Apprenticeships

DfE to appoint ‘expert’ apprenticeship training providers

Stringent criteria will eliminate many of the largest from applying

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Ofsted

IT training provider scoops first Ofsted ‘outstanding’

Baltic Apprenticeships praised for ‘substantial improvements’, including tackling the number of apprenticeship drop outs

Joshua Stein
Joshua Stein
Colleges, Office for Students

Office for Students slammed for lack of political independence

HE regulator ‘driven by the ebb and flow of short-term political priorities and media headlines’

Joshua Stein
Joshua Stein
Skills reform

Two decades of skills policies haven’t improved productivity, says report

Failure to boost lower and intermediate-level skills is harming UK productivity

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Ofsted, RAAC

Ofsted won’t inspect education settings on DfE’s RAAC list

Affected providers ‘will not be selected for inspection during the term’ unless Ofsted has ‘concerns’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden and Freddie Whittaker


Long read, Training Providers

Private equity and training: a complicated relationship explained

The last ten years has seen a gold rush of global private equity (PE) companies seeking to make the…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Ofsted, T Levels

Q&A: Ofsted’s verdict on T Levels

‘There remain issues we want to see addressed before these are rolled out at scale’

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, T Levels

How to buck the low T Level retention trend

We speak to the colleges who were able to retain more than 2 in 3 students

Joshua Stein
Joshua Stein
WorldSkills

EuroSkills 2023: Team UK scoops gold in Gdańsk

Isabelle Barron leads the way with gold in digital construction, as 8 other UK competitors pick up medals

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

Inaugural Good for Me Good for FE awards launch

New awards will showcase impact of local volunteering and fundraising efforts

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen
Colleges

Lawyers advise colleges to sell surplus assets in next 18 months

There are concerns colleges could otherwise miss out on profits

Joshua Stein
Joshua Stein

Must read

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
Apprenticeships

Entrepreneur chased for millions after apprenticeship collapse

ESFA uncovers ‘fake’ taxi apprentices as liquidator reveals intercompany payments days after firm decided to shut

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Adult education

Fury as DfE cuts adult education budgets

Combined authorities told to expect reductions in ‘already deeply diminished’ adult skills funding

Shane Chowen
Shane Chowen