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19 April 2026

Author: FE Week Reporter

Study on bureaucracy expected next month

A study on reducing bureaucracy in further education (FE) is due for release next month. The study, conducted by the National Audit Office (NAO), will examine the efforts of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to reduce the bureaucracy faced by FE colleges. NAO say reducing bureaucracy is a […]

Skills Minister John Hayes meets Jaguar Land Rover apprentices

John Hayes visited Jaguar and Landrover apprentices as part of the ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ initiative earlier this week. The Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning visited Halewood Operations to meet some of the company’s first qualified apprentices. Mr Hayes said: “By inspiring and training the new generation of highly skilled technicians […]

Free meals for hard-hit students at Newham College

Newham College is giving out around 1,500 free meals to students each week in a bid to tackle cuts in government grants. Managers have said that hundreds of learners would be unable to study at the college if they were not given luncheon vouchers. Denise Brown-Sackey, Principal of Newham College, said: “The lunch is making […]

Hundreds of 12 week apprenticeships advertised on NAS website are ‘under review’

The apprenticeship programmes delivered by the hotelier De Vere are under review and “likely to change” as part of an assessment into provision and standards. The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) is looking into every short apprenticeship, alongside the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), following the introduction of Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE). However, news […]

Employers use apprentices for ‘cheap labour’

Colleges and training providers say employers should pay towards apprentice training programmes. A survey conducted by Lsect asked if employers should continue to be allowed to contribute nothing towards the training for their apprentices. Nearly three quarters of the people who replied – 73 per cent – said the employer should pay something towards training […]

Attempt to ‘simplify’ funding may prove barrier to FE loans

A consultation on proposals for a further education loans system is set to close today (October 21). The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has said the proposals, which would charge apprentices and adult learners at Level 3 and above up to £4,000, will “be determined in a simple and straightforward way”. The maximum […]

Number of adult apprenticeships expected to more than triple

The number of apprenticephip starts aged 25 and above is expected to soar in the latest Statistical First Release (SFR) due next Thursday. Based on the June 2011 SFR, if the same number of starts in February to April 2010 are repeated in May to July 2011, more than 50,000 will have started taking the full […]

FE Week hosts House of Commons debate on FE Loans

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) are planning to replace funding with loans, for classroom and workplace adults (24+) learners studying Level 3 and above. Their consultation (click here to download) closes on Friday, so FE Week held a debate at the Houses of Commons to discuss the pros and cons. The proposals for a loans […]