Jessica Fino | FE Week

College accused of ‘everyday racism’ after sacking lecturer

The new Universities and College Union general secretary has accused the leadership at Sandwell College of “everyday racism” after it sacked lecturer Dave Muritu. In an interview with FE Week, Dr Jo Grady said there is “everyday racism in colleges”, and that “we have seen that just this week with someone being dismissed at Sandwell”. […]

Speedy Ofsted criticism of provider just months after multi-million pound purchase

A new provider that was allowed to recruit over 1,000 apprentices before being inspected has been found making ‘insufficient progress’ by Ofsted in a monitoring visit. Prospects Training International Limited trades as Geason Training and was acquired by Speedy, one of the UK’s leading tool hire services company, in a deal worth up to £26 […]

Troubled Easton and Otley College to be demerged and taken over

A troubled land-based college is to be broken up and merged with two other colleges, following two consecutive ‘inadequate’ ratings by Ofsted. Easton and Otley College was told to urgently improve its leadership earlier this year after the FE Commissioner raised serious quality and financial concerns. Just a few of months ago the college, which […]

Dozens made redundant as ‘good’ apprenticeship provider goes bust

A training provider has gone bust after being “hit hard” by the government’s apprenticeship reforms, putting nearly 40 staff out of work. FNTC Training and Consulting Limited, a provider rated ‘good’ by Ofsted and based in Southampton, was forced to close after suffering from losses of over £200,000 last year and ongoing losses this year. […]

PhD-level apprenticeships are a ‘perfect fit’ for today’s jobs market, says UVAC director

A university membership organisation has criticised those opposing PhDlevel apprenticeships, saying such resistance shows a “bewildering lack of understanding of higher education provision and contemporary skills programmes”. Writing for FE Week, Mandy Crawford-Lee, director of policy and operations at the University Vocational Awards Council, argues that “the whole concept” of knowledge, skills and behaviours or […]

Ofsted watch: Tough week with one employer provider crashing to a grade four

It has been a tough week for FE as one provider was hit with ‘inadequate’ and three others found making insufficient progress. Securitas UK, a large employer provider in the security sector, was rated as ‘inadequate’ in its first full inspection after Ofsted found none of its apprentices achieved their qualification. Ofsted’s report found that […]

Statistics watchdog ‘content’ with DfE including unreliable data in achievement rate tables

The country’s national statistics regulator has given the DfE achievement rate data a clean bill of health but called for greater transparency. FE Week reported last month the 2017/18 national achievement rate tables included a list of more than 30 apprenticeship providers with data the DfE had admitted was unreliable. The DfE said at the […]

T-level students in rural areas still at disadvantage, despite DfE ‘tinkering’

The flexibilities added to the controversial industry placement in T-levels are “helpful” but they still leave rural counties at a “distinct disadvantage”, according to a principal involved in the pilots of the programme. Last week the government launched a “package of support” to encourage more employers to offer the 315-hour minimum placements that students will […]

UCU elects general secretary

Jo Grady has been elected the new general secretary of the University and College Union, though on a turnout of only 20 per cent. The employment relations lecturer at the University of Sheffield secured 64 per cent of the vote, almost double that of second-place Matt Waddup, UCU’s national head of policy and campaigns, who […]