Skip to content
13 May 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Warrington College’s Learner of the Year

James Giblin from Warrington College has been named the VQ Learner of the Year 2012 for the North West. Public services student, James, beat off competition from across the region and is now in the running for the national award. James impressed the judges with his exemplary attitude to every aspect of his work, and […]

Coleg Gwent College staff win TA challenge

Staff at Coleg Gwent College were crowned winners of an ‘Employees Challenge’ event organised by the Territorial Army in Newport. Teams from organisations across South Wales were put through their paces at the event, which tested leadership skills using physical and mental challenges. College staff faced stiff competition from organisations in the region, but finished […]

Raising awareness at City College Plymouth

Students at City College Plymouth participated in an afternoon of fun to raise awareness of Paralympic sports. College students and the local community came together to compete in mixed ability teams for sports such as basketball, tennis, and badminton. Sport and media students were also on-hand to film the event. Special guests included Sarah Piercy, […]

Graham Hoyle, chief executive, AELP

“My father gave me two pieces of advice: ‘don’t do shift work’ and ‘join the civil service,” says Graham Hoyle, of his early careers education. Growing up in Barton Hill, a “tough, inner-city” area of Bristol, he wanted to join the police force, but years of watching his father work long, unsociable hours at the […]

College’s shameful disregard for the rules

The findings in the Tenon report feel a little unsubstantiated in places. However, what the FE sector should be worried about is the underlying message and detailed data manipulation methods. Changing the ends dates of courses retrospectively, removing overseas or work-based learners from their ILR return and using transfer codes to remove students from specific […]

Ofsted risk-assessment under spotlight

Declining Ofsted grades were at the forefront of the ‘FE & Skills Inspections’ Westminster Briefing conference, with recent statistics showing a drop of one or more grades at 65 per cent of colleges since January this year. Matthew Coffey, the director of development, learning and skills at Ofsted, said the fall in grades is because […]

A diverse HE landscape

The government’s white paper Students at the heart of the system envisages a broader, more responsive higher education landscape in which further education colleges play a full part, alongside higher education institutions and alternative providers, in meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse body of students. The White Paper notes the distinctive contribution of college-based […]