FE Week Reporter | FE Week

New Ofsted director tells of priorities

Lorna Fitzjohn has taken over as Ofsted’s new director of FE and skills. She was previously deputy director for FE and ran operations in the Midlands for the watchdog. Here, FE Week reporter Freddie Whittaker asks Matthew Coffey’s successor a few questions as she begins in her new role. Q: What are your priorities for […]

Transfer of K College provision under way

The break-up of K College is under way with governors confirming the transfer of provision to East Kent College and Hadlow College. K College governors named East Kent College principal Graham Razey as principal-designate for the Dover and Folkestone campuses while Hadlow principal Paul Hannan will take on the West Kent and Ashford campuses. The […]

South Devon College claims twin success rates title

South Devon College has claimed the top spot for general FE qualification success rates for 2012/13. The college’s 94.7 per cent success rate across all ages and course durations — meaning 21,506 qualifications were achieved out of 22,710 starts — was a 2 per cent rise on the year before. It has propelled the college […]

Life’s a beach for A-level surfer Louis

Life is a balancing act between surf and study for Tyneside 16-year-old Louis Thomas-Hudson. But the Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College student has managed to stay afloat with his A-levels while qualifying for the under 18 British surf squad, writes Yasmine Blackman. “With surfing you can constantly travel, keep fit and have a tan,” says […]

German twin town learning for Midlanders

Derby College learners spent two weeks gaining work experience in Germany. The students, who are all working towards level three engineering, information technology, or motor vehicle qualifications, travelled to Derby’s twin town Osnabrück through a work exchange programme organised by the European Union. They were hosted by Osnabrück Technical College and worked with a range […]

Learners win film roles

Young actors in the North East stole the scene when an award-winning film company held auditions for its latest show at their college. Drama students at Sunderland College were invited to take part in a psychological thriller, entitled Temporal, produced by Solarus Films. Producer Theodore Divanis said: “We were actually blown away by the students […]

College Job Shop anniversary

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock congratulated Walsall College on doing a good job as its Job Shop celebrated its first anniversary. Since April 2013, the Job Shop has helped 642 apprentices to find jobs, offered training to nearly 300 job seekers and given 144 people pre-redundancy support. Mr Hancock said: “There is no doubt that many […]

Staff and students go extra mile for heart transplant toddler Evie

Brave little Evie Clasper has new hope for life after a heart transplant operation over the Easter weekend. And nobody will be happier than staff and students at Middlesbrough College who raised more than £1,500 for the heart unit that has been treating her, writes Paul Offord. Staff and students at Middlesbrough College went the […]

Young people ‘hungry for apprenticeships’ says MP

Local MP Angie Bray dropped in to Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College’s apprenticeship fair to find out more about the programme. The Ealing Central and Acton MP joined more than 30 organisations, including Lloyds Bank, Ealing Council and the Army, who were promoting their apprenticeship opportunities to young people in West London. Ms Bray […]