Author: Billy Camden

The leader of a high-profile college has called for greater support in navigating the government’s increasingly complex and high-stake audit system, after falling foul of data rules. Lowell Williams, chief executive of Dudley College, says there is a “spectrum of issues” arising out of audits that have created an environment that doesn’t encourage “people to […]

A board that was set up by government to increase apprenticeship starts has been quietly binned – with officials claiming its objectives have been “fulfilled”. This reason “borders on the surreal”, according to shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden, especially after a new co-chair was appointed as recently as July 2018, who described the board’s work […]

A government department is pumping £100,000 into a pilot designed to get around the inflexibilities of apprenticeship levy rules for the creative industries. UK film and television businesses have struggled more than most to make use of their levy funding since the policy’s introduction in 2017, with figures from industry body ScreenSkills showing they’ve only […]

A university technical college in Cumbria is celebrating after becoming only the second of its kind to be rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Energy Coast UTC opened in 2014 and got off to a shaky start when the education watchdog first came knocking and graded it ‘requires improvement’. It also currently holds a financial notice to […]

A college in the Humber has announced plans to merge with one of the largest FE provider’s in the country, in a bid to “safeguard their long term sustainability”. East Riding College will join the TEC Partnership, formerly known as the Grimsby Institute Group, in the summer of 2020, subject to a public consultation. The […]

Assessment organisations have hit out at the Institute for Apprenticeships’ “unfair” decision to start charging £40 per learner for apprenticeship quality assurance from September. Tom Bewick, the chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, has penned a letter to the institute’s boss Sir Gerry Berragan about the issue after his members “raised several concerns”. […]

A three-day strike over staff cuts and pay will take place at cash-strapped Bradford College this week – but leaders have said it won’t cause any disruption. Members of the University and College Union are planning to be on the picket line from Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 July in their campaign against the proposed […]

The government will soon only fund starts on apprenticeship standards that do not have an approved end-point assessment organisation if the provider has an “in principle” commitment from one applying for approval. The news will be seen as a partial win by campaigners, who have long said it is “morally wrong to start an apprentice […]

The government’s apprenticeships quango has U-turned on plans to grade end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) without sharing the results with them. However, the information will still be kept a secret from the public, and EPAOs will not be allowed to advertise their ratings unless they’re granted special permission. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE) […]