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20 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Should we look forward to ‘co-opetition’?

Sixth-form colleges must not rest on the laurels of past successes, says Mark Bramwell. First up, let’s tackle the relationship with academies…  Sixth-form colleges are proving to be robust with most achieving high success rates and good or outstanding Ofsted grades. And most are oversubcribed – despite the demographic drop in the number of eligible […]

Graham Morley, principal, South Staffordshire College

“I hated school with a passion, hated going every single day and even now don’t look back on it and say those days were the happiest of my life like a lot of people do,” says Graham Morley, Chief Executive Principal of South Staffordshire College. Being the youngest in the year, disliking football and in the […]

Critical skills for the 21st century

Colleges should be leading the way to creating entrepreneurial communities, say Andy Pellant and Lynne Sedgmore Entrepreneurship is a key word on many people’s lips at the moment. The working world of the 21st century is one in which resilience, enterprise and personal qualities are as important as skills and knowledge; one in which coping […]

Looking forward to the Richard Review

David Way is interviewed by Chris Henwood in the mobile newsroom on the top floor of the Hyatt Birmingham Employers should be given greater ownership of the apprenticeship system, according to National Apprenticeship Service chief executive David Way. He spoke to FE Week at the Association of Colleges conference, in Birmingham, where he offered a […]

FE Week’s glitzy auction in aid of HKF

An FE Week charity auction night held in the grand setting of Birmingham’s Grade II-listed Council House raised at least £5,500 for the Helena Kennedy Foundation. More than 100 guests attended the event on Tuesday, November 20, including National Institute of Adult Continuing Education chief executive David Hughes and Learning and Skills Improvement Service chair […]

Employer ownership criticised as ‘top-slicing’

An FE leader blasted new training incentives for businesses worth £150m as “top slicing” funds from the adult skills budget. Maggie Galliers, president of the Association of Colleges (AoC), was speaking at this year’s annual AoC conference where FE Minister Matthew Hancock announced the cash pot for businesses to help “build a skilled workforce”. During […]

Functional skills funding to double

The FE Minister has pledged to double the amount of money available for adult English and maths skills branding it a “scandal”many Britons “couldn’t read or add up properly” Matthew Hancock (pictured) made the announcement welcomed by FE leaders during a speech at AoC’s annual conference in Birmingham. “And there is one area where Britain […]

Panel sets out to define FE Guild

From left: Martin Doel, Peter Davies, David Hughes and Graham Hoyle on the panel at the Association of Colleges annual conference and exhibition 2012 Leaders of the new FE Guild proposals have told of their hopes for the new body, but said they were prepared for it to be rejected by the sector. A consultation […]