FE Week Reporter | FE Week

College Inspections: Re-basing of Grades?

Some commentators are taking the view that, recently, Ofsted has focused too heavily on full time 16-18 programmes, and has neglected the complexities of general FE. One particular college has been downgraded from “Outstanding” in 2007 to “Inadequate” this year. The inspection report suggests a biase towards the 16-18 provision, which accounts for a third […]

Peter Pledger, CEO, South London Business

For a man who has risen through trade unions, government quangos and the skills sector for more than three decades, Peter Pledger gives off an incredible sense of calm and modesty. “The game plan has always been to avoid bankruptcy,” he says simply. “As long as I can do that I’m happy.” As chairman of […]

Best practice principles in student administration

After many years working with college information systems and the advances I’ve seen in technology, it still amazes me that there are vast differences in how colleges capture and use information to propel their business forward. From my perspective, there are a few fundamental principles that would help any business to streamline their information processes […]

SFA to publish sub-contracting register in May

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) will be publishing the next subcontracting register before the end of the month. The publication, which details all subcontractors with an aggregate value of £100,000 or more, requires all lead providers to submit a declaration of sub-contractors form to their relationship manager by May 8. The SFA website reads: “As […]

Register for career professionals launched

The Careers Profession Alliance (CPA) has launched the first ‘National Register of Career Development Professionals’. Skills minister John Hayes says he wants 50 per cent of careers professionals to be on the new register by April 2015, which sets standards of professional practice for giving information, advice and guidance. Ruth Spellman OBE, chair of the […]

The £240m SFA giveaway

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has allocated providers an extra £240 million since the start of the academic year, new data has shown. An updated spreadsheet for 2011/12, published by the SFA earlier this week, shows that allocations have risen to more than £4 billion combined. The extra funding has been distributed mostly through the […]

Report finds ‘process failures’ at the Skills Funding Agency

An investigation into secret changes to a government website has unearthed “process failures” and an inability to pinpoint who made the unauthorised adjustments to data. The views are made in a breach report, published by UK Statistics Authority into the FE Choices website, which is managed by the Data Service; part of the Skills Funding […]

Looking ahead to Adult Learners’ Week

As tag lines go, the one being championed as the essence of Adult Learners’ Week, which begins on Saturday, will take some beating. It reads: “There has never been a more important time to celebrate and promote the benefits of learning – encouraging adults to discover the positive impact learning can have on their lives, […]

HR Director of Morrisons to step down next month

The group HR and communications director at Morrisons has announced he will leave the supermarket retailer at the end of June. Norman Pickavance, who has been questioned by the BIS Select Committee over the apprenticeship programme at Morrisons, will leave “to pursue opportunities” elsewhere. Dalton Philips, the chief executive of Morrisons, said: “Norman has been […]