FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Getting to a higher quality apprentice system

The quality of apprenticeships is an issue never far from the FE headlines. Nida Broughton outlines her view of the possible effect of reforms. Apprenticeships are an important part of the Government’s productivity plan — a high quality apprenticeship system is seen as vital to help meet the need for new technical and professional skills […]

New Year’s honour is just reward for 30 years of dedicated service to FE

Catherine Hill reflects on her experience of being awarded an OBE for services to FE and why she is proud to represent the sector on the New Year’s Honour’s list. My 2016 got off to a fantastic start as I celebrated being awarded an OBE with family and friends. I was ‘officially’ awarded an OBE […]

Third round of invitations to tender for long-awaited ESF contracts launched

The third round of invitations to tender for delayed European Social Fund (ESF) contracts have been published. The six local enterprise partnership (Lep) areas involved are Cumbria, New Anglia, Cheshire and Warrington, Worcestershire, Lancashire, and London. While one contract has been tendered for each of the first five Leps, a total of 28 have been issued […]

Two local authority providers slump two Ofsted grades to inadequate

Two local authority FE providers have slumped from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ Ofsted ratings. The grade four-overall results on adult and community learning at Wakefield Metropolitan District Council (WMDC) and West Sussex County Council (WSCC) were published on December 23 and 16 respectively. They were the first two inadequate ratings dished out by the education watchdog […]

Warm tributes to former principal of Leeds City College and Stockport College Peter Roberts

Former principal of Leeds City College and Stockport College Peter Roberts CBE has died. Mr Roberts, who retired at the end of September after six years in charge at Leeds City College, died on New Year’s Eve. He was 60 years old. He had been principal at Stockport College for seven years before joining Leeds […]

Second ‘Inadequate’ Ofsted rating for City College Coventry in under three years

Trouble-hit City College Coventry has been hit with its second ‘inadequate’ Ofsted report in less than three years, FE Week can reveal. The latest report out today rated the college as ‘inadequate’ for effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare, outcomes for learners, 16 to 19 […]

FE Week and Me student photography competition – deadline extended

The deadline for the annual FE Week and Me student photography competition, in partnership with NCFE has been extended to February 1, 2016 at 17:00. FE Week has once again teamed up with NCFE to find stunning pictures that depict learning environments in the FE and skills sector, through the eyes of students. In 2015, […]

Knighthood for FE Commissioner in New Year’s Honours list

Further Education Commissioner Dr David Collins has been given a knighthood for services to the sector in the New Year’s Honours list. A Damehood was also granted to chief regulator and chief executive of Ofqual Glenys Stacey, while CBEs went to Association of Colleges (AoC) chief executive Martin Doel and former AoC president Richard Atkins […]

Former CBI boss and UK Skills Envoy set to take over as chair of governors at resurgent college

Former director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and UK Skills Envoy Lord Digby Jones will take over as chair of governors at Stratford Upon Avon College from January 1. Lord Jones (pictured above), who had the top job at the CBI from 2000 to 2006, joined the college in October as a member […]