FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Minister holds FE technology roundtable

Technology that can revolutionise FE learning was on the agenda at the first of a series of roundtable meetings hosted by FE Minister Matthew Hancock. Sector experts were invited to the inaugural meeting of the FE Learning Technology Action Group last week by Mr Hancock, who chaired alongside education business leader and co-founder of Bleinhem […]

Guild consultation ends

The FE Guild project leader has described responses to a consultation on the proposed organisation as “positive and constructive”. Peter Davies CBE said written responses and contributions from 12 consultation events, were “useful”. The consultation, which ended last Monday, initially triggered concerns that providers would struggle to meet the three-week deadline. But Mr Davies said […]

Deadline ‘degrades’ ILRs

The Association of Colleges (AoC) believes that the data quality of Individualised Learner Record (ILR) returns could be “degraded” by moving the final return deadline forward three weeks. Julian Gravatt, assistant chief executive at the AoC, spoke out after the Information Authority’s (IA) board, with support from FE Minister Matthew Hancock, agreed a new deadline […]

Hoyle’s level playing field legacy

Warm tributes have been paid to Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) chief executive Graham Hoyle after the announcement of his retirement. The 66-year-old is expected to step down this summer after 11 years at the helm having achieved “more of a level playing field between colleges and independent training providers”. Martin Dunford, AELP […]

College merger tweet shock

Bosses at a college in the Midlands claim they found out about two competitors’ multi-million pound merger plan — which is being investigated over procedural concerns — thanks to a local newspaper “tweet”. Plans for Stourbridge and Birmingham Metropolitan Colleges to form “one of the largest and most significant further education providers in the country” […]

Guide to FE Learning tech

Nothing moves faster than technology. No other sector has seen as much rapid change and development in such a short space of time, and education technology is no exception. Faster, more powerful computers, cheap and accessible tablet devices and innovative learning resources have opened the door to a world of possibility in learning. Around the […]

Brave burns victim sets up charity to help ‘people like me’

A London health and social care student has persuaded her classmates to go the extra mile to support burns victims by setting up a charity. Vicky Knight, 17, from Dagenham, was the victim of a horrific arson attack on her family’s pub when she was just eight years old. It left her with 33 per […]

Cooking up a storm with Michelin-starred chef

There was a surprise on the menu for Birmingham cookery students when a Michelin starred chef announced he would be taking on not one, but three apprentices. South and City College ran an introduction to cookery course in partnership with chef Glynn Purnell, to help him find a future culinary star to be an apprentice […]

Chari-tea parties in aid of cancer awareness

Travel and tourism students in Warwickshire worked on something a little closer to home than usual as they held a series of tea parties for charity. The learners at Stratford-upon-Avon College laid on tea, cakes, scones and sandwiches to staff, students and members of the public to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. […]