Alix Robertson | FE Week

Colleges rely on A&E to help students with serious mental health issues

Colleges are increasingly sending students who reach “crisis point” to accident and emergency, an FE Week investigation has heard. Nikki Lane, head of student wellbeing and progression at Great Yarmouth College (pictured right), said a combination of cuts and a lack of other options had led the college to fall back on calls to A&E […]

Education leaders call for co-ordinated national ESOL strategy

Two of the country’s most senior educators have called on the government to produce a coherent national strategy for teaching English to immigrants, and put a stop to wasteful competition between different ministries and departments. At present, responsibility for English as a second language is split between the Department for Education and the Department for […]

Epping Forest College hires finance director despite £338k IT scandal

The deputy chief executive of a major London college who abruptly left his post last summer over financial irregularities was recently appointed the finance director of another college in the capital, which insists it had full knowledge of his situation when it hired him. May ‘Dare (pictured) left his job at Hackney Community College in […]

Institutes of technology £170m windfall going to existing providers

The extra £170 million the government has promised to set aside for a new wave of “prestigious” institutes of technology will go to existing providers, FE Week can reveal. The title will in effect work as a badge of honour given to specially chosen FE providers that excel at higher-level technical education, like the old […]

Cable delighted with industrial strategy commitment to adult education

The former secretary of state for business, innovation and skills has told FE Week he is “delighted” that the government’s industrial strategy green paper places a serious focus on improving adult education, in an exclusive interview. The new document out on January 23 acknowledged a “growing challenge” with training for older people. It committed to […]

EXCLUSIVE: Institute for Apprenticeships appoints first director

The first permanent employee of the Institute for Apprenticeships has finally been appointed, after ongoing delays and an absence of information about who would run the important new body. Anastasia (Ana) Osbourne, formerly employed in the Enterprise Directorate at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, was introduced as the IfA’s new ‘deputy director of […]

National Apprenticeship Awards 2016: Meet the winners

After an amazing evening at the stellar National Apprenticeship Awards 2016 ceremony last week (January 20), FE Week caught up with the country’s top three apprentices. The winners shared their thoughts on what the awards meant to them and what could be on the horizon as they continue to drive forward with their promising careers. Here they are […]

Priestley Sixth Form College leading race to academise

The first sixth form college set to convert to academy status has announced it aims to make the change this spring – and will save itself more than £250,000 a year in VAT. Priestley Sixth Form College says it has had strong local support for the decision, and has set the provisional conversion date for […]

Are career colleges working two and a half years on?

Apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon has paid his first visit to a career college, attending London South East Colleges’ Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College in Orpington. He was treated to afternoon tea by students and praised the college’s work in supporting “those from disadvantaged backgrounds to get onto the ladder of opportunity”. In light of […]