Author: Jess Staufenberg

These are three steps the government could take to ensure no other college has to endure the protracted process we have, writes Sarah Stannard As you may expect of the principal of a college on the road to merger for five years now, I have strong views about mergers. You may suppose that after such […]

The state of digital skills among the workforce isn’t good enough and is letting learners down, writes Robin Ghurbhurun at ed tech organisation Jisc There are too few colleges and providers in the UK whose staff have the technical expertise, support and vision to realise the potential of digital technology in teaching practice. This is […]

The government is deploying a solutions-as-you-go approach, instead of a proper national network for employment and training, writes Kirstie Donnelly It certainly feels like the government is waking up to the potential of technical and skills-based education. But dig underneath the surface of these announcements and they feel slightly unambitious and limited in their scope […]

The prime minister’s announcement lacks urgency and fails to bring enough money forward to this year, writes Toby Perkins The prime minister’s recent discovery of the merits of FE is superficially attractive but as we’ve learnt with this PM, things aren’t always as they seem. His announcement lacked both the pace to address the immediate […]

The apprenticeships trial in my department will be closely evaluated so we can set an example across government, writes Gillian Keegan There has never been a more critical time to invest in new talent and help create more job opportunities. As a former apprentice, I’ve experienced first-hand the amazing journey an apprenticeship can take you […]

The Department for Education should offer colleges a more flexible deadline for completing capital projects, writes Mark Robinson, chief executive at property services and design company Scape Group The public sector has enjoyed something of a resurgence in government attention since the arrival of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. For years, the sector has been subject […]

If the prime minister is serious about skills, he needs to take these agreed actions from our latest roundtable, writes David Phoenix The prime minister’s speech on further and higher education this week and the forthcoming FE white paper present a huge opportunity to grow post-16 technical education. But growing technical education requires local and […]

We have arrived at the ‘third revolution’ for FE marketing – but colleges will have to make some serious changes, says Lee Parker With government taking a detailed look at the role and function of FE and with the Covid crisis reshaping our world in every conceivable way, the time is ripe for colleges to […]