Billy Camden | FE Week

Chelsea’s goal – and why it may inspire you to enter the 16th National Apprenticeship Awards

Lives being changed for the better – these are the personal tales Anne Milton hears a great deal in her everyday working life. It never ceases to amaze me just how much energy and enthusiasm there is for apprenticeships – from employers, training providers and, most importantly, from the apprentices themselves. In fact, the most […]

You’re hired! Apprentice for Cabinet minister given permanent position

Health secretary and former skills minister Matt Hancock has awarded a permanent role in his office to his apprentice. Chloe Osborne-Wilson, aged 21, has been the “eyes and ears” for Hancock as a caseworker within his constituency of West Suffolk while making “tremendous progress” completing a level 3 business administrator apprenticeship over the past 18 […]

Apprenticeship providers forced to report off-the-job hours after NAO criticises lack of oversight

Providers will be forced to log apprentices’ off-the-job training hours from September, following high-profile concern about non-compliance with the unpopular rule going unchallenged. A new data field for individual learner records (ILR) is being introduced for 2019/20 to “provide information about the quantum of off-the-job training delivered” and “help demonstrate compliance with the funding rules”, […]

Minister and local MP in ‘shock’ at ‘tragic’ decision to close Stourbridge College

The decision to close down Stourbridge College was a “shock”, the digital minister and town’s local MP has said, describing its loss as “tragic”. News broke this morning that Birmingham Metropolitan College will sell off the college just four years after it underwent a multi-million pound makeover. It’ll transfer its 900 learners to nearby Dudley […]

Justice secretary asked to intervene in substantial prison education job losses

The University and College Union has written to the justice secretary urging him to intervene over a training provider’s plans to cut more than 100 jobs. The union said in a letter addressed to David Gauke that Novus, a prison education provider part of the LTE Group, which also runs The Manchester College, has placed […]

BMet to close Stourbridge College in bid to pay back debt

A college that underwent a £5 million makeover just four years ago is set to close, following a review by the FE Commissioner. Stourbridge College, which makes up Birmingham Metropolitan College, alongside four other main divisions, will transfer its 900 learners to two other nearby colleges in September. Dudley College of Technology will take on […]

England’s largest teacher union wants colleges back under local authority control

The boss of England’s biggest teaching union has told FE Week it is “blindingly obvious” that colleges should be brought back under local authority control. The National Education Union held its annual conference two weeks ago and last on its list of motions was one for post-16 education. Whilst the union echoed the calls of […]

DfE set to reopen academisation option for sixth-form colleges

The government will reopen the option for sixth-form colleges to academise in the post-area review era – but they could have to fork out the full conversion costs themselves, FE Week understands. Converting to academy status, and in doing so enjoying the luxury of not paying VAT, has been a possibility for nearly all SFCs […]

DfE has finally found an organisation to inspect the quality of unregulated apprenticeships

The government is expected to announce which regulator will inspect the quality of learning for level 6 and 7 apprenticeships without a prescribed HE qualification, such as a degree, in the coming days. FE Week was first to expose the lack of oversight for thousands of these apprenticeships in November, which are currently not the […]