Author: Billy Camden

The education secretary is touring Germany and Holland this week to learn more about their famous vocational education systems to aid him in the development of T-levels and apprenticeships. Damian Hinds’ “fact finding mission” begins today and will start by visiting small businesses to discover the secrets to their apprenticeships system, according to an opinion […]

Controversial management fees in subcontracting are set to be capped for the first time, FE Week can reveal. The Greater London Authority has set out plans to introduce a 20 per cent limit on top slices for adult skills provision when devolution kicks in next year. It follows sector-wide concerns that in many cases cash […]

The Association of Colleges has this morning published its proposed new senior staff pay code for colleges. FE Week revealed last night that refreshed remuneration guidance was being developed as top level pay across the education sector continues to be heavily scrutinised. A consultation for the new code, which encompasses “three core principles: fairness, independence […]

The head of the Chartered Institution for Further Education has insisted its survival is not hanging in the balance, even though the government failed to provide any funding for it in this year’s budget. Dan Wright’s defence of the CIFE also comes despite having just 14 members –  far fewer than the 80 he previously […]

The Association of Colleges is developing new guidance for setting senior pay in colleges and will launch a consultation imminently. Top level pay in the education sector has been a hot topic in recent years following the rise of chief executive salaries in multi-academy trusts and vice-chancellor wages in universities, which often exceed £150,000 – […]

The apprenticeship provision at two ‘new’ providers hangs in the balance while the government reviews their early Ofsted monitoring visit reports that accused them of making ‘insufficient progress’ in some areas. Entrust Support Services Limited, a joint-venture company between Capita and Staffordshire County Council, was deemed to be making poor headway in two of the […]

The Construction Industry Training Board has paused discussions with colleges about its proposed “reverse subcontracting” deal following a meeting with the Association of Colleges who fear it would break funding rules. Colleges were in uproar last month after the CITB tried to force them to enter the arrangements where it charges top-slices of at least […]

The employer contributions colleges pay towards teacher pensions look set to rise and could cost them an extra £100 million a year, a move which one sector leader has warned could spark a “financial crisis” in FE. The outcome of a valuation of teachers’ pensions, which the Treasury runs every four years, suggested the public […]

Unions, college principals and staff will join forces on October 17 in a nationally coordinated lobby of MPs and parliament to call for fair funding for colleges. The day, which is being run as part of the Association of Colleges upcoming “week of action”, has the backing of the National Union of Students as well […]