Jess Staufenberg | FE Week

New ministers: change universal credit rules so people can skill up

People on universal credit say work coaches don’t engage properly and rules stop them from accessing training, write Trinley Walker and Olivia Gable Throughout the pandemic, the government placed a strong emphasis on the role of training and re-skilling through programmes. It has done this through Restart and JETS (Job Entry Targeted Support), which formed […]

How do you go from ‘just’ a clerk to a great clerk?

Governance professionals like clerks aren’t there to set the strategic direction of a college. But they can still create ripples of change, writes Lisa Farnhill The role of a clerk was described as an “unseen strategic leader” in a paper by the Further Education Trust for Leadership. In other words, the clerk might have a […]

Labour needs another Wilsonian ‘white heat of technology’ moment

Radicalism and realism will help the party to win the next general election, argues Tom Bewick In October 1963, the Labour leader Harold Wilson delivered one of the most memorable political interventions of the 20th century. Historians refer to it as the “white heat of technology” – a memorable phrase in the text, characterised by […]

How the Truss government could boost skills – without committing any new money

Funding and contracting rules are too bloated and bureaucratic for a start, writes Jane Hickie The new Truss government has promised a “fiscal event” before the end of September. This will essentially be a mini budget, setting out the new administration’s economic priorities. Truss has been clear in her view that she can boost economic […]

Bernie Savage, vice president for FE, National Union of Students

Bernie Savage, the new vice president for FE at the NUS, was blown away by her time in a strong and well-funded students’ union. She relays her message for unconvinced college principals to Jess Staufenberg The vice president for FE at the National Union of Students has a proud history of postholders very happy to […]

Is equality and diversity still the elephant in the room?

From data policies to wellbeing, don’t let the enthusiasm for diversity die, writes Haroon Bashir After the murder of George Floyd on 25 May 2020, many colleges made a commitment to positive changes about race. But over two years later, does that commitment hold or has the concept of equality and diversity (E&D) become the […]

Dear Kit: Colleges are not respected enough in Whitehall

A manifestation of the lack of trust is that colleges are one of the most regulated parts of the education system, writes David Hughes Dear education secretary, Congratulations on your appointment to the best job in the cabinet, and welcome to the further education sector. As a supporter of your local college, you’ll already know […]

Further education is at the heart of the East Midlands devolution deal

The new deal means working closely with education providers to create new career pathways, writes Ben Bradley On the 30 August, a historic devolution deal worth an initial £1.14 billion in extra investment was signed by Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Derby, Derbyshire and the government. This historic deal is a golden opportunity for our region. For the […]

Martin Sim, principal, City College Southampton

Martin Sim, deputy FE commissioner and now emergency principal at City College Southampton, has done some of the toughest troubleshooting gigs in the sector. He tells Jess Staufenberg why a ‘skull and crossbones’ approach keeps him buoyed up When the FE commissioner’s team does an “intervention assessment” at a college, I can’t help imagining a […]