FE Week Reporter | FE Week

The government and sector are ill-prepared for FE loans

William Hague’s recent exhortation for people to stop whinging and ‘work harder’ reminded me of a certain Conservative politician from the 1980s who famously told people to ‘to get on their bike’ and look for work. The current economic picture bears many resemblances to the heyday of Norman Tebbit; high unemployment, especially among young people, […]

FE Minister gets the final word

The skills minister has been scrutinised by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee in the last evidence session of their inquiry into apprenticeships. John Hayes MP, speaking in Westminster last week, was quick to defend the rapid expansion in new apprentices aged 25 and above, as well as the apprenticeship scheme […]

Short apprenticeships offer “no real benefit,” say MPs

Apprenticeships delivered in six months or less offer “no real benefit” to learners or employers, according to a report published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Margaret Hodge MP, who chaired the panel, says she is concerned that roughly one in five apprenticeships (19 per cent) were delivered in six months or less during 2010/11. […]

FE loans met with “widespread dismay”

Only one in ten adults say they would “definitely” take out a loan to study a level 3 course in FE, according to research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The study, carried out by the social research agency TNS BMRB, found that 42 per cent of respondents would be unlikely […]

Arrests over apprenticeship subcontractor

Serious Fraud Office swoop in on Luis Michael Training, former partner of Sparsholt College Three men have been arrested as part of an investigation into Luis Michael Training (LMT), a sub-contractor that used to deliver football-based apprenticeships. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) says the individuals were arrested as part of a search operation on four […]

Three arrested in SFO investigation

Three men have been arrested as part of an investigation into Luis Michael Training, a company which used to deliver football-based apprenticeships. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) says the individuals were arrested as part of a search operation on four homes and a business property early this morning. Two of the men who were arrested […]

Time is right for UK further education providers to locate in India

The time is right for UK-based educational establishments in the further education sector to consider locating in India. India’s education sector is growing rapidly and it is estimated that by 2020 the country will need 35,000 FE colleges and about 800 universities to cater for demand for courses from the local population, of which more […]

City of Bristol College principal to retire after a decade in role

Keith Elliot, principal at City of Bristol College, has announced his plans to retire in July. The principal, who has held the position for more than a decade, has been praised for helping the college to become “one of the largest and most successful” FE colleges in the UK, achieving Beacon College status and an […]

Farewell, you won’t be forgotten

As I write these words, I’m hurtling through the countryside on a train heading back to Peterborough, having left FE Week for the final time after possibly the busiest and most exciting eight months of my five-year working life. So why leave? Well, the aforementioned location for writing this piece, as well as the small […]