NEETs

The NEET crisis won’t be solved by fashionable theories

Billions in piecemeal initiatives won’t reverse youth inactivity, and claims of ‘deficit thinking’ risk obscuring what’s actually happening. Only...

Jessica Hill
Alun Francis
Mental Health

There’s widening participation, but narrowing mental health support

More disadvantaged learners are entering FE and HE, but stretched services mean many can’t access the help they need

Jessica Hill
Imran Mir
Colleges

The AI governor is in the boardroom

AI offers clarity, speed and strategic insight, but only if boards are brave enough to evolve. The augmented governor...

Jessica Hill
Perry Perrott
Colleges, Long read

Sloan in at the deep end: Liam Sloan, Bolton College CEO

Walking into a financial scandal wasn’t the perfect homecoming for Liam Sloan when he returned from years of leadership...

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Governance

Chair of governors’ journey is as perilous as a motorbike ride

Leading a college governance team presents dangers every bit as daunting as a pool of oil in the road...

Jessica Hill
Michael Davis
ESOL

ESOL addresses skills shortages; cutting it’s counterproductive

National policy around improving people’s English needs a sharper focus or it risks being undermined by opposition at regional...

Jessica Hill
Diana Sutton
Colleges

When you look, suicide dangers are everywhere in our colleges

Given the numbers of students who take their own lives, we must seek answers to the crisis unfolding across...

Jessica Hill
David Murray
Colleges

How a £25m crisis and intervention forced us to rebuild – and made Brooklands stronger

Six years under FE Commissioner intervention pushed our college to the brink. But the debt, disruption and scrutiny forged...

Jessica Hill
Christine Ricketts
LSIPs

What LSIPs need to cut through the noise and make an impact in 2026

With new guidance and a crowded policy landscape, the next wave of LSIPs must cut through competing priorities and...

Jessica Hill
James Farr