Expert Contributor | FE Week

How DfE can better support colleges in crisis

As she leads her new institution to financial recovery, principal Karen Redhead reflects on what can help and hinder this difficult process I took over at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College in September, in the wake of a financial notice to improve from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and an intervention from the […]

Let’s spend more cash on SEND learners and less on admin

Some of the funding that used to be spent on support for learning disabilities now goes on administration. Students would benefit if the money went direct to providers, says Graham Razey Throughout the 25 years I’ve worked in further education, there have been a number of clichéd expressions thrown about. From Cinderella service to cash-strapped, […]

Ofsted is wrong about arts and media courses

The obsession with STEM is causing misperceptions about the value – economic and social – of participation in the creative industries, believes Debra Gray I like Amanda Spielman. I think she has been a force for good at Ofsted. I spent a day with the chief inspector of education, children’s services and skills last year […]

Do Skills Advisory Panels even make sense?

Will SAPs really be able to match local skills supply to employers’ needs, or is this just magical thinking, asks Ewart Keep Sometimes a piece of policy is announced and then vanishes from view for a lengthy period. This often signifies that it is proving hard to design and deliver. A current case in point […]

Colleges can give students a headstart over universities

With their close employer relationships, colleges have a major advantage over schools and universities, says Ronel Lehmann For years there has been discussion around the growing skills gaps faced by UK industry. With Brexit looming, the worry about filling skilled jobs has intensified and many employers are urgently looking at ways to address the issue. […]

Why should colleges prioritise digital technology?

Using tech effectively throughout your college is about creating equal opportunities for all learners, explains Deborah Millar Our job is to prepare students for their future. If we don’t teach them to use digital technology, we’re not preparing them for the real world of business and industry. Two of the three colleges I’ve worked at […]

What’s best practice for setting apprenticeship subcontracting fees?

Subcontractors can cost providers more than they would like, but the benefit to apprentices can make it worth it, says Rupert Crossland Subcontracting in apprenticeships is a reasonably complex concept. So complex, that the Association of Colleges (AoC) recently published a 50-page guide to help stakeholders make sense of the rules and establish a fair […]

How the sums don’t add up in recruitment of maths staff

It can be a struggle to recruit suitable maths staff – and it won’t get any easier as numbers drop in the future, says Diane Dalby Managing the unprecedented expansion of maths provision in FE that has resulted from the condition of funding is one of the biggest challenges facing colleges today. It is an […]

College restructuring is complex, costly and shrouded in secrecy

Julian Gravatt analyses the finances of colleges and explains why the restructuring fund will be nowhere near adequate in meeting the needs of the sector Between now and March 2019, the Department for Education expects to spend £150 million from its restructuring fund on loans and grants to colleges. These will be the last payments […]