FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Lift-off for learners with moon rocks

City College Coventry achieved lift-off with their studies after they were loaned rare meteorites and moon rocks to study. Level three diploma science students were given samples collected in the late 1960s and early 1970s during some of NASA’s first manned space missions to the moon. The fragments were provided by the UK’s Science and […]

Movers & Shakers: Edition 159

City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College has started the New Year with Mark Kent as its new principal. He takes over from Mike Hill, who held the position on an interim basis. Mr Hill returns to his position as deputy principal. Mr Kent has spent his entire 30-year teaching career in sixth form colleges in […]

Goalden memories from England hero

Former England and Newcastle United footballer Peter Beardsley gave New College Durham learners an insight into the Beautiful Game. The retired striker told more than 70 sports learners about his experiences playing under management greats such as Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan. Among the crowd was second year foundation degree applied sport and exercise science […]

Fast learner is world kickboxing medalist

A Warwick Trident College engineering apprentice proved his kickboxing mettle by taking home two medals at the World Kickboxing Union (WKU) World Championships — despite only taking up the sport last year, writes Billy Camden. Engineering apprentice Nick Stott has returned to the UK with two medals from the World Kickboxing Union after battling his […]

Age UK tumbles to inadequate Ofsted rating

Major charity and training provider Age UK has tumbled from a ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating. The report out today rated Age UK as inadequate for effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, outcomes for learners, adult learning programmes, apprenticeships, and traineeships. The inspection team also returned ‘requires improvement’ verdicts on […]

Full throttle with super Foggie

World superbike legend Carl Fogarty sped full throttle into Blackpool and the Fylde College last month to take a behind-the-scenes look at its new Advanced Technology Centre (ATC). The most successful World Superbike racer of all time treated spectators to a lap of the college car park on his Triumph motorcycle before taking a Porsche […]

Positive message from new principal of ‘inadequate’ college

The new interim principal of troubled City College Coventry said lessons would be learned from its second inadequate Ofsted rating in less than three years — but insisted it didn’t “feel or look like a failing college”. Dr Elaine McMahon was drafted in from January 4 as an interim replacement for Steve Logan, who had […]

Loss of UKCES standards proves an occupational hazard

Reforms to apprenticeships could be leaving behind the lessons learned by the UKCES in the development of NOS, government adviser Nigel Whitehead warned in the last edition of FE Week. Simon Perryman picks up on the issue. As we enter 2016, I remain an optimist for the UK skills system. Much of what we do […]

Framework for a ‘turbulent’ year ahead

Having spent the last four weeks in the Americas, primarily the Caribbean and Brazil, it was interesting to compare the impact of vocational education on the growth of their economies. What struck me as interesting was developing countries, including China, India and most of South America, don’t have the hang-ups we have in the UK, […]