Author: Billy Camden

A college in west Anglia has been banned from entering into new subcontracting arrangements after a government investigation found it did not know where training for 16 to 19-year-olds was being delivered. An inquiry into the College of West Anglia’s relationship with GEMEG Limited was launched at the end of 2017 following allegations of severe […]

The government is expecting to spend up to £7.5 million over a 15 month period to cover the cost of the legal work carried out by practitioners and consultants for its new college insolvency regime. The vast amount is being set aside despite the Department for Education admitting college insolvency would be an “unlikely event”, […]

After 10 years of “politely” highlighting the impact of funding cuts, the Association of Colleges will now make “a lot more noise”, after a plea to ministers for cash to fund a lecturer pay rise was rejected. It will kick off its new louder strategy by holding a “week of action” in October, where students, […]

The University and College Union has begun balloting its members for strike action, after colleges failed to meet their demands over this year’s pay claim. College staff were left bitterly disappointed in July when the AoC said it was unable to recommend a salary increase of five per cent, and was instead only able to […]

Over 1,500 training providers on the government’s apprenticeships register will not have direct access to funding for small employers until at least a year later than planned. An update from the Education and Skills Funding Agency revealed the news today which claimed it was “acting on user feedback”. The agency had planned that all employers […]

A training provider previously banned from taking on any new apprentices and a formerly ‘inadequate’ council have been making strong improvements, monitoring visits have found. Key6 Group had its first revisit from Ofsted last month since it was told its delivery was “not fit for purpose” in March, as part of the inspectorate’s investigations into […]

Ofsted will soon call on FE providers to help it undertake a “huge” amount of FE-related research projects, according to its director of corporate strategy. The education watchdog has set aside around £2.4 million, or 4 per cent of its inspector resource, to spend on 20 studies over the next two years. It is part […]

The government’s decision about introducing a cap on subcontracting management fees has been “kicked into the long grass” – delaying any verdict until at least the end of 2018. An update about the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s approach to top-slicing was published this afternoon after FE Week revealed on Friday it was getting ready […]

Sector leaders have urged Ofqual to reconsider its proposal to only allow T-level exams in the summer, as it means students would have to wait a whole year for retakes. One representative body warned the plan represents a “significant capacity risk for the whole exam system” while also being “overly burdensome” on learners. Ofqual received […]