FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Government announce £250m vocational training fund

The government has announced £250 million to try and entice businesses into investing in skills and apprenticeships. David Cameron hopes the money will boost vocational training and put young people back into work. The £250 million will be funded directly to employers over roughly two years, and completely bypass colleges and traditional training providers. The […]

Colleges look for community spirit at ‘dynamic’ conference

The Association of Colleges’ Annual Conference is a chance for leading think tanks to launch their latest reports in front of a huge education audience. The findings of the Independent Commission of Colleges in their Communities was led by Baroness Sharp of Guildford, the Chair of the Inquiry, when she was interviewed on centre stage […]

FE Week charity auction raises £10k for the Helena Kennedy Foundation

Visitors to the Annual Association of Colleges (AoC) Conference spent their first night raising money for charity by bidding in a special celebrity auction. The event, organised by FE Week and sponsored by Tribal and NCFE, raised exactly £10,000 for the Helena Kennedy Foundation (HKF), by auctioning luxury items such as tickets to a Premiership […]

‘Worry’ over 12 per cent fall in FE adults

Concerns have been raised over the decline in total adult FE participation at a time when the numbers of adult apprenticeships are surging. Government data for 2010/11 shows the number of learners aged 19 and over in government funded FE and skills provision is 3,129,200; an 11.6 per cent drop from 3,540,500 the previous year. […]

Apprenticeships need to be explained more clearly to learners, says MP

Apprenticeships and vocational training need to be explained more clearly to learners, according to Simon Hughes MP. The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats said the number of vocational qualifications needed to be simplified into a “menu” of options that is clearer for both parents and young people. Mr Hughes told FE Week at the […]

‘Trust’ is key for new college freedoms

As the saying goes, all good relationships are built on trust – and it seems that motto can be extended to the world of further education (FE). The link to the old adage was made during the Association of Colleges (AoC) Annual Conference and Exhibition 2011 on Tuesday, when more powers due to be handed to […]

NCG and Northumberland College merger collapses

Plans for a merger between the NCG (formerly Newcastle College Group) and Northumberland College have collapsed. The Northumberland College Corporation met last night and agreed to “rescind” the decision it made on the July 13 to merge with NCG, which offered an investment of £25 million over the next four years. However, Northumberland College Corporation’s said […]

AELP backs goverment plans to slash red-tape and give small firms cash boost

Government plans to cut red-tape and encourage small firms to take on more apprentices has been backed by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP). Graham Hoyle OBE, chief executive of the AELP, said: “We believe that today’s announcements represent a good response to the feedback that AELP members have been offering on what […]

New apprentice incentive for smaller businesses

Smaller businesses are to be given cash incentives to take on apprentices under new plans announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable. As part of the government’s plan for growth, Mr Cable has announced action to make it easier for companies to take on apprentices. He told businesses in London today the government would slash the […]