FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Blackburn College gets hammered

One of the world’s strongest men has made the trip to Blackburn College to help knock down its seven storey Feilden Street building. Mark Felix, a strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World’s Strongest Man competition, has joined the staff from the college for the last phase of the building’s demolition. It is estimated […]

School leavers choose college over staying on at sixth form

More 16 year-olds chose further education over staying on at a school sixth form in 2009/10, according to new data published by the Department for Education. The statistical first release, published earlier this week, is the first time the Department has revealed the percentage of students progressing to further learning in a school, FE or […]

Newcastle College cuts inspection short after ‘troubling incidents’

Inspectors were asked to leave Newcastle College after staff complained of “troubling incidents” during an inspection. Ofsted were assessing NCG (formerly Newcastle College Group) in May when the inspection was cut short. However, inspectors were given permission to return to the college and complete the assessment several weeks later. An email seen by FE Week and sent to college staff […]

Fifteen Community Learning Trusts approved for pilot scheme

Fifteen Community Learning Trusts have been chosen to take part in a pilot scheme launching in August. The successful trusts will involve FE colleges, adult education services, businesses and voluntary organisations working together to try and increase the number of adults taking part in education. It is hoped the scheme will give communities more power to […]

Vocational students praised at City of Bath College

A star stonemason and a top female refrigeration engineer were among the students praised at City of Bath College’s annual Celebrating Success Awards. Students studying a range of different courses attended the ceremony, held at Bath Guildhall, before being presented with awards and certificates in recognition of their hard work and achievements. Stonemasonry student Sam Flintham (pictured right) was […]

LSIS launches new support scheme for trainee teachers

The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) has unveiled a new scheme to support people training to be a teacher in the FE sector. The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Fee Awards will pay institutions £1,500 towards the fees of a learner training to teach basic maths or english. It will also offer £1,000 for students wishing to teach any other […]

Eastleigh College rated “outstanding” by Ofsted

Eastleigh College has been awarded the highest inspection grade possible by Ofsted. Inspectors said the college was “outstanding” in its quality of provision, outcomes for learners and ability to improve further. It follows a grade two inspection result published in 2007. Tony Lau-Walker, chief executive of the college said it was a “fantastic achievement” and […]

Promote FE to tackle unemployment

During a recession it would make more sense for people to be supported to learn new skills in further education than paid to look for jobs that don’t exist. That is the simple headline message of a new report prepared by the 157 Group to be published this week. Colleges maintain that there are many […]

Childcare: why high-quality training pays off

David Cameron has created a National Childcare Commission in the wake of Professor Cathy Nutbrown’s review of qualifications for the Early Years workforce. Nutbrown wants tougher entry requirements, starting at level 3, to raise the quality and status of childcare workers. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Truss MP, in a recent report for the think tank Centreforum, calls […]