Author: Billy Camden

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 […]

The Greater London Authority has so far drafted in 57 new bureaucrats to handle the capital’s adult education budget ahead of devolution next year. Fifteen posts in various other teams are still to be appointed and will eventually bring the total number of administrators in the department to 72, the majority of which will eventually […]

There was cause for celebration at a university technical college this week as it was rated ‘good’, while four new apprenticeship providers were found to be making ‘reasonable progress’ in all areas. But one specialist college didn’t fare as well after Ofsted said it ‘requires improvement’, in the only other report published in the last […]

The nation’s largest college group has been praised for tackling “insecure” staff contracts, after it unveiled plans to move workers on zero-hours style contracts to permanent ones within two years. NCG is said to have “set a benchmark” to colleges across the country by adding security to “vulnerable” staff on casual contracts. Under the new […]

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is to focus on intervention and prevention in independent training providers following a number of high profile failures, as it continues to beef up its audit team. Its latest recruitment drive for its “market oversight” unit includes six advertised roles, who will try to identify financial problems at ITPs […]

“Endurance, fortitude and determination” are the qualities that each member of Team UK will need to beat Europe’s best, Anne Milton told competitors heading to EuroSkills Budapest at a special send-off event today. The skills minister was full of enthusiasm when addressing the 22 gifted young tradespeople who are flying out to Hungary in less […]