FE Week Reporter | FE Week

West Thames College students makeup showcase

West Thames College’s talented makeup students performed live-demonstrations at the Treaty Shopping Centre in Hounslow. Stopping shoppers in their tracks with an incredible display of bodypainting and theatrical makeup techniques, the students also applied the makeup for a series of spectacular fashion shows organised by students from the University of West London and produced by […]

David Cameron and John Hayes MP visit apprentices from Havering College

A group of Havering College apprentices employed by leading companies met Prime Minister David Cameron last month. Fourteen apprentices from energy giants EDF, technology company e2v and the Cycle Systems Academy – all taking Level 2 courses through the college – were on hand as the Prime Minister announced a new round of government funding […]

Finding an alternative to shared services

In a time of increasing pressure on resources, every college is exploring ways to improve its cost effectiveness. National policy advice continues to nudge colleges towards investing in Shared Service solutions, and yet most colleges are reluctant to give up sovereignty of their support service functions. But to quote the strap line of a major […]

Warrington Collegiate team shortlisted

Warrington Collegiate is proving it can stand the heat after being selected as one of the contenders in the catering competition, the Nestle Toque D’Or. The competition, which boasts James Martin and Jamie Oliver among past competitors, sets teams of three students the MasterChef-style challenge of cooking a healthy lunch for six courses, two for […]

IT management needs to change

The FE sector is starting to see the impact of the budget cuts that were imposed for the year 2011 – 2012, while according to statistics from UCAS, the number of applications from English students to attend university has declined by around nine per cent compared to the previous year. For FE establishments, this is […]

Increased efficiency, collaboration and reduction of costs are the key

It’s no secret that today’s higher and further education institutions are being forced into a position where they place improved efficiency and cost reduction at the top of their agendas, so it should come as little surprise that the enabler for achieving both of these goals is increasingly technology. Student recruitment and retention is also […]

UKCES tender update

The publication of the tender documents for the Employer Ownership of Skills pilot has been delayed. The full application form and guidance was due to be published “towards the end of February 2012”, according to a prospectus published by the UKCES. A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said: “BIS and […]

Maxine Room, principal, Lewisham College

Maxine Room says she was never an “archetypal academic”. A mischievous child, who liked to chat, her school reports typically read: “could do better if she concentrated.” Neverthless she left the Skinners Company School for Girls – a selective grammar school in north London – with a good clutch of qualifications and went to Bath […]

Fraudster warning

Professional fraudsters are targeting the FE sector, the Skills Funding Agency has warned. In the Agency’s latest Update, a statement reads: “Recently, we have been made aware that the further education sector may be subject to approaches by professional fraudsters, who are writing to providers requesting a change of bank account details for outstanding payments […]