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16 April 2026

Author: Expert Contributor

Is there a silver bullet for 14-16 recruitment?

Schools may see 14-16 recruitment as a threat, but there is a way to make it work, says Alison Maynard. Since legislation was changed in 2014 to allow FE colleges to recruit mainstream 14-16 students, there has been mixed enthusiasm from the education world. And indeed, we are seeing mixed success in the implementation of […]

Prison learning needs more staff to succeed

While prison reform is to be welcomed, simply dealing with the staff shortages would solve many of the barriers to learning, says Sally Alexander. Prison reform has been a hot topic of conversation since Michael Gove was appointed as justice minister back in May 2015. With his sudden exit earlier this year, the sector has […]

Dear minister, it’s time to come clean on apprenticeships cuts

With the government attempting to hide or downplay the scale of their funding cuts, there is a huge gulf between rhetoric and reality on apprenticeships, says David Lammy. During the course of the parliamentary debate on apprenticeship funding cuts on November 1, I mentioned cuts 30 times. I brought up local figures and evidence from […]

Government is overseeing the managed decline of further education

Rather than creating a regime that makes it easier for colleges to become insolvent, government should be investing more in further education, says Angela Rayner. More than four million people in Britain are learning in the further education sector every year. The sector plays a crucial role in supporting our young people. Those who are […]

We have a once-in-a generation chance to reform FE

Reforms will inevitably cause upheaval, but the problems with our current system are too pressing to ignore, says Lord Sainsbury. No area of public life has suffered so much from poor government policy-making, constant change and under-funding as technical education. The first report which said that our technical education was not as good as that […]

How to fix the skills system

Government’s recent apprenticeship reforms were well-intentioned but miscalculated, says Tom Richmond, co-author of today’s Policy Exchange report, ‘The skills we need, and why we don’t have them’. “No matter who I speak with, when I mention apprenticeships people react warmly.” So said Doug Richard in his review of apprenticeships back in 2012. This warmth ensures […]

How to create inclusive learning spaces

To successfully create inclusive spaces for those with learning difficulties, the entire organisation needs to be brought on-board, says Karen Roberts. While dyslexia is estimated to affect around 10 per cent of the general population (four per cent severely), the figure is estimated at around one third in young offender institutions. If colleges and FE […]

Why isn’t the sector more positive about apprenticeship reforms?

While change is always unsettling, the apprenticeship reforms will do the sector a world of good, says Graham Howe. Change is unsettling, significant change is scary, and apprenticeships are going through significant change. It is worrying that the sector is being forced to move to new standards for which the end assessment is unknown, and […]