Author: FE Week Reporter

Almost everything is available online nowadays it would seem — including educational materials. Dr Chris Pegler looks at whether the FE sector can benefit. In 2001 Charles Vest of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced it would make nearly all its course materials available free on the World Wide Web. If you spotted this […]

The key to building a new culture of learning is to use the communication opportunities afforded by technology to foster and support innovation, says Sheila MacNeill. What is an innovation support centre? And what does someone who works there actually do to support innovation? Well, as Facebook would say “it’s complicated”. A central tenant of […]

Technology can change overnight, ren­dering college practices and programs obsolete. The answer is a more “agile and responsive education system,” according to Bruce Chaloux and Larry Ragan. E-learning is proving to be a major disruptive force on education across the globe — from primary to advanced study. This force is causing significant upheaval as it […]

The days of computers as an alien sight in the classroom or workshop are long gone. But while technological ad­vances have moved those computers on, has the thinking behind having them at all also developed, asks Geoff Rebbeck.   We have seen e-learning strategies since the early 1990s. The first ones were an inventory — […]

While FE is at the forefront of innova­tive learning collaborations, it sadly trails behind in research on such ef­forts, says Nigel Ecclesfield. It has been my privilege to manage the Jisc (formerly Joint Information Systems Committee) FES-DRP (FE and skills — development and resources programme) over the last year. And as the final group of […]

With one-in-five people aged 16 to 24 out of work, traineeships are the government’s new hope for improving young people’s skills and knowledge to thrive in the employment marketplace. Rob Wye looks at the English programme and compares it with the one on offer in Wales. Traineeships are the latest in a series of government […]

Government legislation is doing away with the requirement that FE lecturers need centrally-defined teaching qualifications. Dr Matt O’Leary makes the case against the move. Ian Pryce, principal of Bedford College, has argued that the de-regulation of teacher qualifications should be seen as a positive step in the development of teacher professionalism and a ‘golden opportunity […]

Young teenagers face an extended period in education with the raising of the participation age. It’s a grand idea, but it might not be the wisest, says Anthony Benton. August saw a big change in the statutory education system, the “participation age” rose from 16 to 17. Young people must now remain in full-time education […]

Government proposals on apprenticeships include one in which funding goes through employers. It’s a principle John Allan agrees with, but he thinks the options on the table still aren’t right. The Federation of Small Businesses believes the best approach for apprenticeships would be a more demand-led system that ensures training is tailored to suit the […]