News

New family learning group set for FE members

A new national forum for family learning which met this month for the first time looks set for membership…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

ETF chief defends handing £1m learning tech contract to Gazelle amid ‘scepticism’ of the organisation

Education and Training Foundation (ETF) chief executive David Russell has spoken out to defend the awarding of a £1m…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

England won’t join European apprenticeship body, says Skills Minister Matthew Hancock

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock has ruled out joining a European apprenticeship development body, despite his counterparts in Wales, Scotland…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Hackney UTC closure prompts tough 157 Group leader criticism for Lord Baker project

Former Education Secretary Lord Baker’s University Technical College (UTC) project has come under fire from the 157 Group boss…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Sixth form college teachers join picket lines in strike over pay and conditions

Teachers at sixth form colleges across England walked out of work today amid a bitter dispute between unions and…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Awarding bodies group tells of ‘details’ concern over quals registration plan

The Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) has expressed concern over the details of Ofqual proposals in which non-accredited qualifications…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


News

Apprenticeship claim leads to another Tory and Labour fact spat

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock challenged Labour’s understanding of apprenticeship starts following a week in which the Opposition’s fact-checking has…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Ofsted’s separate school sixth form grading plan rubber-stamped with overwhelming support

Ofsted’s plan to introduce separate graded judgements for school sixth forms next academic year has enjoyed overwhelming support in an official…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

Government hopes for late summer rush on FE loans after applications plummet

The government said it was expecting a late summer rush for FE loan applications for 2014/15 with the number…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Council powers ‘should merge’ with SFA, EFA and DWP to form a new skills service, says local authority body

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for a “joined-up employment and skills service” formed of powers from the…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
News

City College Coventry principal Steve Logan discusses Ofsted improvement

City College Coventry principal Steve Logan started in post just this week, and one of the first items on…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
News

Commons education committee to investigate vocational education before general election

Vocational education will be the focus of the House of Commons Education Select Committee’s last inquiry before the general…

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