FE Week Reporter | FE Week

New vocational research centre ‘won’t clash’ with Education and Training Foundation

The government has outlined how its sees the role of a new Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) as different to the work of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF). At a launch event at the London School of Economics (LSE) today Frank Bowley, deputy director of skills policy analysis at the Department for Business, Innovation and […]

Inadequate-rated college follows through on FE Commissioner’s merger advice — leaving nearly 100 jobs in the balance

Norton Radstock College’s proposed merger with City of Bath College will be made official next month in a move that could mean nearly 100 job losses. They will become Bath College on April 6 following the advice of FE Commissioner Dr David Collins, who visited Norton Radstock College last summer after Ofsted gave it a grade four […]

London School of Economics to host new Centre for Vocational Education Research

A new £3m project aimed at researching new ideas for FE will be based at the London School of Economics (LSE). Skills Minister Nick Boles will today announce that a new Centre for Vocational Education Research (CVER) will be led by Dr Sandra McNally from the LSE and based at its Centre for Economic Performance. […]

Skills Show changes revealed

Potential investors got a sneak peak of what’s going to be on offer at this year’s Skills Show at an awareness raising event today in Central London. Ross Maloney (pictured), chief executive of Skills Show organisers Find a Future opened the event at Oxo Wharf, looking back at the success of the show, which was […]

College cyclists conquer their own Everest

Mount Everest has nothing on a group of cyclists from South and City College Birmingham (SCCB) who scaled 10,000ft more than the tallest mountain in the world for a challenge that raised more than £30,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust, writes Billy Camden. Travelling 805 miles from the edge of Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire over to Ireland […]

Telling the Trailblazer tale

New apprenticeship standards are being developed by Trailblazer employers. Hilary Hall outlines how this is proceeding within her sector. We got involved in the Trailblazer process because it has been clear since I started at the NHF almost two years ago there was a problem with training and assessment within the industry. Employers complained young […]

Getting the most out of the 2014-20 Growth Programme

Local enterprise partnerships (Leps) outside London were told by central government that they would not be getting Euro skills cash to dish out because of European Commission (EC) rules. Jim Sims explains the importance of this ruling for those in FE. Regardless of your views about the reasons behind the recent announcement of changes to the […]

Learners ready for world of work

Improving employability skills was on the agenda for New College Stamford learners who took part in a programme called Prepare for Work. Developed by the National Skills Academy for Financial Services, the free programme delivers employability-focused activities to students to raise awareness of entrepreneurship and self-employment. Sessions focused on topics including CVs and interviews as […]

Apprentices answer DIY SOS call

Two building apprentices from Kirklees College relished the challenge of a TV makeover when they joined the BBC’s DIY SOS crew on a local project. Thomas Earnshaw, aged 18, and Rory Angus Gibson, 22, donated their time to help adapt the home of former police officer Richard Ford, who suffered a stroke. The duo helped […]