FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Royal medal for Stourbridge student

Chris Morgan, a 30-year-old Stourbridge College Foundation Learning student, has been recognised for his classroom achievements by the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners. The Princess Royal presented the award — which forms part of the annual City & Guilds Prince Philip medal ceremony — to Chris, from Halesowen, near Birmingham, for producing exceptional work on […]

BMET opens specialist academy

A college in the Midlands is opening a purpose-built specialist academy with a curriculum focused on law, finance, accounting, banking and insurance. Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMET) has started recruiting for its Professional Services Academy, with courses getting underway in September. A number of city businesses have signed up to offer internships, mentoring by senior staff, […]

The right mix in the Midlands

College chiefs have persuaded a number of five-star restaurants to take on Walsall College learners to work alongside professional chefs across the West Midlands. Meanwhile, chefs from Five Rivers A La Carte, in Walsall; Jamie’s Italian, in Birmingham; Fairlawns Hotel and Spa, Walsall; and, Simpsons, in Birmingham; all visited the college’s Jerome’s Restaurant to deliver […]

Mother and daughter open bridal store

A mother and daughter duo in the Midlands have married up business and learning interests by opening a store together. Warwickshire College enterprise and entrepreneurship diploma students Dee Evans and Rosie Oliver-Evans opened The Dress Shop, a bridalwear business in Rugby, with the help of a £3,000 grant from Rugby First and Rugby Borough Council. […]

FE faces a painful hit . . .

. . . and the losers will be adults with low qualifications who are taking their first steps as learners, says David Hughes in his reaction to Wednesday’s Spending Review Wednesday’s spending announcement was a highly political holding operation. It covers only one financial year (2015/16) and cuts just £11.5bn from an annual budget of […]

Future style gurus show their work

The world of fashion and art came together for an end-of-year show at Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT). Months of hard work and preparation culminated in a catwalk show featuring a range of designs by learners graduating from the BA (Hons) textiles for fashion programme, with BTec level three extended diploma in fashion and clothing […]

Making the case for our sector

Former House of Commons Education Select Committee specialist Ben Nicholls is head of policy at London’s Newham College. He writes exclusively for FE Week, every month “We are not out to cram facts and knowledge into the girls’ heads all day long, but to help them form strong and kindly characters too,” says Miss Roberts in Second […]

Team UK going for gold

More than 200,000 contestants and supporters from across the world will descend on the East-Central German city of Leipzig for the WorldSkills 2013 this week. The 42nd competition will kick off with a spectacular opening ceremony tomorrow in the city’s Samsung Arena. The official ceremony will mark the start of four days of competition that […]

Shine your light Sir Michael, we have nothing to hide

The chief inspector is right: success rates are not the best way to measure FE. So why doesn’t he come up with an alternative instead of beating the sector with the same old stick, says Jayne Stigger Inspections under the new Common Inspection Framework (CIF) although rightly focused on teaching and learning, still quote success […]