House of Lords Committee on Social Mobility wants to hear young people’s experiences of moving between school and…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

SFA unable to say when monthly provider payment system will go live again having completed five-day planned closure

UPDATE: 8.17AM Wednesday, July 29 (see foot of story) The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) said it has “no timescale”…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Provider denies training learners who ‘had no choice’ in becoming apprentices

An Oldham training provider has rejected accusations from Ofsted that it was taking on apprentices who did not wish…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

SFA ‘in range’ of BIS review commissioned by Business Secretary Sajid Javid

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is subject to an “efficiency and effectiveness” review that is looking at all bodies…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford


News

Crackdown on fake apprenticeships welcomed

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and the Association of Colleges (AoC) have welcomed a consultation the…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Nottingham colleges merger to create 40,000-learner college following FE commissioner review

Governors at New College Nottingham (NCN) and Central College Nottingham (CCN) have voted to merge the two institutions following…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

New teachers’ gender pay gap revealed by ETF research

Female teachers joining the sector are likely to get paid significantly less than their male counterparts, a study by…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Government responds to Lords’ digital report

The government has committed to report back on its progress in improving digital skills next year in its response…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Study of colleges shows ‘encouraging’ texts dramatically cut dropout rates

A study of three colleges has shown that sending regular encouraging text messages to learners can dramatically cut dropout…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

New Apprenticeship Delivery Board announced

A new Apprenticeship Delivery Board (ADB) is set to advise the government on how to reach its target of…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter

Must read

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
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