Jessica Fino | FE Week

DfE’s double standards over level 2 business admin apprenticeship

The Department for Education has been accused of double standards after it launched a recruitment drive for level 2 business administration apprentices on frameworks while refusing to approve an equivalent standard. Old-style apprenticeship frameworks will be fully switched off next year and replaced with standards, which the government constantly lauds as being of “higher quality”. […]

Ofsted finds learners unaware they are on an apprenticeship programme

An experienced commercial training provider has been heavily criticised by Ofsted after it found a “high proportion” of learners not knowing they are on an apprenticeship programme. Manatec Limited, which had 550 apprentices at the time of inspection and is based in Grimsby, received two ‘insufficient’ ratings in its first monitoring visit since it started […]

My main priority is the students in Hadlow college insolvency

The application for educational administration by Hadlow College is a watershed moment for FE. It will be the first time the College Oversight guidance has been used to steer an FE provider out of trouble. In some senses, this is an opportunity to see if the guidance works. But my overwhelming feeling is of concern for the […]

Revealed: The 19 winners of the Liverpool City Region AEB tender

The names of the 19 training providers that have won contracts with Liverpool City Region to deliver its devolved adult education budget (AEB) have been revealed. The combined authority will take control of an annual £50.35 million budget to deliver adult education from September. Up to 30 per cent – or £15.11 million – of […]

Ofsted slams large employer provider with no apprenticeship passes – again

A large employer provider in the security sector that was suspended from recruiting apprentices last year has been rated ‘inadequate’ after Ofsted found none of its apprentices achieved their qualification. Securitas UK said today it will challenge the education watchdog after it criticised leaders and managers for being “too slow” to improve the weaknesses identified […]

Revealed: The 19 areas splitting £2.5m in careers hubs funding

The government has announced the names of 19 areas that will join its careers hubs programme, but they will split just half the amount of money handed out in the first round. Damian Hinds, the education secretary, said today that £2.5 million will go to 19 local enterprise partnerships across England. Between them they will […]

City and Guilds calls for new quango to oversee skills policy

The City and Guilds Group has called for the creation of a new independent body to oversee skills policy in the UK to put a stop to decisions being made in “short-term political cycles” by ministers. In its ‘Sense & Instability 2019’ report, the education giant warned that government policy is being created “without any […]

Why #LoveourColleges should be redundant

The second celebratory seven-day #LoveourColleges, held this week, has been about showing the impact of further education and underlining the need for adequate funding for the future. Yet you’ll no doubt understand if I say that I’d rather we didn’t need to stage another one next year. What I would rather see, is the government […]

Interview: Robert Halfon, chair of the education select committee

Robert Halfon, the chair of the education select committee, isn’t always a fan of the great and good, admitting that he is more interested in people with frontline experience When I ask Robert Halfon, the chair of the education committee, to name the witness who has affected him most, I’m expecting a big-hitter. Andreas Schleicher, […]