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27 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Learners earn their stripes

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College students painted two 10 foot tall zebras at a wildlife conservation park. Rosie Watts, aged 17, and Steve Walker, 16, painted the mural at Bristol’s Wild Place Project. They enrolled on a 12-week European Social Fund Programme, devised by preparation for work and life lecturer Luke Palmer and based at […]

Commissioner ruling on grade four college leads to 150 jobs at risk

A Greater Manchester college could be forced to make up to 150 redundancies after it was ordered to balance the books by the FE Commissioner. Dr David Collins, pictured left, placed Stockport College into administered status after he was sent in following a grade four “inadequate” Ofsted inspection grading in November. He said it “had to […]

Skills policy questions for your prospective Euro MPs

With the Euro elections just two days away, Mark Ravenhall examines England’s skills policy relationship with Europe.   Quite often at Niace we are asked to explain “UK skills policy” to overseas visitors. After a lengthy pause, we tend say the world of adult education is not like the Eurovision Song Contest. Whereas the UK […]

UCU rejects 0.7 per cent offer as pay talks continue

Pay talks between college staff and leaders are to continue after a 0.7 per cent pay rise was rejected by the University and College Union (UCU). The UCU claims to have rejected the offer and told college bosses to “come back to the negotiating table with an offer that addresses members’ falling pay over recent […]

NUS chief executive Ben Kernighan resigns less than one year in post

National Union of Students (NUS) chief executive Ben Kernighan has resigned after less than a year in the role, the union has announced. The NUS last night (May 16) said that Mr Kernighan had “decided he did not wish to continue in his position” and had left the organisation. A spokesperson said: “Ben successfully led […]

Bright Assessing loses third and final appeal stage after ‘malpractice’ was found

Awarding organisation NCFE (formerly the Northern Council for Further Education) has detailed evidence of alleged malpractice at Bright Assessing uncovered through an investigation that has resulted in 225 former learners losing their qualifications. NCFE stopped certificating Bright courses in February following its four-month investigation into alleged malpractice. A summary of the findings has finally been […]