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4 June 2026

Author: Jess Staufenberg

Scrapping BTECs is bad for levelling up and for BAME students

It’s difficult to see how reducing choice at level 3 by scrapping BTECs will improve social mobility and diversity, writes Kasim Choudhry Government plans to remove funding for qualifications such as BTECs could negatively impact progression opportunities for learners and the availability of skilled labour for employers, but for BAME learners, local communities and employers it could be a bigger blow. The government recognised and promoted the […]

I was a school refuser – I wish I’d known about FE

Let’s hope today’s school refusers are told about college, because I wasn’t, writes Katy George Every week when Monday rolled around, I’d feel a despairing knot in the pit of my stomach, only undone by the arrival of the next weekend. For Friday evening and most of Saturday, I’d have a sense of relief – […]

Three critical questions the National Skills Fund consultation should have asked

The DfE mustn’t assume that ‘if we build it, they will come’, writes Emily Jones The government recently consulted on the National Skills Fund – a £2.5 billion investment to help people to “train, retrain and upskill throughout their lives in response to changing skills needs and employment patterns”. The consultation provided a great opportunity […]

As we emerge from the pandemic, student enrichment is needed more than ever

To secure better funding for enrichment we need more robust evidence of its impact, writes Eddie Playfair Students’ experience of college is so much more than just the courses they study. Colleges provide a hugely comprehensive range of additional opportunities which support student development in all sorts of ways. These are often labelled “enrichment” and […]

Net zero in FE: ‘Why aren’t we doing this yet?’

With the world’s eyes on the UK at COP26, Jess Staufenberg looks at who’s coming up with a proper net zero plan for the FE sector With impeccable timing ahead of this and next week’s global climate summit in Glasgow, a report came out that cut through the hype. Every corner of society is failing […]

The spending review only partly reverses historical cuts

There was a distinct ‘Back to the Future’ feel to the spending review, writes Luke Sibieta This week’s spending review had been trailed as representing a “skills revolution.”  It included an increase of £1.6 billion in funding for 16-19 year olds. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak promised that spending on skills will increase by £3.8 billion by 2024-25. […]

Five urgent tips for the DfE on adult education

There are far too many barriers for the unemployed and low paid to get into learning, writes Chris Morgan There is a critical need to help the 3.7 million adults in the UK in low-paid and insecure work. Sixteen per cent of adults have poor literacy skills, and one in three have no qualifications.  One […]

The FE Week Podcast: Reaching net zero, careers guidance and research in FE

This week Shane is joined by college principal Ian Pryce and the chief operating officer of an independent training provider, Nicki Hay, to discuss the biggest stories. How should providers respond to climate change in the run up to COP26? Is anything actually going to be done about careers guidance, even with a Skills Bill […]