FE Week Reporter | FE Week

New courses bypass the regulator

The government has allowed new adult English and maths qualifications to be funded without the usual approval of an independent regulatory body because “gaps in provision were causing issues”. The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) said new qualifications were due to be available from August, but that the timescales for their development and accreditation had been […]

New report critical of government’s education divide

The government’s departmental split over education responsibility has been branded “damaging and artificial” in a new report from the 157 Group. The division of arrangements for those aged 18 and under, and those aged 19 and above, “risks separating planning for apprenticeships from that for other routes.” Effective Transitions from School to Work: The Key […]

How leading-edge practice can entice the policymakers

Look at what is happening on the ground if you want to understand the way that things are moving, says Sarah Robinson. Developing more coherent arrangements for the transition from school to work is a case in point in light of the 157 Group’s new report, Effective Transitions from School to Work: The Key Role of […]

Pearson’s Policy Breakfasts

Subcontracting probe uncovers ‘poor value for money’ management fees

An Ofsted probe into subcontracting has uncovered lead contractors charging management fees “as a way of generating income for doing little work”. The Ensuring Quality in Apprenticeships report highlights how subcontractors felt they were getting “poor value for money” from management fees and reveals many lead contractors were overcharging according to Skills Funding Agency (SFA) […]

Training providers exploited and undervalued

Last week Peter Cobrin’s article on the FE Week website highlighted that all was not well in the world of training providers. In this second article he considers their claims of exploitation and being undervalued. Training providers are businesses and need a financial and administrative environment that is sustainable, predictable, consistent, and transparent. Is this […]

FE Guild go ahead for Association of Colleges

The Association of Colleges (AoC) has won government approval to “take forward” its proposals for an FE Guild. The AoC’s winning bid for the guild, submitted with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and “key partners” at The Institute for Learning (IfL), had been in competition with proposals from The Independent College Partnership […]

Lead provider that had £3.3m of Skills Funding Agency cash ‘ceases trading’

An Essex-based lead provider that was allocated nearly £2m of Skills Funding Agency cash last academic year has ceased trading, FE Week understands. Making Your Mark — which also traded under the name Lota Training — told the agency last week it was going out of business. The firm, which was visited by former FE […]

Warwickshire plans for a rosy future in China

A shared bottle of wine can lead to many things – including the first UK-backed FE college in China. Mariane Cavalli, principal and chief executive of Warwickshire College, explains. It’s an interesting time to be in China, less than a month from the 18th National Party Conference that will elect the new leadership and then […]