Alix Robertson | FE Week

Ofsted watch: Week of extreme contrasts for providers

A week of extreme contrasts for FE saw the second college in two weeks scoop an ‘outstanding’ rating, while an independent learning provider was branded ‘inadequate’ in its first ever Ofsted visit. Grimsby Institute Group* earned its grade-one report after it asked for its scheduled short inspection to be upgraded into a full one. The […]

Anger as IfA’s apprentice panel presentation postponed

Fears are growing that apprentices may lose their voice at the top level, after the Institute for Apprenticeships deferred an invitation to have its own apprentice panel make a presentation to its board. In an email sent to the apprentices who make up the 11-strong panel and seen by FE Week, the IfA withdrew its […]

Skills minister the fixer promises to listen and ‘make it work’

The new skills minister has reassured the sector that her motivation in the role is “to make it work” rather than to introduce “new, bright ideas”, after what has been a “frustrating” and “bruising period” for many providers recently. Her new position would be “a job of delivery”, said Anne Milton as she delivered the […]

Achievement rates at Learndirect fall under minimum standards

The nation’s largest FE provider has been badly shaken by the changes in the way achievement rates are calculated, recording a 7.3 per cent drop that puts it below the government’s minimum standards. Learndirect’s achievement rate tumbled from 65.1 per cent in 2014/15 to just 57.8 per cent last academic year, according to national data […]

NCG and others blame IT ‘glitches’ for achievement rates table absence

Providers have blamed “data glitches” for their absence from the latest national achievement rate tables. The five colleges and one provider that make up Newcastle College Group are all absent from the 2015/16 tables published on June 15, as well as Croydon College and Middlesbrough council. The six NCG members were supposed to have their […]

Festival of Skills: Apprenticeship starts ‘a quarter’ of what they were before May

Members of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers have reported apprenticeship starts in May falling to around a quarter of what they were before the reforms kicked-in, according to the organisation’s boss. Mark Dawe gave eager listeners the latest on apprenticeships in a session at 2pm on the first day of the Festival of […]

Festival of Skills: Start assessing as apprentices begin, providers told

Providers need to assess new apprentices’ skills as soon as they begin training in order to establish a baseline for measuring progress, the education watchdog has said. Chris Jones [pictured above], Ofsted’s specialist adviser for apprenticeships, explained that the lack of qualifications within new apprenticeship standards has led to an “unintended consequence”: trainers will miss […]

Government urged to do more to rescue struggling UTCs

Far more needs to be done by the government to support its struggling University Technical Colleges programme, a new report by the National Foundation for Educational Research has warned. The document named ‘Behind the Headlines’ analysed the UTC programme so far, acknowledging that “the introduction of UTCs has been very challenging”. It identified six areas […]

New skills minister Anne Milton speaking at AELP conference 2017

The first major speech delivered to the sector by the new skills minister will be at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers conference next week. Anne Milton has still not been officially confirmed as Robert Halfon’s replacement for apprenticeships and skills minister by the Department for Education, as it is still determining details of […]