FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Dan Taubman, senior national education official, University and Colleges Union

The best career decision Dan Taubman ever made, was “not becoming a principal.” When the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was abolished, where he had worked in adult education for more than 15 years, going into college management seemed like a natural progression. But he was “lucky,” landing the job of union official for further […]

Vandals confuse new college for mosque

Bournville College was vandalised several times last week after youths mistook one of the buildings for a mosque (as reported in the Birmingham Mail). The golden conference centre in Birmingham, which opened this month as part of a £1 billion regeneration of the area, has had windows smashed and panels ripped off on numerous occasions.

BBC Radio 4 Apprentice programme sparks debate

A BBC Radio 4 programme has sparked concerns about the delivery of retail apprenticeships for learners already employed. The show, headlined ‘The apprentices’ and broadcast as part of the ‘In Business’ programme last Thursday (repeated on Sunday), spoke to a number of figures in the further education (FE) sector about the issues surrounding retail apprenticeships. […]

Forecasts suggest there are simply fewer 16-18 year-olds

Declining teenage population numbers could be playing a significant role in student shortfalls. Figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics in a UK National Population Projection show the number of 16 to 18-year-olds could fall by more than 90,000 from 2011 to 2015 – from 2,279,948 to 2,186,192. Experts believe this could have an […]

Plymouth College’s Chinese students meet sailors before capsize!

City College Plymouth’s Chinese foundation students were given the opportunity to meet the competing Chinese team at the America’s Cup World Series – a week-long international sailing regatta televised to millions of people around the world. The students were given an insight into the planning and training involved in sailing the 45-foot wing-sailed catamaran. It […]

West Cheshire College break world record for most Mohican haircuts in a room

West Cheshire College has broken the world record for holding the most Mohican haircuts in a single room. Hairdressing students were at the new Ellesmere Port campus to help create the iconic cuts and set a new world record of 109 people. Staff and students recorded the achievement in front of an official adjudicator from […]

From Bournemouth & Poole College to C4’s Hollyoaks Community College!

Watch out this week for Bournemouth & Poole College’s (BPC) performing Arts student Tammy Payne who’s landed a front line role in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Tammy, who left BPC to go to drama school in London and was always regarded as an exceptionally talented student. It came as no surprise to college […]

Oooh la la at South Cheshire College

A trio of college French students who are university bound boosted their language skills by working in a French hotel over the summer. Jasmine McNulty, Aine McTiernan and Katie Bliss teamed up with staff at the Cevenol Hotel in the town of Millau near Montpellier in the South of France. The group spent several weeks […]

Warwickshire College Blacksmith Champion

Michelle J Parker, an artist blacksmith and lecturer at Warwickshire College has won the title of ‘World Women’s Blacksmithing Champion’ at the ‘European Biennial of the Blacksmiths’ in Tuscany, Italy. The competition attracted blacksmiths worldwide who came together to exchange ideas and innovations, but most importantly, to compete for the coveted championship titles. Michelle is […]