FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Hats off to Warrington College for record breaking musical theatre performance

Warrington Collegiate students took to the stage to perform extracts from Seussical-The Musical in London at her Majesty’s Theatre, for Sunday Night Live. Based on the books by Dr. Seuss, the children’s favourite musical showcased the rising talents of students studying musical theatre at the collegiate. Ariane Sallis (17), from Golborne, who played Gertrude McFuzz […]

South Essex College appoints new principal

South Essex College of Further and Higher Education has appointed Angela O’Donoghue as its new principal and chief executive. Ms O’Donoghue, currently principal of Sunderland College, is expected to begin her new role in August, ready for the start of the next academic year. South Essex College is the largest college in the eastern region […]

Bolton College student looks back on history

A Bolton College learner who visited Auschwitz as part of an annual national education trip has been inspired to make a documentary about the Holocaust. Sophie Baxendale (17) visited Auschwitz last November and has since created a 30 minute film which she will present to her peers over the coming weeks. The documentary includes images […]

South Cheshire College student goes on special VIP visit to Number 10 to see PM

A South Cheshire College student was given a birthday treat to remember when he hooked up with the Prime Minister at Downing Street. AS-Level student Ryan Worth was invited to meet David Cameron at ‘Number 10’ in a special one-off visit organised as a surprise present by his sister Natasha who joined him on the […]

Weston College fronts new autism campaign

Weston College’s groundbreaking Specialist Support Model has been chosen to front a new national campaign for students on the autistic spectrum. Music technology degree student Steven Philp (24), who has Asperger’s Syndrome, gave a speech about ‘Finished at School’ campaign to MPs and professionals at the House of Commons last month. The year-long campaign backed […]

Apprenticeship advertising: Is it counterproductive?

The Government has committed itself to creating an extra 250,000 Apprenticeships by 2015. This is a challenging target, particularly in an economic downturn, with increasing youth unemployment and dramatic reductions in opportunities in the very industries, such as construction, that have traditionally provided places. Initial progress was good. By June 2011, the target of an […]

Response to ‘Government publish FE Choices’

If you saw FE Week’s front-page headline “Private providers ahead of FE colleges in government learner satisfaction survey” and also visited the FE Choices website ( http://fechoices.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/ ) you might be puzzled. Yes: you can bring the data together as FE Week does; but FE Choices doesn’t compare provider types like that and isn’t meant […]

The government need to sharpen their focus

It’s great as Shadow Skills and FE Minister to celebrate this fourth annual Apprenticeships week. Looking back on Labour’s record in Government, our revitalisation of Apprenticeships remains for me one of our most substantial achievements. Lifting the number of starts from a mere 65,000 in 1996/97 to just under 280,000 was buttressed by the then […]

Sue Rimmer, principal, South Thames College

“We are heading towards the edge of a cliff, which we’re going to fall off,” says the principal of South Thames College, describing the on-going funding crisis in further education. Strong words perhaps, but Sue Rimmer speaks from a vast amount of experience in the sector. It would be unwise not to listen. Raised in […]