Jess Staufenberg | FE Week

Introducing…Steve Kelly

Whether it’s teaching in prisons or walking on hot coals, Steve Kelly, principal at Keighley College near Bradford, says the biggest lesson in life is to trust Steve Kelly was trusted early on in his teaching career. There he was, sat in a PGCE class at Charles Keene College in Leicester as a slightly older […]

Procurement proposals could shake up how colleges go to tender

There are many more freedoms – but also more scrutiny – in the government’s new procurement proposals that would affect how colleges go to tender, write Ben McGirr and Toshif Vally You’d be forgiven for not noticing that in December, the Cabinet Office published a green paper called Transforming Public Procurement. The three-month open consultation […]

More employers want technical skills delivered via FE, not university

Businesses are tired of graduates not having the right technical skills – but the FE white paper and other changes allow colleges to step in, writes Mark Smith The word ‘university’ is derived from the Latin word universus, meaning ‘whole, entire’. In a strictly academic sense, it is the shortening of the Latin phrase universitas magistrorum et […]

Delayed traineeships are unacceptable in the face of our youth unemployment crisis

There is an urgent youth unemployment crisis that needs addressing with comprehensive traineeships fast, writes Stephen Evans Young people are facing the double whammy of a disrupted education and a weakened labour market. Youth unemployment has doubled since March 2020. A period out of work when young can have serious long-term impacts, so this represents […]

Colleges need to know about changes to DBS checks

Colleges that fail to make necessary changes to their DBS check procedures could face a potential claim for damages, writes Joanne Moseley If you are in the middle of recruiting new staff for your college, then you should know that you must not ask for a DBS certificate made before a date in late November. […]

Now is FE’s chance to deliver higher technical education

The FE white paper gives colleges the chance to become high-level providers of technical education as in other countries, writes Ewart Keep Last week’s long-awaited FE white paper sets the key strategic priority of higher-level technical skills and sub-degree provision. This is an important focus. Research by Professor Paul Lewis at King’s College London shows […]

Why was student wellbeing not in the white paper?

Student wellbeing is as important as financial management and the curriculum, says Nathalie Richards. She outlines seven support strategies A key aim of last week’s FE white paper is to help every young person gain the skills they need for life-long employment. But there is no mention of student wellbeing and no new plans to […]

It’s risky business to have an employer-dominated skills system

The Department for Education must put more faith in local leaders rather than employers if it wants the skills white paper to work, writes Andy Norman Having just launched the long-awaited FE white paper, skills minister Gillian Keegan was asked to name its biggest reform. Her answer – embedding employers at the heart of the […]

Focus: Animal care college courses during Covid

Students and staff let the cat out of the bag on one of the most specialist courses in further education ̶ animal care in land-based colleges “Animals don’t care about lockdown, you know? They still need feeding, cleaning out, mucking out, looking after. That pressure hasn’t changed. We’re just glad the students can still come […]