Expert Contributor | FE Week

HE has a HESA – why can’t FE have a FESA?

A “data deficit” is responsible for the persistent failure of UK skills policy, explains Andy Norman, who wants to establish a new FE statistics agency While it may seem like the skills discourse is reaching a political crescendo, appreciation of its importance is really nothing new. Researchers and politicians alike have waxed lyrical about the […]

Stop tinkering with the skills system!

The English system is suffering from innovation fatigue. We need to stop chopping and changing it, writes Tom Bewick Coming back into the UK’s skills system after a seven-year absence working internationally feels like returning to another planet. In England, some of the major reforms have taken place; the sector has weathered a new policy […]

What does a good college mental health strategy look like?

To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week, Sarah-Louise Neesam explains how West Suffolk College has developed and implements a student welfare strategy I have been a student welfare manager for 17 years, a long period with which to watch changes in the demands made on the welfare service at West Suffolk College. Ten years ago, after seeing […]

What are the biggest problems with T-levels?

With the 2020 start date for the first T-levels fast approaching, Ewart Keep lays out just a few of what he sees as their biggest problems It is apparent that T-levels are now yet another in a long line of government projects that have been deemed too important to fail, despite the long and failure-strewn […]

How can employers know which providers are good?

The marketplace is changing rapidly, and it’s awash with new standards and providers. Stefano Capaldo explains how to sort the wheat from the chaff Twelve months ago, the levy gave employers control of apprenticeship funding in England. While this is welcome in lots of ways, it has become increasingly difficult for employers to identify a […]

How can we get more women into engineering? Your opinion is needed…

Engineering is an area that’s historically been dominated by men. Sandra McNally is leading an inquiry into how to massively widen women’s participation in this vital area of the economy, and is asking for written submissions by May 21 In this ‘Year of Engineering’, the Skills Commission is running an inquiry into the pathways for women […]

Flaws in the benefits system are holding apprentices back

Cruelties in the way much-needed welfare is handed out to NEET families is preventing their children from social mobility, writes Andrée Deane-Barron Why would the government establish policy that so defiantly restricts the progress of another? I am referring to the welfare benefits system and its adverse effect on the take-up of apprenticeships, especially among […]

Lessons from the T-levels work experience pilot

The 45-day placement requirement in the new T-levels is a laudable goal, but colleges need differentiated support, writes Andy Stittle Work placements are a valuable undertaking: they set theory in context and develop sector-specific employability skills. Like most colleges, Truro and Penwith welcomed the T-levels work placements pilot, which gave us the opportunity to identify […]

Tips for colleges to work with small businesses

Employer buy-in is only going to get more important as T-levels arrive, and Mike Cherry has some advice for colleges that want to engage more small businesses to help out on skills Investing in our young people and supporting them to move into work is a topic that I care very much about, both in […]