FE Week Reporter | FE Week

A plea for cuts caution after unannounced qualifications cull

Vocational education seems to be viewed as a soft option for public funding cuts, but it’s a view that has far-reaching consequences for the economy, says Kirstie Donnelly. There’s a theme emerging around a lot of the policy changes in the FE sector of late — cuts. First, there was the announcement of a 17.5 […]

Building a skilled construction workforce between the gaps

While the building trade is a big employer of apprentices, the wider construction industry suffers skills gaps elsewhere. But Laing O’Rourke has teamed up with FE and skills bodies, including a number of colleges, to boost the development of industry-needed skills, explains Alison Lamplough. he construction industry is a major UK employer and, as well […]

Are rural business communities being let down in the training stakes?

Employers in big town and city locations make an attractive proposition for young workers and providers who, claims Salena Dawson, are becoming less interested in rural provision. She looks at whether such communities are being let down by businesses and providers. I am a small business owner in a rural Norfolk market town. I am […]

Peter Marples, director and owner, Aspire Achieve Advance

In early 2006 Peter Marples, fresh off the back of a merger between his provider Assa and training giant Carter & Carter, was vaunted in national press as “one of the least known and more powerful people in further education”. When I tell him this, he laughs and describes it as “an inappropriate comment by […]

No FE question time on Question Time

Further education figures were left disappointed by a lack of sector talk as Skills Minister Matthew Hancock and Professor Alison Wolf both appeared on BBC Question Time. Professor Wolf, whose government-commissioned review of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds was published in early 2011, and Mr Hancock answered a broad range of questions — but […]

Still no end in sight to SFA software nightmare

There remains no end in sight to the problems faced by providers trying to use new funding software to calculate how much government cash they are due. Skills Funding Agency (SFA) deputy director for programme delivery and performance Rich Williams and deputy director for funding systems Una Bennett (pictured) spoke in a webinar hosted exclusively […]

Jobcentres steer teens away from traineeships

Jobcentre Plus (JCP) advisers have been told not to direct 18 and 19-year-olds to the government’s flagship traineeship scheme because it would put their benefits at risk, FE Week has learned. Documents seen by FE Week show staff in a number of JCPs are being instructed to ignore the work experience and employability programme — […]

Gove attacked over excellent ‘extra-curricular’ claims

Funding for “expensive and untested” free schools should be used to improve extra-curricular activities at existing institutions, Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) deputy chief executive James Kewin has said. How can they possibly expect the same level of education when resources across the sector are so different?” His comments follow a speech by Education Secretary […]

Boss speaks out over payments ‘dispute’

The managing director of a London-based independent learning provider has defended his firm after details of an alleged subcontractor payment dispute emerged. James Clements Smith, of Prevista Ltd, a lead provider allocated £3.8m by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) this academic year, confirmed there was an issue, but claimed to have paid all subcontractors “in […]