FE Week Reporter | FE Week

NAO’s verdict on adult apprenticeships

Funding rates are unreliable The funding rates used to pay training providers for delivering an apprenticeship are not based on robust information, according to the NAO. The NAO says the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and NAS have set tariffs without “reliable evidence” to support estimated training costs. The ‘Adult Apprenticeships’ report states: “The Agency and […]

Flexibility and ‘black box’ at top of AELP ‘In-Tray’

In the seemingly ever-changing landscape of further education, providers are forced to adapt at a rapid rate of knots. With that in mind, and in the wake of a number of challenges to the sector and a raft of new policy announcements, AELP put together a weighty agenda for its annual ‘In-Tray’ conference, in Leeds. […]

Vocational quals counted out

Concern has been raised at the government’s expulsion of thousands of qualifications from school league tables. While stating that its members would welcome the strengthening of vocational education, the Association of Colleges (AoC) believes it should not be allowed to result in less 14 to 15 year-olds being exposed to vocational qualifications. It comes after […]

Young apprenticeships fall as adults nearly double

The rise in adult apprenticeships has continued to accelerate in the first three months of the new academic year, while the number of starts aged between 16 and 18 has dropped, new data has shown. Provisional figures, published by the Data Service in the Statistical First Release (SFR) last week, show that the number of […]

Employability qualifications are just the job

Increasing unemployment is fuelling a sharp rise in demand for short employability qualifications, figures obtained by FE Week reveal. Statistics from three major awarding bodies – Edexcel, City and Guilds and NCFE – report significant increases in registrations for courses which aim to improve CVs, improve interview techniques and aid application writing. Although aiming to […]

More than 14m learner accounts unused

Less than 0.01 per cent of more than 14 million learning accounts have been accessed directly by learners, figures obtained by FE Week reveal. The statistics, released in a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), show only 800 learners have accessed their Personal Learning Record (PLR), out of 14,166,906 Unique […]

Apprenticeship success rates highest ever

Apprenticeship success rates have risen for the fourth consecutive year across all age groups, according to new government data. The statistical first release (SFR), published by the Data Service last week, shows a 2.6 percentage point increase in apprenticeships at all age groups and skill levels. The completion rate of all 16 to 18 apprenticeships […]

Ross Varnam, apprentice and silver medallist, WorldSkills

Like most youngsters, Ross Varnam was unsure about what to do after his GCSEs. Aged 16 and with 11 A to Cs behind him, his options were wide open. He had enjoyed his time at Longslade Community College, in Leicester, but would A levels be the right move for him? As is so often the […]

Hayes launches independent review into professionalism of FE workforce

The Skills Minister has launched an independent review into the professionalism of the further education (FE) and skills workforce today. John Hayes MP has confirmed the review will be chaired by Lord Lingfield, alongside an expert panel led by David Sherlock CBE, former head of the Adult Learning Inspectorate. “As we reform the further education […]