Expert Contributor | FE Week

Homework should count in 20% off-the-job training rule

Off-the-job training rules are inflexible and hard to enforce. They need urgent reform, argues Sue Pittock Who first thought up the 20 per cent off-the-job training requirement, which is now an ESFA funding rule? It seems that policymakers felt that something like the old-style day release from a local college would still be relevant in […]

Training providers are facing uncertain times

Small training providers like the Friends Centre in Brighton are struggling under the current AEB uncertainty, writes Helen Osborne The recent partial invitation to tender for the Adult Education Budget has been going on a long time, and the announcement has been put back again. There are plenty of unintended consequences which seem not to […]

The apprentice voice improves quality

It is apprentices who will pay the price for bad decision making – so involve us, says Poppy Wolfarth The apprentice panel atthe Institute for Apprenticeships recently had an invitation to present to the IfA board withdrawn until October. On the face of it, this may seem like a small inconvenience but unfortunately, when you’re […]

How we achieved Ofsted outstanding for 14-16

Ofsted recently lauded the Grimsby Institute Group’s outcomes for 14- to 16-year-old learners as ‘outstanding’. Paul Thundercliffe, headteacher of the school they opened in 2015, explains how they approached the challenge As 2012 drew to a close, the DfE announced that from September 2013 colleges rated good or better by Ofsted would be able to […]

Quick-fix approach to SEND is poor strategy

There has been a marked increase in refusals to assess young people for education, health and care plans. Fixing this will require a shift in attitude from government, says Pauline Bayliss-Jones The latest government figures about learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) make for sombre reading. In 2016 the number of requests for […]

What providers need to know about health and care apprenticeships

Demand for health and care apprenticeships is set to soar, yet providers seem unprepared to grasp these business opportunities, says Sally Garbett The 2013 Cavendish Review identified significant weaknesses in induction training for 1.3 million healthcare workers delivering the bulk of hands-on care. This led to the introduction of the Care Certificate, which now forms […]

How to get more women into FE leadership

Getting more women into leadership positions is a multifaceted challenge, but there are some practical steps leaders in FE can take, writes Pauline Odulinski We are all familiar with the concept of the glass ceiling and know that women advance less far at work. They also continue to be paid less than men for doing […]

National Achievement Rate Tables are not a reliable quality indicator

Government should expect quality from the skills programmes it funds, but the National Achievement Rate Tables are not the only measure, argues Nichola Hay This week’s FE Week contains a full analysis of the government’s newest National Achievement Rate Tables 2015-16 for apprenticeships and education and training. Our own company shows a 19 per cent […]

Investing in skills: a Keynesian approach for the 21st century

Neil Carmichael told our sister paper FE Week that before he lost his seat in Parliament, his next plan for the Education Select Committee was going to be “a big piece of work on training and skills”. Here he outlines his vision When the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in 2019 the economy will […]