Billy Camden | FE Week

Spielman: Ofsted to begin hunt for ‘scandalous’ apprenticeship providers

Ofsted will conduct early monitoring visits at new providers entering the apprenticeship market to sniff out any “scandalous” attempts to waste public money, the chief inspector has said. In front of hundreds of college leaders at the AoC Conference this afternoon, Amanda Spielman announced new measures to ensure that situations like the Learndirect debacle are […]

AoC Conference: Milton pleas for renewed ‘partnership’ with colleges

Anne Milton wants a refreshed “partnership” between FE and the government to help with the technical education reforms. The skills and apprenticeships minister used her speech at this year’s Association of Colleges conference to plea with sector leaders for closer collaboration after going through past turbulent years that have “put too much distance between us”. […]

Ofsted returns to Learndirect as the provider fights for survival

Ofsted has completed its first monitoring visit at Learndirect, as the provider attempts to improve on its ‘inadequate’ rating before its funding ends next July. The nation’s largest FE provider has been under the microscope ever since it shocked the sector with a grade four that seemingly came out of the blue. FE Week can […]

Apprentice travel discounts yet to manifest

Six months after the Conservatives committed to cutting travel costs for apprentices in their election manifesto, there is no evidence the policy is near to being implemented. It was one of the major FE policies included in the Conservative manifesto in May, when the party pledged to “introduce significantly discounted bus and train travel for […]

Don’t ‘punish’ young people with mandatory T-level work placements, AoC pleads

The Association of Colleges has asked the government not to “punish” young people by making 315-hour work placements mandatory in T-levels, as officials begin to explore whether the policy is feasible. Apprehension about a tough compulsory component planned for the new “gold standard” technical qualifications has been rife across the sector since initial plans were […]

Mandatory T-level work placement rule is madness

I’m sure when the DfE came up with the idea to make the substantial T-level work-placement mandatory and call it an “entitlement”, it was done with good intentions. But in the real world, they should not need to commission research to confirm what we all know: it’s simply impossible. Will all T-level routes and related […]

Ofsted proposes to publish monitoring visits of grade 3 providers

Ofsted is seeking views on a proposal to carry out monitoring visits to FE providers judged ‘requires improvement’ and publish the results. Under current rules, providers that are given a grade three by the education inspectorate are given subsequent support and challenge visits that result in unpublished letters until they are re-inspected within 12 to […]

AoC boss talks tough over management apprenticeships

David Hughes has “serious concerns” about the unstoppable rise of management apprenticeships and the consequent lack of opportunities for young people. In an exclusive interview with FE Week ahead of the AoC’s national conference next week, the organisation’s boss warned that FE would end up with a “polarised system” if the numbers taking apprenticeships in […]

Learndirect accounts reveal huge debts and an uncertain future

The long-term survival of Learndirect will hinge on the success of its sister companies, including Learndirect Apprenticeships, over the next 12 months, as newly released accounts show it saddled with debts of more than £50 million. The nation’s biggest FE provider, which has had serious financial and performance issues ever since Ofsted damned it with […]