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15 April 2026

Author: Alix Robertson

Ron Dearing UTC expands a year before opening

A University Technical College (UTC) scheduled to open in Hull next year has expanded to accommodate an extra 50 student places in its first intake, in response to huge demand. The Ron Dearing UTC will focus on engineering and digital skills and is backed by the University of Hull and a number of employers, including […]

Scammers target colleges during AoC conference

FE colleges have been targeted by a spate of attempted frauds in the past few weeks – including several attempting to capitalise on the fact principals were attending the recent Association of Colleges’ annual conference. Finance officials at four FE colleges have all received emails purporting to be from their bosses, and asking for transfers […]

Colleges go a decade without full inspection

Two colleges in England have now gone more than 10 years without a full inspection – setting a new record Ofsted won’t be proud of.  Bridgwater and Taunton College in Somerset had its most recent full inspection on November 17, 2006. It’s a similar story for Hills Road Sixth Form College, in Cambridgeshire, which was […]

Lord Sainsbury criticised over ‘retail assistant’ comments

Lord Sainsbury has been branded an “elitist” after he claimed in a speech to the Association of Colleges’ annual conference that certain jobs, such as retail assistant, should not be counted as technical education. His comments prompted Mark Dawe (pictured), the boss of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, to hit out at him […]

AoC Beacon Awards honour the best that colleges have to offer

Twelve colleges from across the UK have been honoured at the Association of Colleges’ Beacon Awards for excellence in technical and professional education and training. The AoC’s annual awards for FE and sixth form colleges were handed out by the comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw on the evening of the second day (November 16) of […]

President to make 2017 the year FE colleges tackle mental health

The new president of the Association of Colleges will dedicate his term in office to tackling what he described as the “massive increase” in mental health support needs of college students. Speaking on day two (November 16) of the 2016 AoC conference, Ian Ashman (pictured) said “we are headed towards a crisis point in mental […]

Technical and Further Education Bill second reading in Commons

The new Technical and Further Education Bill will have its second reading in the House of Commons today. It sets out proposals for a new insolvency regime for FE colleges, and includes plans to extend the role of the Institute for Apprenticeships, the new vocational training policing body. According to the Department for Education’s factsheet […]

Mining apprenticeship standards delay leaves ‘recruitment time bomb’

The mining and processing sector has been left without the means to deliver apprenticeships even though it faces a “recruitment time bomb”, sector representatives told FE Week. A trailblazer group has been working on new apprenticeship standards for over two years, but faced repeated rejections from the government – including having one plan turned down […]