Alix Robertson | FE Week

Concern cheaper SFA dashboard is simply passing costs onto colleges

A controversial new data dashboard could cut costs incurred by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) by almost two thirds — but FE leaders fear the extra financial burden will simply fall on them. The Qualification Achievement Rate (QAR) data dashboard was branded a “fiasco” by sector bosses in an FE Week story last month, when […]

EXCLUSIVE: Nottingham college appoints ex-council boss just six months after reported £230k pay-off

A former chief executive of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, who reportedly received a £230,000 voluntary redundancy pay-off from the local authority just six months ago, has been appointed to lead two merging colleges. FE Week has exclusively learned that John van de Laarschot will start as chief executive on August 1, when the merger between New […]

Breaking: Funding announced for five new national colleges

The government has announced the breakdown of £80m funding it has dedicated to creating five new national colleges — with one for high speed rail scooping half the total amount. Today’s announcement revealed that the National College for High Speed Rail, located in Birmingham and Doncaster, will receive £40m from the Department for Business, Innovation […]

Design students donate sculptures

Sculptures of Africa created with computer motherboards by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) product design students have been donated to a charity. The four level three students completed the project in their spare time for IT Schools Africa, who provides access to e-learning to students in Africa. They had to follow a strict brief, […]

Publish subcontractor fees or face sanctions, providers told

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) will be contacting lead providers who have failed to publish subcontracting information in a crackdown on non-compliance. The SFA told FE Week on Wednesday (May 4) that it had found evidence of providers failing to publish full details of their subcontracting figures — including fees and charges — despite previous […]

East Durham Student is kickboxing clever

An East Durham College student has become a world kickboxing champion in just his second fight in the sport. Rhys Smith (pictured above), aged 15, was victorious in the World Traditional Kickboxing Association Intercontinental Junior Muay Thai Boxing Championship 51kg weight category. The student, who studies on the college’s 14-to-16 engage course, has only been […]

Making friends with Moodle

A trainee guide dog who is sponsored by Weston College has showed off the progress he is making. Moodle, the 10-month-old black labrador, proved extremely popular with learners during a recent visit to the college in Weston-super-Mare. They were more than happy to volunteer to help with part of the dog’s training process — getting […]

Feature: On his majesty’s sporting service

After coming to terms with life-changing war injuries, a former British Army soldier turned Stockton Riverside College worker is celebrating after he was selected to represent the UK at the 2016 Invictus Games next month, writes Billy Camden. Overcoming life-changing injuries suffered while serving as a British Army soldier in Afghanistan has been a […]

Principal racing for cancer cure

Barnsley College principal Chris Webb has received expert advice from his own students as he prepares to tackle two monumental challenges to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Level three sport and exercise science students Natalie Butterfield, aged 16, Matthew Pinder, 16, and Saffron Smith, 17, met with Mr Webb to discuss his training programme […]