Fraser Whieldon | FE Week

Why Boris needs more than bobbies on the beat

In response to a knife attack in London on August 8, 2019, Boris Johnson said he is going to put more police on the streets. Of course he is right to suggest people will feel safer as a result. However, he couldn’t be more wrong if he had thought that more police would solve the […]

Cyber crime advice put out by ESFA following college email hacks

Firewalls, data back-ups and training staff to verify email senders are some of the actions colleges should take to protect themselves against cyber attacks, according to new government guidance. The Education and Skills Funding Agency has published the advice today after colleges fell victim to phishing scams earlier this year, where genuine-looking emails were sent […]

Meet Team UK: Hairdressing hopeful McLavy aiming to bob above the competition

From getting her start with a Saturday job at a salon to competing in hairdressing at WorldSkills Kazan, Phoebe McLavy is an exemplar of the dedication it takes to get to the top of your game. The 20-year-old spoke to FE Week while training for this month’s competition in Russia at Reds Hair Company in […]

Ofsted Watch: Employer providers excel in good week for FE sector

Two employer providers have made an excellent start to their apprenticeship training careers, with five ‘significant progress’ findings from their cumulative early monitoring visits. North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust broke a spell of bad reports for the NHS with its report finding it had made ‘significant progress’ in all three areas. Inspectors said […]

Three in four providers cannot meet SME apprentice demand thanks to levy drought

Three quarters of training providers cannot meet the demands by small and medium sized employers for training apprentices, because the apprenticeship levy is running out of cash. That’s according to a new Association of Employment and Learning Providers survey, which also revealed a quarter of providers have had to turn away a prospective new SME […]

Wave of companies join apprenticeship register in first major update in nearly a year

A wave of organisations have been added to the refreshed register of apprenticeship training providers, while nearly 20 have been removed – in its first major update in almost 12 months. Forty three additional providers have been allowed on by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, including 25 main providers, 14 supporting and four employers. […]

FE Commissioner called in as principal on leave for ‘personal reasons’

The FE Commissioner’s team will visit Richmond-upon-Thames College next month after its principal went on indefinite leave for ‘personal reasons’. Robin Ghurbhurun has been the high-profile leader of the college since 2014, on top of seven non-executive roles, including chair of the Association of Colleges’ technology portfolio group and director of JISC. However, since at […]

Ex-No 10 adviser: Williamson taking skills role “not good” for FE policy

A former Downing Street advisor gives his insider view on what Gavin Williamson taking the skills brief will mean for the sector – and he does not believe the DfE’s promises this will make FE more of a priority. What to make of the announcement – finally – that the Skills Minister portfolio will be […]

Union critical of government axing skills minister post

Boris Johnson’s axing of the dedicated skills minister position has been criticised by the University and College Union. In a highly unusual move, the Department for Education today revealed there would be no dedicated minister for apprenticeships and skills as there has been for at least the past decade, most recently Anne Milton. The DfE […]