Author: Billy Camden

Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered a summer statement today in which he outlined the government’s “plan for jobs” to tackle unemployment post-Covid-19. The statement included a number of funding boosts and new policies for apprentices and skills, ranging from employer cash incentives to a third year of education to school and college leavers. FE Week has […]

Young people who take part in the government’s £2 billion “kickstart” scheme cannot also be apprentices, the Treasury has confirmed. Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed in his summer statement today that the government will pay the wages of “hundreds of thousands” of people aged 16 to 24 who are claiming universal credit to take six-month work […]

Colleges and training providers can welcome back “priority” adult learners from July 13, the Department for Education has announced following pressure from membership bodies. FE providers have been allowed to reopen to more students since June 15 following country-wide closures in March owing to Covid-19, but only 16 to 19-year-olds. The Association of Employment and […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a “brand new bonus” for employers to hire apprentices over the next six months. From August to January, any firm that hires a new young apprentice aged 16 to 24 will receive £2,000, while those that hire new apprentices aged 25 and over will be paid £1,500. Announcing the incentives […]

The government has pledged £101 million to give all 18 to 19 year olds who are struggling to find work in England the “opportunity” to study “targeted high value level 2 and 3 courses”. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the “high value courses for school and college leavers” scheme during his summer statement this afternoon. An […]

There are 30 to 40 colleges “at risk of running out of cash” following the coronavirus crisis, the FE Commissioner has said. Richard Atkins, who has been undertaking analysis of college financial health with the Education and Skills Funding Agency throughout the pandemic, revealed the number whilst giving evidence to the education select committee this […]

The rollout of T-levels has taken another slip after the government canned a subject and delayed the start of two others by a year. Cultural, heritage and visitor attractions (CHVA) has been removed altogether by the Department for Education after the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education reported that there was “insufficient employer demand” for […]

The chancellor is set to announce a sliding scale of cash incentives for employers to take on both young and adult apprentices in his summer statement today, FE Week understands. Firms are expected to receive more for taking on under 25s. Rishi Sunak is due to provide the details this afternoon as he unveils his […]

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has softened its policy on allowing paused providers to start recruiting again. Since October 2018, Ofsted has conducted early monitoring visits of new training firms and any that are found making ‘insufficient progress’ are suspended from taking on new apprentices in line with ESFA rules. Providers have been unable […]