Author: Billy Camden

The education secretary today dodged an MP’s question about his department’s delay in launching supplier relief support for training providers. On 20 March, the Cabinet Office published a policy notice that allowed payment in advance of delivery on publicly funded contracts up to 30 June owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Mayoral combined authorities were quick […]

The majority of apprenticeship providers are not eligible for supplier relief from the Department for Education because of the Cabinet Office’s “very specific” policy notice, according to Gillian Keegan. The apprenticeships and skills minister described the support as an “anomaly” and said her team worked closely with Treasury to see what parts of the FE […]

The Department for Education has been criticised for its “staggering” decision to scrap all in-year apprenticeship data releases. Officials announced today that they will stop publishing their monthly apprenticeship starts figures from May until further notice. It means that the sector will be temporarily prevented from seeing the impact the Covid-19 outbreak is having on […]

FE Week was joined by apprenticeships minister Gillian Keegan this afternoon for our latest webinar on the response to the coronavirus pandemic for the FE and skills sector. Editor Nick Linford quizzed her on the Department for Education’s supplier relief support and discussed other hot topics such as Ofqual’s latest guidance on grading vocational and […]

The Department for Education has launched a web page that signposts people to free courses that can develop their digital and numeracy skills during lockdown. ‘The Skills Toolkit’ directs visitors to a suite of programmes such as Everyday Maths and Learn to Code for Data Analysis run by the Open University, and Get Certified in […]

A “considerable number” of Ofsted’s 1,700 staff are under occupied despite offering themselves up as Covid-19 response volunteers, the chief inspector has admitted. Amanda Spielman told the education select committee this morning that nearly all of the watchdog’s workers have “expressed willingness” to help with “suitable alternative options” that fit with their skillset. But while […]

FE Week spoke to a handful of colleges that have cancelled their traditional summer open days and already started to advertise an online alternative ’Tis the season for the traditional college open day, a chance for prospective students to visit campuses, chat with lecturers and ultimately choose their place of study for the next academic […]

Training providers must have a qualification achievement rate for 2018/19 of above 40 per cent to be eligible for the Department for Education’s supplier relief support. They must have also submitted their latest financial accounts to the Education and Skills Fundiing Agency “on time” and not been judged by Ofsted as making ‘insufficient progress’ as […]