FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Will hairdresser Eleni weave her way from EuroSkills silver to WorldSkills gold?

Meet Eleni Constantinou, Team UK’s hairdressing competitor. EuroSkills 2014 silver medalist Eleni, aged 22, was born in Cardiff, but moved to Cypus with her family when she was eight, before they returned to the Welsh capital when she was 16. She is now employed at the family salon, run by dad Tino, and trains with […]

CBI demands ‘formal consultation’ on government proposals for apprenticeship levy

Employers should be consulted on the “scope and rate” of a new apprenticeship levy and have “real control” over the whole apprenticeships system, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said. In a briefing note on the levy, which was announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his July budget, the CBI predicted the levy would […]

What can WorldSkillsUK chiefs learn about Brazil’s Vet system at Sao Paulo 2015?

Sao Paulo 2015 is the first WorldSkills competition to be held in Latin America and, with 1,192 registered competitors, it’s set to be one of the biggest celebrations of vocational skills ever staged. So how do hosts Brazil view further education and skills, and how does its vocational education and training (Vet) system prepare young […]

Lure of foreign market tempts NOCN to follow other awarding organisations’ footsteps abroad

The lure of a new foreign market has temped NOCN to offer management training qualifications in India as it follows the lead of other awarding organisations (AOs) in branching out abroad. Sheffield-based NOCN has struck a deal with the All India Management Association (AIMA) to provide content, assessment, an IT platform and certification support. Delivery of courses […]

Strike ballot start to new academic year for college staff after UCU rejects AoC pay freeze

Thousands of FE staff will begin the new academic year with a ballot on whether to strike over pay. The University and College Union (UCU) has confirmed it will ballot members next month over industrial action after its FE committee rejected the most recent pay deal offered by the Association of Colleges (AoC), which proposed […]

Cash-strapped Greenwich Community College making ‘reasonable progress’ eight months after inadequate blow

A struggling London college has been praised by Ofsted for “reasonable progress” across the board less than eight months after inspectors branded it inadequate. Greenwich Community College, a 5,000-learner South East London college, was given the grade four rating in December, before FE Commissioner Dr David Collins uncovered “serious problems — both in terms of the quality […]

Government advertises apprentice posts for ‘shamed’ minimum wage offenders

The government is allowing known minimum wage offender firms to advertise for workers on its apprentice vacancy matching service, FE Week has found. Seven of the 75 employers ‘named and shamed’ by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) last week for failing to pay the minimum wage were advertising for apprentices on the website. […]

Making a lifetime of magic from ‘big sheets of metal’ — Team UK jeweller Ben Pritchard’s story

Meet Ben Pritchard, Team UK’s jewellery competitor. Ben is 21 and was born in Whitechapel, East London. He grew up in Loughton, Essex. He works for Essex-based Emson Haig jewellers, where he did his apprenticeship through The Goldsmiths’ Company. FE Week caught up with him to find out more about Britain’s best young jeweller. How […]

Thirty apprentice employers shamed as not even paying £2.73 an-hour

Thirty companies who failed to pay apprentices at least the minimum wage were included in a list of 75 employers named and shamed for underpaying workers by the government today. Between them, the 75 companies owe more than £153,000 in unpaid wages to a total of 199 employees, although it has not been revealed how many […]