FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Ed Sallis, chair, Making Maths and English Work for All, the ETF

College catchment areas can owe as much to constituency borders as they can to the routes of local buses clad with enrolment day advertising. But it was far simpler for Professor Ed Sallis when he was principal of Highlands College — his catchment area limits were the Jersey seashore. “There wasn’t the level of competition […]

Colleges face cuts while academies cash in

With growing rumours that around 50 FE colleges are in financial difficulty, Lynne Sedgmore considers why the sector has been is so badly troubled while schools appear to be unaffected Politicians of all parties regularly commit themselves to closing the academic-vocational divide or to raising the status of technical education to the level enjoyed by […]

Edition 127: Nichola Newton, Paul Hafren, Penny Wycherley & Colette Cohen

Warrington Collegiate came under the principalship of Nichola Newton this month. She took over from Paul Hafren, who retired at Christmas after 12 years as principal. She joined from Leeds City College where she was deputy principal, having previously served in senior roles at Runshaw College, Nelson and Colne College and Ashton Sixth Form College. […]

Less than a quarter of quals win appeal against SFA cull

Less than one-in-four qualifications listed as in danger of the public funding axe last year have survived the latest cull by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) after appeal. Awarding organisations were told in November that 1,612 qualifications were at risk, prompting 195 appeals. Only 45 qualifications were granted a reprieve as the SFA confirmed 1,567 […]

Edition 127

By the time you read this, it will be just 90 or so days until we know the general election result, although it could be several days or even weeks before we know who will be governing us. Indeed the 2015 general election may be the catalyst for a radical change in British politics possibly […]

Liverpool chefs taste success — again

A culinary team from City of Liverpool College dished up three years of success in a row as they put in a winning performance at a Masterchef-style hospitality competition. The eight-strong team from the college’s Academy Restaurant was crowned Best Visiting Team at the Salon Culinaire competition at North Warwickshire and Hinckley College from January […]

Public service learners mark LBGT history month

Celebrations marking Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) history month got underway at Boston College with a presentation from Uniformed Public Services (UPS) learners about the importance of acceptance. A variety of workshops have also been set up around the campus to continue raising awareness of LGBT issues throughout February. Events such as a Question […]

Traineeship action call as ‘up to 40 pc’ say no to delivery

Public Accounts Committee chair Margaret Hodge has called for government action to boost traineeships after official figures showed take-up among eligible providers failed to pick up on last academic year. A total of 812 providers could run the programme for 16 to 18-year-olds this year, but 22.7 per cent said no, while 722 could run it for […]

Fracking vote ‘won’t affect’ National college plans

Leaders of the new National College for Onshore Oil and Gas have played down the possibility of a local council vote against a fracking proposal affecting their plans. Bosses at United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas (UKoog), whose National College will be based at Blackpool and the Fylde College, saw a cross-party group of MPs […]