Author: Billy Camden

A high-profile QC has worked with solicitors to write to the apprenticeships minister, Gillian Keegan, arguing that the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s provider relief scheme is “unlawful”. James Goudie QC, a senior silk at 11KBW, as well as a deputy High Court judge and a master of the bench of the Inner Temple, was […]

The dramatic impact of the coronavirus crisis on apprentice recruitment is laid bare for the first time in a survey of over 300 providers. Responding to an FE Week request for data on the last day of April, 304 providers said they had between them planned 13,732 starts in the month but only achieved 2,693, […]

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has today launched a new apprentice satisfaction survey. It comes a week after the Department for Education scrapped this year’s FE Choices learner satisfaction survey, which included apprentices, on the basis to do so would “reduce the impact and burden on the public during this [coronavirus] crisis”. The […]

The deadline for providers to submit bids for supplier relief from the Education and Skills Funding Agency has been extended. The application process launched last Friday and the closing date had been set for today, but this has now been changed to midnight on Sunday 3 May. We have extended the deadline to submit applications […]

The Department for Education appears to have backtracked on a decision to scrap monthly apprenticeship data releases by now committing to “replace” and “repurpose” them. In a controversial announcement on Tuesday described by one sector leader as “staggering”, the department said it would “cancel all in year further education and apprenticeship releases” from May until […]

Government plans to axe the controversial MBA qualification from the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship have been put on hold. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has revealed the move will not happen until at least November, possibly even 2021. It was set for the chop after education secretary Gavin Williamson requested a […]

Providers that failed to meet the minimum standard for apprenticeship achievement rates last year will be informed next week of the government’s “action to challenge this situation”. With a minimum standard threshold of 62 per cent for apprenticeships, the move is expected to impact on several hundred providers after the sector average rate fell 2.2 […]

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 […]