Billy Camden | FE Week

Ofsted watch: Private provider celebrates grade one

A private provider has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. But there was no cause for celebration at the country’s biggest college group as it was downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’. Weir Training Limited, based in Surrey, was rated grade one across the board as it progressed from its previous ‘good’ ranking. Inspectors lauded directors […]

Milton ‘the fixer’: I just want to make it all work

It was exactly a year ago that we labelled the new skills minister Anne Milton “the fixer”, after she said in her speech to the AELP annual conference that she was motivated “to make it work” rather than introduce “new, bright ideas”. So a year on and just a few days before she delivers her […]

NHS apprenticeships fall by more than a third

The number of people starting an apprenticeship with the NHS has fallen by more than third over the last two years, FE Week can reveal. Expanding the amount of NHS apprentices has been a top priority for the health secretary Jeremy Hunt (pictured above), since he pledged in 2016 to create a further 100,000 starts […]

Ofsted will keep its four-point grading system – for now

Ofsted will stick to its current four-point grading system in its new inspection framework – putting an end to rumours that it would opt for a simpler pass-or-fail system. Instead, the status quo will remain in its 2019 framework, its chief inspector announced in a speech at the Festival of Education at Wellington College. Options […]

Movers and Shakers: Edition 249

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving Mandeep Gill, Principal, Newham Sixth-Form College Start date: August 2018 Previous job: Vice-principal, Suffolk New College Interesting fact: Mandeep has been in love for a lifetime: he met his wife when he was just five years old. Eddie Playfair, Senior policy manager, the Association of Colleges Start date: September […]

Grade three Ofsted ratings confirmed for NCG and Intraining

The nation’s largest college group and its troubled private training provider have officially been downgraded to ‘requires improvement’, after Ofsted published inspection reports on the pair this morning. FE Week revealed last week that NCG and Intraining were expected to receive poor ratings – down from their previous ‘good’ overall, following serious concerns about their achievement […]

Is the government about to scrap apprenticeship fees to woo back employers?

The 10-per-cent fee that small businesses must pay when they take on apprentices could be scrapped, according to the AELP. Its boss Mark Dawe revealed that the skills minister is having “ongoing conversations about a change in policy” regarding the co-investment rule, in an exclusive interview with FE Week ahead of his association’s national conference […]

ESFA given ‘vote of confidence’ in managing apprenticeship and T-level reforms

The ESFA will manage the reforms to apprenticeships and T-levels from this September, in a “vote of confidence” from the Department for Education. The DfE’s staff covering apprenticeships and professional and technical education will move into the funding agency at the start of the month, it was announced today. “I am delighted to welcome colleagues […]

Scrapping employer fees would be a mistake

We revealed this week that the government is considering a U-turn on apprenticeship employer fees. Since May last year, and for the first time in the history of apprenticeships, providers could only access government funding for small, non-levy paying firms after they received a 10-per-cent payment from the employer. This employer charge is central to […]