Author: Expert Contributor

Paul Joyce explains what Ofsted inspectors are looking for from traineeships — beyond high quality English and maths provision. With a greater emphasis being placed on apprenticeships and vocational education, it can sometimes be easy to forget about traineeships and the important role they play in preparing many learners for their next steps. There is […]

Professor Bill Lucas reflects on the findings of City & Guilds research into craftsmanship, and what lessons can be learned across FE. Craftsmanship is in decline today for a number of reasons. We live in a throwaway world where being good enough has replaced doing your best, where hands are mainly used only to type […]

The recently elected mayor of Bristol explains the key role he hopes FE can play in his plans to drive down inequality through better co-ordinated education and training Earlier this month, Bristol took to an international stage to showcase how the city became England’s first learning city, joining a network of other places across the […]

Shadow Skills Minister Gordon Marsden reflects on his fears for the future of apprenticeships if Britain pulls out of the European Union (EU). I am firmly in favour of Britain staying in the EU, not least because of all the uncertainty and instability that leaving would cause FE. I haven’t seen the financial forecasts that […]

Daniel Chamier, who runs a bag manufacturing firm, explains why he thinks local colleges are failing to train the next generation of young people to work in northern factories. I own and run a small Carlisle-based manufacturing business called John Chapman. We are one of the last such companies in the UK that makes bags and […]

Gareth Parry has depression, which hasn’t stopped him from rising to the top of his organisation. He explains here why apprentice employers need to change their own perceptions of people with mental health issues. The government’s new Get In Go Far campaign to encourage young people to choose an apprenticeship at the start of their […]

Andrew Cleaves looks ahead to a post-apprenticeship levy environment, where he says colleges will have to tailor their training far more to employers. In 10 years’ time the FE landscape is going to look very different from today; the apprenticeship levy is going to be a real game-changer. While traditional sources of funding continue to […]

David Allison discusses the effects of the apprenticeship levy on business agendas and the challenge employers face in finding the right apprentices. Whether you like it or not, the apprenticeship levy continues to raise awareness of apprenticeships across a wide range of stakeholders. Some of them have been around the block with the various iterations […]