FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Mature student heads to Barcelona

A mature learner from west London is flying high after winning a scholarship for a three-month exchange to Spain. Shadia Ferguson, 46, from Chiswick, is studying at Kingston College for a foundation degree in early years. She will now spend three months at the Ramon Llull University in Barcelona as part of the ERASMUS programme. […]

Leipzig looms for top WorldSkills competitors

Hopefuls for a UK team place in WorldSkills 2013 have been put through their paces at two Midlands colleges Young people from across the UK flocked to the Midlands last weaek to show off their skills and compete for a slot in the UK team for WorldSkills 2013. The top apprentices, learners and recently qualified […]

A break with tradition

What are the value of MOOCs? Are they an opportunity or a threat, asks Carolyn Lewis Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been around for a while, educating many people for a lot less money than more traditional methods. They provide great opportunities for life-long learning, particularly for those who face barriers to education. They […]

Advertorial: We believe in small change, big difference

Workpays engages in projects that make big differences a reality – and always starts by asking the people that matter questions about what matters to them The most important question we ask is whether students are better equipped for work by their time at college. It’s also the reason why we have developed a suite […]

Apprentices in the spotlight

Six years after it was first conceived, National Apprenticeship Week has become about so much more than just raising awareness of alternative pathways. This year’s will be the biggest and best yet, says David Way It seems incredible that we are celebrating the sixth National Apprenticeship Week. As in previous years, it will provide a […]

The rules of changing partners

With great power comes great responsibility: what should governors think about when deciding to merge? asks Smita Jamdar The number of stories in FE Week recently about how decisions to merge colleges are made may be a reflection of the paucity of guidance and advice to governors. Before the Education Act 2011, the ultimate decision […]

Adrian Bailey, chair, Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee

You might expect to find industry awards and citations from the world of commerce hanging above Adrian Bailey’s fireplace. As chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, you’d think ‘grip-and-grin’ pictures with business leaders such as Lord Sugar or Sir Richard Branson would adorn the home of the West Bromwich West MP. But […]

Richard waits for minister’s verdict

Entrepreneur Doug Richard has reignited his argument with the Association of Employment and Learning Providers that workforce tax breaks were “integral” to the success of apprenticeships. The former Dragons’ Den investor spoke out in the lead-up to the sixth National Apprenticeship Week when FE Minister Matthew Hancock is due to respond to his government-commissioned report […]

Students stay in official net migration figures

The government’s response to the Business Innovation and Skills select committee report on overseas students and migration is a “disappointment”, says the Association of Colleges. In the initial report, Overseas Students and Net Migration, which was published last September, the committee recommended that overseas students should not be counted in the overall figures for immigration, […]