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Lambeth College’s ‘indefinite strike’ heads into day four

Teachers and lecturers at Lambeth College are preparing for a fourth day of industrial action as part of their indefinite strike over contract terms for new staff. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) walked out on Tuesday (June 3) threatening not to return until a dispute over contracts being introduced for new members […]

Apprenticeship target in Queen’s Speech draws ‘to-ing and fro-ing’ warning on reforms

The government has been warned about “to-ing and fro-ing” on apprenticeships policy after a Queen’s Speech today in which the programme was given a target of 2m starts in England. The annual speech sets out what the government’s priorities will be for the next term of parliament and this year apprenticeships featured just a week after […]

Test match Pakistani cricketer bowled over by refurbishments

Pakistani test match player Yasir Ali was bowled over by South Cheshire College students’ refurbishments at his cricket club. College staff approached Elworth Cricket Club, in Cheshire, to see if its students could help with any work that needed doing. They were told the dining area in the clubhouse needed revamping, so level three bench […]

Campus E18

Suffragette musical opens Lola’s eyes to female struggle for vote

An allegorical tale that uses birds to bring to life the story of Emmeline Pankhurst has given Essex college learners a whole new outlook on the struggle for female equality, writes Paul Offord. Playing a character based on feminist icon Emmeline Pankhurst made musical theatre student Lolo Adaja appreciate how times have changed for […]

AELP Annual National Conference 2014

Download your free copy of the FE Week 16-page supplement covering AELP Annual Conference 2014 in partnership with OCR. Click here to download (10 mb) Introduction Apprenticeship reform was always expected to dominate the agenda at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) 2014 annual conference, and that was certainly the case on day one. It […]

Jack tackles England colleges’ rugby squad

Level one Warrington Collegiate plumbing student Jack Sherratt has been selected for the England colleges’ rugby league squad. The prop forward, who has also been nominated for the college’s plumbing student of the year award, caught the national selectors’ eye while playing for the North West and Cumbria colleges’ representative team. The 19-year-old trained with the national squad for the first time on May 28 and is set […]

Prince gives royal seal of approval to apprenticeships

Prince Andrew said he had been encouraging young people to start an apprenticeship rather than go to university during a visit to Kirklees College. The prince officially opened the college’s new £74m Huddersfield Centre, which contains nine floors of classrooms and workshops, a gym, training kitchens and restaurant, hair and beauty salons, and a mock air cabin simulator. He told guests he had been “trying to encourage young people to […]

Getting a kick from training with Portuguese champions

Wigan and Leigh College students received world-class training with table-topping Portuguese football club Benfica. Learners on the college’s football development programme spent two weeks with the club, which won the European Cup in 1960-61 and 1961-62 and claimed its 33rd domestic league title last season. They were put through their paces by the Benfica coaching staff and played matches against two local teams, which finished drawn, and a side from Gabon, in […]