FE Week Reporter | FE Week

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 […]

David Way, chief operating officer, National Apprenticeship Service

At 22, David Way found himself at a crossroads. Having recently completed a Masters degree, he had two job offers on the table – a graduate traineeship at the Department for Employment and an industrial relations role at an engineering firm in Peterborough. He went for the former, he says – somewhat sheepishly – on […]

Apprenticeships: a little bit of advice

It’s a mess. Anyone who thinks the current or proposed system for providing information advice and guidance (IAG) to young people is fit for purpose is either a fool or a knave. Ask young people!! Or ask Lord Browne whose report provided the basis of the new tuition fees regime and had a remarkable amount […]