Billy Camden | FE Week

Hull College strike postponed following ‘positive talks’

A long-running dispute over redundancies between Hull College and the University and College Union took another twist this week, after planned staff strike action was postponed following “positive talks”. UCU members at the college were set to walk-out on Thursday (October 13) over planned job losses. But the union announced the day before that it […]

Team UK prepares for EuroSkills with yoga, meditation and stress tests

Dozens of the nation’s most talented FE students found their zen as they prepared for the psychological strains of competing on the international stage, at a special training session attended by FE Week ahead of EuroSkills 2016. The 85-strong Team UK squad visited Loughborough University last weekend to take part in sessions, one of which […]

Fresh concerns over failing UTC model as one in 10 now shut

More than 10 per cent of university technical colleges are now expected to close, just six years since they were first introduced. The latest to close its doors will be Royal Greenwich UTC in London, on which Greenwich Council is forking out £13m in order to convert it into a secondary school. Royal Greenwich UTC […]

Funding reform roll-out in 2017 still on track, insists DfE

There will be no delay to apprenticeship funding reforms, the government has insisted, despite growing concerns in the sector over a series of setbacks to key policy details. The Association of Colleges called for all funding and regulation reforms to be delayed beyond the planned May 1 launch date for the first time last week, […]

Ofsted considering climbdown over logo use

Ofsted could be heading for an embarrassing U-turn over its surprise decision to threaten providers with legal action over their unauthorised use of its logo to advertise ‘good’ inspection ratings. Last week, FE Week revealed that several training providers had been threatened out of the blue with court action by the education watchdog, for the […]

MP renews spat with college over planned job cuts

A senior MP has vowed to fight Hull College all the way over a string of job losses it wants to make. Karl Turner, former shadow attorney general and MP for Kingston upon Hull, has previously joined striking staff on the picket line, and has promised to meet with the University and College Union again, […]

Lord Baker rejects post-16 academic and vocational divide

Controversial plans for a post-16 academic and vocational divide have been rejected by key backer of under-fire university technical colleges Lord Baker. The Tory peer, who founded the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to promote UTCs for 14 to 19 year-olds, took his stand in a new Edge Foundation report called ‘14 – 19 education – […]

Government guidance delayed… but area reviews plough ahead

Wave four of the post-16 education and training area reviews has been launched, even though the sector is still waiting on important government guidance that should have been published in July. FE Week has received confirmation from colleges in the north-east, and Leicester and Leicestershire, which both fall under the fourth wave, that their reviews […]

Universities breach A-level results embargo by confirming student places a day early

A number of universities have breached the A-level results embargo and confirmed student places ahead of results day tomorrow. One university also released grade information directly to students, triggering UCAS to launch an investigation into the universities’ automated systems, which is blamed for the error. A-level grades can be released to students from 6am tomorrow […]