Fraser Whieldon | FE Week

Stranded: how college international students are coping away from home

With no blueprint for this unprecedented pandemic, colleges are coming up with their own solutions to help international students who find them stuck halfway around the world from their friends and family. Colleges have earned the gratitude of international students and parents for “going the extra mile” by sheltering those stuck in England during the […]

Hundreds of Sheffield College support staff win payrise

Support staff at Sheffield College will see a salary increase as high as 18 per cent from May as leaders agree to pay all workers the real living wage “for the first time”. Trade union Unison has negotiated a deal that will see the college now pay a minimum rate of £9.30 an hour, which […]

MBA apprenticeship to live on despite attempt to axe

Universities are still planning to offer the MBA in the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship, despite the qualification being axed from the programme. Earlier this month the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education launched a consultation on a revised version of the standard which scrapped all references to MBAs. The apprenticeships quango said that requiring […]

Revealed: Training providers supporting new Nightingale hospital

Two midlands-based independent training providers have rushed to the aid of the region’s new coronavirus hospital. Performance Through People (PTP) and GB Training ran classes for over 300 nursing, care and cleaning staff now working at the Nightingale Hospital at Birmingham’s NEC. Their teams were called in by the NHS last week to deliver what is now a rare instance of […]

DfE becomes only AEB contractor unwilling to introduce coronavirus supplier relief for training providers

The Department for Education now stands alone in failing to introduce a coronavirus supplier support package for training providers funded from the adult education budget. All seven mayoral combined authorities, which took direct control of £600 million of AEB last August, have scrambled to put together new arrangements for procured providers after the outbreak threw […]

Labour appoints shadow apprenticeships minister as Hardy holds onto colleges

Toby Perkins has been appointed Labour’s new shadow apprenticeships and lifelong learning minister – separate to the shadow further and higher education minister position. Emma Hardy was reappointed to the latter role today, after having represented the opposition for the entire FE and skills portfolio since January. Perkins has been the MP for Chesterfield since […]

EuroSkills 2020 postponed until 2021

The international EuroSkills 2020 competition has been postponed from this September until next year, it has been announced. It will now take place between 6 and 10 January 2021, but will still be held in the Austrian city of Graz, the original venue. EuroSkills is a companion event to the WorldSkills tournaments which Team UK […]

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 313

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving. Salsabil Elmegri, Vice president, further education, National Union of Students Start date: July 2020 Previous job: Vice president, education and welfare, Bradford College Students’ Union Interesting fact: In her free time, she’s a photographer. Matt Gower, Vice principal, Reaseheath College and University Centre Start date: April […]

Extraordinary efforts of staff still caring for vulnerable learners

FE Week has spoken to a number of specialist colleges to uncover the impact the Covid-19 crisis is having on the country’s most vulnerable learners, many of whom are residential and have “complex needs”, and found the extraordinary efforts staff are putting in to keep provision going… “Try to envisage not being able to easily […]