Billy Camden | FE Week

Halfon denies picture ‘bleak’ for adult education in ‘night school’ debate

The skills minister has denied that the picture of adult education is “bleak”, as Labour MP David Lammy launched his campaign for a “renewed culture of night schools”. Mr Lammy led an adjournment debate in the House of Commons this afternoon on the future of adult education. He took the opportunity to call for a return to […]

Adult Education budget procurement process set to launch

The first ever procurement process for adult education budget contracts has been given the ministerial green light and is expected to begin within days. FE Week understands the plan has been given the go-ahead by the secretary of state for education, Justine Greening (pictured). The Skills Funding Agency first wrote to training providers in October and told […]

Government unwilling to take action on qualifications fraud fears

An awarding organisation that fell victim to a high-profile case of qualifications fraud has called on the government to set up an expert panel, amid fears that the problem has been swept under the carpet. Industry Qualifications wants the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to work with examinations […]

Providers in limbo as ‘no date’ for adult education budget procurement launch

Providers have been left in the dark about when procurement for adult education budget contracts will be launched for the first time, after the government admitted it has “no date”. The Skills Funding Agency wrote to training providers in October and told them that their current AEB contracts will end this July – rather than […]

Late publication of ‘customer service’ guide for area reviews described as ‘beyond parody’

The government’s decision to publish today a “customer service” guide explaining what colleges can expect from area reviews – despite more than half of them having already finished – has been described as “beyond parody”. Release of the guidance came among a flurry of reports and recommendations from wave three of the area reviews, also published this […]

College faces £10,000 replacement bus bill over train strikes

A college in Sussex is bearing the full brunt of staff strikes at Southern Rail, having to shell out up to £10,000 on replacement buses while the dispute continues. Train drivers from the ASLEF union began industrial action today and will continue the walkout tomorrow and Friday, over a row to do with driver-only trains. […]

If DfE is listening it must act now

Employers are telling a large and successful provider of 16-18 engineering apprentices they will switch to adults once the funding reforms kick in. Most 16-18 frameworks see a significant rate cut from May, and for the first time employers with 50 or more staff will have to pay for them. Then there are the new […]

Outstanding colleges might now expect a visit from Ofsted

Ofsted seems to be heading for a U-turn on a controversial policy that exempts providers rated ‘outstanding’ from routine inspection. FE Week revealed in November that two colleges – Bridgwater and Taunton College in Somerset, and Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridgeshire – had not been inspected for a decade. Since then, another college […]

Thousands competing in AoC Sport National Championships 2017

Up to 2,000 elite college sporting stars will travel to Nottingham in April to compete in the AoC Sport National Championships 2017. Throughout the autumn term students across the country have been battling away in regional heats to qualify for the 39th annual championships – the pinnacle event in the sporting calendar for AoC Sport […]