FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Apprenticeship review targets 45 providers

More than 40 colleges and training providers are being investigated as part of the review into short duration apprenticeships. “We are working with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to consider the outcomes of each review of short provision,” a National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) spokesperson said. “Action is already in hand to investigate cases where there […]

Eight sentenced – including six jailed – over £500,000 college fraud

Eight fraudsters have been sentenced, including six jailed, for conning colleges out of more than half-a-million-pounds. The sentences, handed out at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, signalled the end a three-year in investigation, which centred on two companies – Training Options UK Ltd (TOUK) and FE Options Ltd. It found staff forged documents to falsely […]

FE Week investigates: The National Extension College is ‘reborn’

Little more than a month ago, thousands of students faced uncertainty after the owners of a distance-learning institution plunged into administration. Saddled with a pension liability and rapidly reducing income, the Learning and Skills Network (LSN) announced its demise in early November. It left the administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), with the task of finding buyers for […]

FE loans available to learners from March 2013

Learners will be able to apply for a further education loan from March 2013, according to a clarification by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The announcement, published in ‘A Guide to Further Education Loans for colleges and training organisations’ last week, states: “The FE Loans system will be launched in March 2013, […]

Arise Sir Geoffrey Hall

Geoff Hall, former Principal of New College Nottingham and contributor to FE Week, is one of just 27 people to be honoured with a Knighthood in today’s New Year’s Honours List 2012. Mr (soon to be Sir) Hall announced his retirement from the college after seven and a half years of leadership in May 2010, when […]

Enhanced Renewal Grants given to 46 further education colleges

Forty six colleges will receive Enhanced Renewal Grants, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has announced. The additional funding, worth up to £2 million per college, is part of a new two year Capital Programme launched by the Government in September. Geoff Russell, chief executive of the SFA, said: “The Government’s willingness to make this additional […]

Economic value of skills down £130 billion

Economic value of the knowledge and skills of the UK’s workforce fell by £130 billion in 2010, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal. The knowledge and skills of workers in the UK were worth an estimated £17.12 trillion in 2010. This was more than two-and-a-half times the estimated value of UK’s tangible assets – […]

Apprenticeships special edition

The first pilot edition of FE Week in June 2011 (see picture) ran an exclusive story about 12 week apprenticeships. Since then FE Week has followed the debate and government reaction closely. This special edition catalogues just a few of our articles, culminating in the government announcing this week that they will be introducing minimum […]

Skills Funding Agency to become an Executive Agency

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) will become an Executive Agency following a review of its status. Skills minister John Hayes, who announced a review of the Agency and its Chief Executive on November 1, said the change is consistent with the government’s commitment to improve transparency and accountability of public services. By definition, the move means the […]