FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Lettuce eat for free says AoC e-petition

Equality between FE and schools has been a prominent aspect of the sector for many years – and a new battlefield has been drawn. No Free Lunch? is a campaign being launched by the Association of Colleges (AoC) to address one of the sector’s key issues. As it stands, the 16-18-year-olds from a disadvantaged background […]

Government must do more to tackle diversity problems

Recent evidence that unemployment rates among black 16 to 24-year-old men available for work have risen to 56 per cent – double what it was three years ago – is appalling news. But even worse is the growing evidence that the government is falling short in its efforts to tackle the root causes and direct […]

Subway apprenticeships give food for thought

Subway has started offering intermediate apprenticeship places across a small number of stores in areas such as Tyne and Wear, Devon and Dorset. Nick Summers, reporter at FE Week and a former employee of Subway, gives his view on the new scheme. Last week the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) were tweeting about a number of […]

Apprenticeship Vacancy system ‘under scrutiny’

Sanctions are being considered for providers who fail to advertise vacancies on the Apprenticeship Vacancy (AV) system, an e-mail seen by FE Week reveals. From August 2010, providers were contractually required to use the AV system, managed by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), to advertise their own vacancies and also of those of any subcontractors. […]

Calls for Ofsted to grade IAG

FE provider membership bodies are calling on Ofsted to take a greater look at the information, advice and guidance given out at schools. The Association of Colleges (AoC) believes the education regulator should grade the advice handed out to school students, while Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has urged Ofsted to make it […]

A Way forward for Apprenticeship durations

FE Week’s Nick Reinis speaking to the newly appointed chief executive of NAS at the Apprenticeship Quality Conference last week Picture by Nick Linford Recommendations on plans to introduce a minimum duration for 19+ apprenticeships have been passed by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to the skills minister. The […]

Lessons to be learned following SFA data ‘episode’

An investigation into changes on FE Choices has found more than 2,500 data records were adjusted without public knowledge. The Data Service, which is part of the Skills Funding Agency, has revealed that 2,639 changes were made to “unique values” in the Learner Satisfaction indicator of the performance comparison site after it went live on […]

No accountability for issues in FE, say MPs

There are too many funding organisations in further education of which none take responsibility for cutting red tape, according to a report by MPs. The Commons Public Accounts Committee also said that they are “frustrated” the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), does not believe it should be their job to reduce bureaucracy. According […]

Apprentice minimum wage up 5p

The government has increased the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate for apprentices to £2.65. It comes following recommendations by the independent Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations and will come into effect on October 1. However, the NMW rates for 16 to 20-year-olds will remain the same. Confirmation of the new rates is as follows: The adult rate […]