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29 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

‘Outstanding’ FE Week repoter Paul

It’s official — FE Week journalism is worthy of an award! Reporter Paul Offord (pictured), aged 37, walked away from this year’s CIPR Education Journalism awards with the top prize for his ‘outstanding FE journalism’. His entry, a series of reports last academic year covering Bright International as awarding organisations (AOs) walked away from the […]

Alternative needed before QCF ends, Ofqual warned

Ofqual has been warned it needs an alternative system in place when it scraps the qualifications and credit framework (QCF). The qualifications watchdog confirmed on Monday (December 8) that, following a 12-week consultation launched in July, it would remove the QCF rules. The removal of the rules, along with the QCF bank of shared units, […]

MPs told 16 to 18 apprentice reforms could hit numbers

The number of 16 to 18 apprenticeships offer from employers could fall as a direct result of proposed reforms, the House of Commons Education Committee has heard. A panel of sector experts told MPs on the committee that the government’s decision to re-design frameworks in consultation with employers and route funding through employers, rather than […]

Stability hopes with quals lists for 2017 tables

The publication of official lists of technical and vocational qualifications that will figure in 2017 performance tables has been welcomed with the hope it might bring “relative stability”. The Department for Education has updated its lists of new technical certificates for 16 to 19-year-olds, technical awards for 14 to 16-year-olds and A-level equivalent Tech-levels taught […]

College governors get AoC code preview

The Association of Colleges (AoC) has launched a consultation on a proposed new code of governance for English colleges. Ex-head of FE and skills investment and performance at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Dr Sue Pember who is now AoC governance adviser, has spent the last six months travelling the country collecting […]

Feltag’s ‘assessment tail wagging the pedagogic dog’

The effect of the Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (Feltag) is being felt across the sector, explains Bob Harrison. At a recent Think Out Loud Club, a community of innovative FE practitioners supported by City & Guilds, the Feltag was described as “a movement not just a report”. It is six months since the […]

BIS red tape plan a ‘Groundhog Day’ for FE and skills

Efforts by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to cut red tape succeeded in reducing up to £300m of costs by around 2 per cent. Christine Lewis assesses the situation from the point of view of the sector admin staff she represents. The Simplification Plan was but the latest iteration in a line […]

Kirstie Donnelly, managing director, City & Guilds

As far as student debt goes, City & Guilds UK managing director Kirstie Donnelly is more qualified than most to sympathise with today’s hard-pressed learners struggling to stay out of the red. Just ask the manager of the Natwest bank that held her account during her days as an English literature student at the University […]