Author: Billy Camden

The former chief executive of Hull College Group received £219,000 last year, despite only being in post for 67 days.  Payments to Michelle Swithenbank are revealed in the published accounts alongside external auditor findings that a £300,000 three-year deal she signed with a local rugby club breached the college’s financial regulations.  External auditors reveal in […]

The government has failed to boost radically the number of traineeships in the first half of the year – but providers tasked with tripling the number of starts insist they are up for the challenge. FE Week analysis of the latest Department for Education data shows there were 8,800 starts between August 2020 and January […]

A struggling college has announced plans to merge with one of the biggest college groups in the country next year. Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (GB MET) hopes to join Chichester College Group (CCG) in August 2022 following a “robust” selection process overseen by the FE Commissioner’s team. Sue Berelowitz, GB Met’s chair of governors, said […]

The first college in the country to have its own nursing provision approved for direct delivery has been revealed today. South Devon College has gained Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) approval and can now deliver its own nursing associate programme rather than having to partner with a university. The NMC is the regulator for nursing […]

Over 9.4 million people are working in sectors excluded from the government’s new adult level 3 offer under its lifetime skills guarantee, analysis by Labour has found on the eve of the scheme’s launch. FE Week was first to reveal that key economic sectors such as retail, hospitality and travel and tourism have been left […]

Frances Wadsworth is set to be appointed as the interim FE Commissioner, FE Week can reveal. The former college principal and one of six current deputy FE Commissioners will take over from Richard Atkins at midnight until his permanent successor is in post. The government said this afternoon that an announcement on the new full-time […]

The chief executive of one of the country’s largest college groups has been appointed as the next FE Commissioner. Shelagh Legrave, who has worked at Chichester College since 2003 and became leader in 2010, will succeed Richard Atkins on a permanent basis from October. As FE Week revealed yesterday, current deputy FE Commissioner Frances Wadsworth […]

In his final interview as FE Commissioner, Richard Atkins speaks candidly about his time in office and why he makes “no apology” for his intervention approach. Atkins spent 21 years as a college principal before taking on the lead intervention role in 2016, during which time his team visited and publicly reported on dozens of […]

The Joint Council for Qualifications has finally confirmed what schools and colleges need to do to award GCSE and A-level grades this summer. Exams have been cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with teachers deciding students’ grade. For key dates, see our story here. We take a what you need to […]