Apprenticeships

Treasury is still skimming the levy while NEET numbers surge

A narrow NEET policy won’t shift the dial – we need to go beyond providing a safety net for...

Jessica Hill
Ben Rowland
Skills reform

We need to build a more inclusive future for the trades

If the UK wants the trades to survive, it must finally confront the diversity crisis holding the sector back

Jessica Hill
Clair Bradley
T Levels

Let’s back T Levels to break the country’s skills deadlock

With T Levels now delivering real skills for real jobs, we have a chance to keep talent rooted in...

Jessica Hill
Dr Sam Rushworth
Devolution, Long read

The politics behind the King of the North’s MBacc mission

Andy Burnham is grabbing headlines with his ambition for the MBacc technical education programme. But take-up has been slower...

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
SEND

A youth guarantee that forgets SEND isn’t a guarantee at all

If the youth guarantee fails to extend EHCP protections and invest in FE pathways to age 25, ministers will sabotage their own growth...

Jessica Hill
Ben Bastin
Colleges

Our commission will use engagement as lead indicator for FE outcomes  

Colleges chase attendance data and retention rates long after learners have switched off, or staff have burned out. Our...

Jessica Hill
Dr Rajbir Hazelwood
Budget

A budget that backs FE, delivered by a government that can’t stop undermining itself

Today’s budget offers long-overdue wins for skills and apprenticeships, but the constant leaks, U-turns and mixed messages are throttling...

Jessica Hill
Erika Marshall
Apprenticeships

Are assessment reforms a safety risk we can’t afford?

The government’s drive to streamline apprenticeship assessment may look efficient on paper, but employers warn it risks dismantling the...

Jessica Hill
Justine Fosh and Ann Watson
Ofsted

Ofsted’s one-word grades were a ‘good’ way of explaining quality

Now we’ve lost our simple shorthand, the task of communicating inspection results to the outside world just got much...

Jessica Hill
Mark Dawe