Jess Staufenberg | FE Week

Leaving the Army and joining a training provider was a culture shock

Many service leavers lack confidence in their skills when they exit the armed forces. Providers and employers must step up, writes Alex Firmin With around 14,000 people leaving the armed forces every year and more than two million ex-service people living in the UK, the transition into the next stage in their career can be […]

The DfE sees SEND learners as an economic problem to solve

The green paper offers scant support for older learners and has a narrow focus on employment outcomes, writes David Ellis The initial flurry of headlines with the launch of the SEND green paper a few weeks ago has settled and we have had time to digest, reflect and dig deeper into the 82-page paper. We […]

As students, all we want is a seat at the table

Young people are experts about young people, and their voices should stop being ignored, writes Lois Rance Have you heard young people complain they aren’t consulted on issues that matter to them? That they feel overlooked, ignored and disempowered? If not, I suggest you aren’t asking the right questions ̶ or perhaps you aren’t listening […]

A plea to independent training providers – make your voices heard

Some ITPs may have small or no marketing departments, but many are very keen to get learner and staff voices into the press, writes Nicki Hay You may have seen my interview in last week’s edition of FE Week. It was great to have the opportunity to talk about my previous experiences and my vision […]

Fit your own mental health oxygen mask before fitting others

If we want our staff to support students, we must prioritise their wellbeing, writes Asfa Sohail Even though life for many feels it is returning more to ‘normal’ since the pandemic hit, mental health issues show little sign of abating. Instead, poor mental health is increasing exponentially, currently affecting around one in six young people. […]

The level 2 qualifications review is deafeningly silent on key problems

The review seems unaware of the sell-by dates of its proposals – and that’s only the beginning, writes Gordon Marsden As a founder member of the Right to Learn group, which advocates for a statutory right to learn throughout life, I was struck by a number of issues as I ploughed my way through the […]

Nicki Hay, chair, Association of Employment and Learning Providers

Nicki Hay is the second ever chair – and its first female chair – of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers in its history. Can her messaging make the government credit ITPs at last? “I like to get things done,” Nicki Hay, the new chair of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, tells […]

Despite the risks, training providers must grasp devolution

Combined authorities might favour ‘bricks and mortar’ provision so training providers need to be ready, writes Jane Hickie On Thursday next week, large parts of the country will get to vote in this year’s local elections. Many areas will elect their councillors, and in South Yorkshire there will also be a metro mayor election. While […]

How to do lesson observations that don’t scare everyone

Employers keeping score stops lesson observations from being a real development opportunity, writes Neil Jones Lesson observation at our college used to be regarded as an annual hurdle to jump. For less confident teachers (and I mean confidence here in the context of doing their job whilst having someone observing and judging their work) it could be […]