FE Week Reporter | FE Week

UK ‘must become more technician led’ says report

A report has identified several changes the UK needs to make to its education and skills system to remain globally competitive. ‘Techicians and Progression’ is the result of a six month parliamentary inquiry, chaired by Professor Alison Halstead and conducted by the Skills Commission; a body comprising senior parliamentarians, leaders from the further and higher education […]

Trafford College’s Misha B has the X Factor

As millions of people sit down to watch TV talent show The X Factor, few would be as nervous as tutors and students at Trafford College. One of their own, Misha Bryan, has been making waves on the hit ITV programme with a wealth of stunning performances. Misha, whose version of the Adele classic […]

‘Trials and tribulations’ feature at Lsect college data conference

Every year colleges are asked to change not only the data that they send to government, but the software and management tools which they use to collect it. The Autumn College Data Conference held by Lsect was a chance for further education (FE) colleges to discuss good practise with experts and colleagues. The main conference […]

Labour leadership wowed by pioneering Southend college

Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow chancellor Ed Balls jumped on a train to Southend to see an innovative example of traditional boundaries in education being broken down by new forms of partnership. The day after it was announced that youth unemployment had nearly touched a million, the opposition’s leadership toured Futures Community College, a […]

Colleges fear more data demands

The government is failing to cut the burden of data collection and bureaucracy, a study has suggested. Nearly 80 per cent of delegates surveyed at the Autumn College Data Conference last week thought that data demands would continue to increase in the next few years. The survey, organised by Lsect, found that data demands would […]

Pearson continue shopping spree with purchase of another training provider

Pearson have announced they have bought TQ Holdings Ltd., a private training provider based in Derbyshire. TQ provides vocational and technical education and training services to governments, institutions and corporations worldwide. The company boasts particular expertise in skills related to the defence, engineering, oil and gas and construction sectors FE Week spoke to Pearson about […]

Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management, King’s College

Alison Wolf says she had “no intention of having anything to do with education.” In fact, when she left university in the early 1970s, she was destined for a career in journalism, having secured a job on the Daily Mail’s money pages. But she never made it to the newsroom; her husband was offered a […]

WorldSkills 2011 Souvenir Supplement

Download our special WorldSkills 2011 souvenir supplement, produced in partnership with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. Click here to download (17 mb) Watch some of our WorldSkills footage below:

AoC 16-18 recruitment survey ‘reveals major concerns among college leaders’

Half of colleges have seen a drop in enrolment figures, with the blame partly placed on the loss of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). A survey by the Association of Colleges (AoC) of 182 colleges shows 49 per cent are reporting falling numbers of 16-19-year-olds, compared to last year. It also shows a national drop […]