Fraser Whieldon | FE Week

Education MPs endorse Saxton as new Ofqual boss

The education select committee has endorsed the appointment of Dr Jo Saxton as chief regulator of Ofqual. Saxton, a former academy trust boss and policy adviser to Gavin Williamson, was quizzed by the committee on Tuesday. The MPs’ report states the five-year role has a salary of up to £135,000. Five people applied for the role, […]

AEB tender result deadline ditched as ESFA now just ‘hope’ to provide an update

Government officials have said they “hope” to provide an update on the delayed results for the adult education budget tender by the end of this week. Providers are waiting on tenterhooks to find out whether they have won funding to deliver the national adult education budget from next month. However, a new message from the […]

Winners of 2021 BTEC Awards unveiled

An emergency services volunteer and a carer who juggled looking after her disabled sister with studying are two of this year’s BTEC Awards winners. The eleventh annual awards were held today, virtually for the second year running, and recognised 19 winners across the swathe of BTEC subjects and centres. Awarding body Pearson’s senior vice president […]

Lowest paid and those with least qualifications most likely to miss out on training, says report

Degree-level learners are over four times more likely to access further training throughout their life than those with no qualifications, a new report has found. ‘Learning at work: Employer investment in skills,’ published today by the Learning and Work Institute, found almost one-third of graduates undertook training in quarter three of 2020, compared to one […]

Winners of the 2021 Festival of Learning awards announced

A domestic abuse survivor and a learner who retrained in engineering after losing her chef career in a motorbike accident are among this year’s Festival of Learning Awards winners. Twelve students, tutors, colleges, providers, and employers were recognised at this evening’s virtual ceremony, run by the Learning and Work Institute, and have been congratulated by […]

Disappointment as human resources T Level development stopped

The government’s decision to “cease” a T Level in human resources will cut the industry off from a potentially precious entry route, sector leaders have warned. An update from the Education and Skills Funding Agency last Friday announced the development on the qualification, due to be rolled out in 2023, had paused because no awarding […]

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 359

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving. Candace Miller, Non-executive director, Federation of Awarding Bodies Start date: May 2021 Concurrent job: Managing director, SFJ Awards and executive director, Skills for Health, Skills for Justice and People 1st International Interesting fact: She enjoys walking her dogs in the local woods and gardening, both at […]

Speed read: Draft statutory guidance on local skills reviews published

The Department for Education has published draft statutory guidance on college governors’ new duty to review local skills provision. The new Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, currently going through Parliament, revealed in May a new duty would be placed on colleges to review how well the education or training they provide meets local needs, and […]

‘Important’ new FE data collection will start this month

A workforce data collection “project” for the further education sector promised in the skills for jobs white paper will start this month, it has been announced. In a letter to FE providers published today, apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan wrote the data collection will open on 12 July for eight weeks. “I want to underline the […]