Alix Robertson | FE Week

Less than 50 per cent of inspected UTCs ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’

Less than half of the university technical colleges visited by Ofsted have received ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grades, exclusive FE Week analysis has revealed, in another blow to the ailing project. The education watchdog has now visited a total of 20 UTCs, but only nine of these, or 45 per cent, were judged to be good […]

More than half of apprenticeship standards still have no assessor

Too many uncertainties in the new apprenticeship system is fuelling the acute lack of assessment organisations for new standards, according to the boss of their industry body. FE Week research has revealed that more than half (87 out of 162) of the apprenticeship standards approved for delivery by the Skills Funding Agency still do not […]

No funded qualifications for over a third of approved standards

More than a third of the apprenticeship standards that the government has deemed ready for delivery involve no funded qualifications other than a final assessment, exclusive FE Week research has revealed. While the standards have end-point assessments in place, they will not provide apprentices with the chance to accumulate qualifications as they go along – […]

Institute for Apprenticeships most popular for external quality assurance

The Institute for Apprenticeships is the most popular choice for external quality assurance for apprenticeship standards – even though it was only set up as a “last resort” option for this sort of thing. Of the 162 apprenticeship standards currently approved for delivery, 26 have chosen the IfA as their EQA route, compared with just […]

Exclusive: National College fails to make Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers

A high profile new government-backed national college has failed to make it onto the new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers, due to what it claims is a “technicality” in its application. The Skills Funding Agency announced the full list of providers that will be eligible to deliver apprenticeships from May this week, but the submission […]

UTC joining college-backed multi academy trust after Ofsted blow

Swindon’s university technical college will join the Activate Learning Education Trust, after being hit by an ‘inadequate’ grade in its first ever Ofsted inspection. UTC Swindon, which specialises in engineering and business entrepreneurship for students aged 14-19, will be the fifth school to join the multi-academy trust. Other members of the multi-academy trust include ‘outstanding’-rated UTC […]

Warm tributes paid to ‘doyenne’ of the employability and skills sector Janette Faherty

Fond tributes have been paid to Janette Faherty OBE, a “doyenne” of the employability and skills sector who has died after a short illness. The founder of Avanta Enterprise Ltd, which provided welfare-to-work and skills training services across the UK, was aged 67. Ms Faherty started her company in 1983 as TNG, but it became Avanta after a […]

It’s time to back T-levels

It’s fantastic news that the government has backed-up its T-level plans with a significant cash commitment. Yes I know that the headline figure of £500 million-a-year won’t be realised until after 2020, with far lower sums committed in the preceding couple of years. But it’s worth remembering that the government said last July there would […]

Unison: First4Skills collapse ‘could have broken the law’

The UK’s strict redundancy laws may have been breached when one of the largest apprenticeship providers in England unexpectedly called in the administrators last week, according to a major union. First4Skills, which received £15 million every year to run apprenticeships, told around 200 ‘shocked’ staff on Friday, March 3 that it was closing down. Now […]