Billy Camden | FE Week

Low Pay Commission calls on government to better protect apprentices

The government has been urged to take action against recurrent “very high levels” of illegally low apprentice wages. The Low Pay Commission published its third report today to advise government on compliance with national minimum wage rates, and highlighted that as many as one in three apprentices in some age groups are not paid their […]

ESFA delays full rollout of digital apprenticeship system to April 2021

The full transition onto the digital apprenticeship system has been delayed by four months, the Education and Skills Funding Agency announced today. Officials had planned to end provider funding allocations being used to train apprentices with small non-levy paying businesses by 31 October, with all starts to be managed through the online service from 1 […]

Back to the drawing board for apprenticeship funding rate reform

The government’s apprenticeships quango has announced it will launch a second funding rate consultation – days before the deadline closes on the first consultation. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is currently seeking views on a proposed new model for setting individual apprenticeship standard funding rates, the deadline for which has been extended to […]

AEB funding rules published in draft – but without threatened subcontracting limits

Draft rules for funding the adult education budget in 2020/21 have not included any changes to subcontracting despite the government’s warning of an overhaul. The sector had been bracing itself for big amendments, including a funding and distance cap on the provision, following the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s ‘subcontracting post-16 education and training’ consultation, […]

Colleges aren’t expecting a bailout – they want to help with a ‘September promise’

Colleges in England look set to lose around £150 million of their income, 2 per cent of turnover, in the last term of this academic year. Most will be able to cope with that after using the government’s job retention scheme and negotiating open-book deals with key suppliers; some will need cashflow support. Next year, […]

Ofsted releases reports for inspections pre-Covid – but only the positive ones

Ofsted has begun publishing FE and skills inspection reports again. Four new reports, based on pre-coronavirus visits, appeared on the inspectorate’s website today including two ‘good’ full inspections and two early monitoring apprenticeship verdicts that scored ‘reasonable progress’ across the board. The watchdog had paused the publication of all further education and skills reports, apart […]

Free recording: Latest FE sector response and requirements to coronavirus

FE Week was joined by Labour’s new shadow apprenticeships minister Toby Perkins yesterday for our latest webinar on the response to the coronavirus pandemic for the FE and skills sector. Hot topics included the government’s supplier relief scheme for training providers as well as former education minister Andrew Adonis’ controversial comments on school and college […]

Revealed: 576 ‘crucial’ qualifications assigned the DfE’s £400 funding uplift

Almost 600 qualifications for 16 to 18 year-old students that are “crucial for the Labour market” have been chosen to receive a £400 funding uplift by the Department for Education. In November, the DfE announced that they would introduce a ‘High Value Courses Premium’ (HVCP) for certain subjects in addition to the per student unweighted […]

Speed read: Highlights from our webinar with Gillian Keegan

FE Week was joined by apprenticeships minister Gillian Keegan on Monday for our latest webinar on the response to the coronavirus pandemic for the FE and skills sector. Here were the main takeaway points. ‘Anomaly’ leaving majority of apprenticeships ineligible for ESFA supplier relief The majority of apprenticeship providers are not eligible for supplier […]