Expert Contributor | FE Week

The Manufacturing Technology Centre launches new programme: CPD for FE – Engineering Excellence

The MTC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) supports the education sector through a range of courses to upskill front line educators, curriculum developers and educational leaders. This new programme is for FE teachers and lecturers interested in inspiring students to engage with emerging technologies in the classroom. The programme will provide a breadth of knowledge […]

Governance structures must evolve for a college to survive

Good governance is essential to the effective running of any business, with an ineffective board being the most likely reason for an organisation to fail. Boards exist to provide leadership, support and scrutiny to a management team. To do this well, a board must be structured in a way that underpins the organisation’s aims and […]

Why colleges should be wary of university mergers

Merging with a peer in further education is now the most sensible option for colleges wanting to cut costs, argues Martin Vincent At the start of November an investigation by The Independent revealed at least three universities in England are in serious financial distress, relying on bridging loans to stay afloat. The news is clear […]

What to do if your college is running into financial problems

Skills minister Anne Milton explains what the government is doing to support colleges in financial difficulty A college is a multi-million pound business and leading a college is a big and important challenge. I’ve been vocal about my belief that further education can change lives, giving people new skills and opening doors to exciting […]

Bonfire of the qualifications – is that what’s next?

Take the politics out of funding vocational qualifications and trust in the technical expertise of the bodies that have been set up by parliament to regulate and fund them, urges Tom Bewick Remember the “bonfire of the quangos”? In 2009, David Cameron pledged his future administration would put on a Guy Fawkes night to remember; […]

What does the budget mean for FE?

This was certainly not a budget for FE or education generally. No additional money was given or promised (apart from a token gesture for schools). This is despite hard evidence that funding per pupil has been falling in real terms and that post-16 education has fared worse than any other area of education. The latest […]

Adults are still being trapped in low-paid work

The recent technical reforms still do little to help young people stuck in low levels of education or adults trapped in low-paid work, laments Andy Norman For too many people, low-skilled, poorly-paid and insecure work is the only option. A successful skills system can empower people to move into the well-paid good jobs that are […]

Can national colleges overcome their recruitment and funding challenges?

Clair Mowbray explains how the first incorporated college to open in 30 years is responding to its funding and recruitment challenges In last week’s edition of FE Week, national colleges were placed under the spotlight with regard to the challenges they have faced recently around their funding and learner recruitment. It has been just over […]

The missing middle gap: what’s happening with level 4 and 5?

With the DfE taking a renewed interest in intermediate-level provision, FE needs to seize the moment, says Professor Ewart Keep We are currently experiencing a surge of policy interest in the strange “missing middle gap” that exists in provision between level 3 and level 6 (university degrees) – witness the Department for Education’s level 4 […]