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28 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

IfL announces plans for closure and transfer to the ETF

The Institute for Learning (IfL) could become part of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) following a recommendation by the IfL non-executive board. The membership body’s non-executive board has announced its recommendation that IfL should close and that its legacy and assets should be passed to the ETF through a deed of gift. If member representatives […]

New cross-party commission on apprenticeships launched by thinktank

A new cross-party commission to examine how apprenticeships can help to bridge the skills gap has been launched by the thinktank Demos. The Commission on Apprenticeships will be co-chaired by the Conservative MP Robert Halfon and Labour’s Lord Glasman, and is due to meet for the first time in the next month. The group will […]

Edition 108: Jack Carney, David Law and Andy Sparks

The Manchester College’s Jack Carney has announced he will be retiring after 35 years at the college — having spent the last two as principal. Mr Carney’s tenure at the top has seen the 26,000-learner college move from an Ofsted grade three to two, but he plans to retire during the next academic year. “It’s […]

Aiming to beat the ‘post code lottery’ on learning disability

The funding system for young people with learning disabilities changed a year ago, leaving “post code lottery” in its wake. Kathryn Rudd outlines how this has led to a campaign called A Right not a Fight. A parent of a young person studying at the National Star College summed up the issue in one line […]

Looking deeper at the ’earn or learn’ policy debate

With the Tories and Labour coming up with strategies to help young people off JobSeekers’ Allowance and into a job or back to the classroom, Mark Corney assesses the importance and implications of such policies. The Conservatives and Labour are squabbling over who came up with an 18 to 21 ‘earn or learn’ strategy first. […]

Six ‘impacts and benefits’ of Gazelle

More than £3.5m of public money was paid out by 23 principals to Gazelle group of colleges, FE Week revealed in edition 107, where it was also highlighted that the highest-paying individual college dished out £642,000. The editor’s comment went on to question the wisdom of such spending in light of the fact no independent […]