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20 April 2026

Author: Expert Contributor

Where will all the T-level teachers come from?

The ambitious plans for T-levels will surely fail unless more well-qualified staff can be attracted to the sector, warns Simon Martin In September we saw FE representatives from across the sector almost unanimously voting that the timetable for T-level implementation was “reckless”, at the parliamentary debate staged by FE Week and Pearson. But even if […]

Can UTCs fit in the technical education jigsaw?

The government should think again on UTCs, and consider moving admissions to 16, says Gerard Dominguez-Reig Technical education is prone to continual fiddling by recent governments. In the last few years we’ve seen the roll out of T-levels, significant reforms to apprenticeships, and the area reviews of further education colleges. Emanating from government’s post-16 skills plan, […]

Three cheers for the Institute for Apprenticeships!

Maritime Skills Alliance sticks up for the maligned IfA for creating two wholly new port operative apprenticeships in a complex and non-standardised industry FE Week’s made quite a bit recently of the fact that neither Ministers, nor Sir Gerry Berragan, the Institute for Apprenticeships’ Chief Executive, can name any employers willing to offer the IfA any […]

The global skills race will be won by the country that can colonise skills systems

With the Germans exporting their entire skills model to countries in their global value chain, the UK needs to make sure it’s preparing equally well for the global skills race, says Rob May Damian Hinds’ recent recce to Germany in search of inspiration and the accompanying hand-wringing over Britain’s place on the PIAAC league table […]

‘Colleges have a grander ambition for their students’

Colleges have a unique role to play in the new industrial revolution, ensuring that every citizen is able to thrive, says David Hughes I’m down under for the bi-annual World Congress of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics, being held in Melbourne, and it’s clear that so many of the challenges and opportunities facing the […]

How will reducing low-skill foreign workers impact FE?

The UK has long relied on EU workers. Now employers must improve the training of homegrown staff, says Tom Richmond “What we want to see is people here in the UK being trained to take on the jobs which are available” said the prime minister to Radio 4 listeners during the Conservative Party conference. With […]

Does the IfA really believe in degree apprenticeship?

The IfA’s review of the DTSP will be a key test of whether it really listens to employers (and apprentices), says Mandy Crawford-Lee The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) has started a review of existing standards on the digital route, which includes the flagship Digital Technology Solutions Professional (DTSP) degree apprenticeship. To date the DTSP has […]

Why getting QTLS is on teachers’ to-do lists

When it comes to developing their careers, more teachers and trainers in further education are opting to gain QTLS status. Here three of them explain how it’s enhanced their practice, as well as their prospects. Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status is the badge of professionalism for practitioners in the Further Education and Training […]