FE Week Reporter | FE Week

ESOL impact assessment fails to impress

The government has today agreed a partial u-turn on ESOL cuts after an impact assessment ordered by FE and Skills Minister John Hayes revealed that at least 58,000 women would lose all entitlement to fee remission under the new system. But initiatives being drawn up jointly by the departments for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and […]

Student does college proud, at Stroud!

A student from Stroud College, described by her tutor as “completely exceptional”, has scooped first place Gold in media make-up at the World Skills National Finals held in Cambridge last weekend. Kate Gordon was one of 10 regional finalists competing for the title, with competitors basing their creations on ‘Life on Mars’. Tutor Sarah Jordon, […]

Cuts in FE to ‘hit women and black and ethnic minorities hardest’

Current and planned cuts in further education will hit women and black and ethnic minorities harder than most according to the Woman’s Leadership Network (WLN) and the Network of Black Professionals (NBP). The two organisations are so worried about the unfair effect, they have outlined their fears in a letter to the Chancellor, George Osborne. Their concerns were voiced at […]

MP calls for bankers’ bonuses to provide Apprenticeships for jobless youngsters

A Labour MP is urging the government to provide apprenticeships for jobless youngsters with small businesses – by using bankers’ bonuses. Introducing a bill under the ten minute rule, the MP for Selly Oak, Steve McCabe, wants training and employment schemes for young people, better careers guidance and help for companies offering on-the-job experience. He […]

Funding agency fears over fraud

The Skills Funding Agency has promised a crackdown on fraud and misuse of public money in the FE and skills sector, which it admits is likely to get worse under the government’s new subcontracting arrangements. The extent of the concern is revealed in communications leaked to FE Week between Geoff Russell, chief executive of the […]

South West Colleges excel at the national BCS Watersports Championships

More than 100 watersports enthusiasts from all over the country donned their wetsuits and took to the waters in Cornwall on 22nd June when Cornwall for the 2011 British Colleges Sport (BCS) Watersports Championships. Students from colleges as far North as Stockport converged on Cornwall all keen to compete on the water. Many of the […]

Why it pays to be Business Intelligent

In this time of economic turbulence, Business Intelligence (BI) initiatives stand out for their potential to improve overall college performance for a relatively modest investment compared with other enterprise level IT projects. This is achieved through better use of a key college asset: its data. It is this information that holds the key to future […]

Annual Assocation of Learning Providers conference write-up

At the Association of Learning Providers (ALP) annual conference in London, the Chairman Martin Dunford announced that the representative body would be renamed as the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) with immediate effect. The name-change, which was well received by delegates at the conference, will now be put to members for formal ratification […]

NCN students give it All that Jazz

Start the car I know a whoopee spot, where the gin is cold but the piano’s hot. It’s just a noisy hall where there’s a nightly brawl… New College Nottingham (ncn) Level 3 Musical Theatre and Dance students performed All that Fosse – a selection of ensemble pieces from musical theatre shows and films, originally […]