Author: Billy Camden

The Labour Party has pledged to invest one billion pounds to deliver T-levels, as its shadow education secretary spelt out her plans for a new National Education Service. Angela Rayner (pictured above) used her speech at the party’s annual conference in Brighton this afternoon to heap praise on the FE sector but warned that the […]

A civil servant who led the Department for Education’s response to the Grenfell Tower blaze has been appointed as its new director for apprenticeships. Rory Kennedy has taken the reins from David Hill, and is now responsible for the whole apprenticeships programme, as well as a number of other important policy areas including the levy, […]

An awarding organisation is under investigation by regulators for the second time in two years after an anonymous tip-off. Ofqual was alerted in May to irregularities at Focus Awards, an AO based in Rotherham, and official inquiries began on September 11. In a statement, it said it was “currently investigating allegations made to us in […]

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has missed its own deadline to make sure new providers approved to deliver apprenticeships are up to scratch. Even though its programme director outlined the checks and balances the ESFA was planning for untested firms on the register of apprenticeship training providers in June, FE Week has learned that […]

An apprenticeship provider created by the owners of Learndirect last year could be kicked off the purchasing system used by London hospitals, after a joint investigation by FE Week and The Financial Times found multiple irregularities in a tender application. In one recent bid to deliver apprenticeships at a London hospital, Learndirect Apprenticeships (LDA), a company […]

A refugee who fled Afghanistan alone at the age of 16 has been crowned ‘outstanding individual learner’ at this year’s Festival of Learning awards. The Royal Society of Arts in London will be the setting for today’s prestigious awards ceremony at which nine learners, employers and training providers will be singled out for their “inspirational” […]

Level two apprenticeships should be fully funded by the government at every age group, the AELP has said. This bold but uncosted recommendation is part of a “major” policy submission discussing the way the apprenticeship reforms are “undermining” the prime minister’s social mobility agenda. If actioned, it would mean the government was paying for around […]

Half a million pounds is on offer to run a new leadership training programme for senior FE managers looking to step up to top jobs. The Education and Training Foundation put a tender out three days ago, and it’s on the hunt for a provider with “an excellent track record” in executive leadership to develop […]