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27 May 2026

Author: Jessica Hill

Destination defund: the fight to save travel and tourism courses

High-profile workforce shortages in the travel industry haven’t stopped the government’s plans to defund rafts of popular courses. Jessica Hill investigates what’s next for travel and tourism training. When stories about long queues at UK airports hit the headlines last summer, travel woes were blamed on staffing shortages across the industry. But with the government […]

Munira Wilson, Lib Dem education spokesperson

As a coalition government seems increasingly likely, FE looks to the Lib Dems’ Munira Wilson to see if the party really is “the party of education” as its education spokesperson claims it to be. The central command of Munira Wilson’s party has avoided speaking on education issues lately. The “latest news” section of the Lib […]

Is FE really meeting its goals when it comes to diversity?

In the wake of the shocking murder of George Floyd by a police officer on the streets of Minneapolis nearly three years ago, businesses and public institutions pledged to redouble their efforts to tackle racism and discrimination. Pledges, diversity charters and steering groups were launched to show that action was being taken. Representative organisations in […]

Chris Claydon, CEO, JTL

Chris Claydon has a biography better suited to James Bond than to the chief executive of a training provider for building service engineers. He has flown Apache military helicopters, briefed cabinet ministers on evacuations from the Arab Spring uprisings, and helped save lives by designing countermeasures to the roadside bombs used in Afghanistan. Oh, and […]

Neil Bentley-Gockmann, WorldSkills UK

Neil Bentley-Gockmann is extremely proud of pivoting the focus of WorldSkills UK’s from one big showstopping annual competition event to loftier ambitions around “tackling vocational snobbery”. But he still misses the buzz the big national skills competition final used to give him in the pre-pandemic years. Bentley-Gockmann, who is stepping down as chief executive at […]

Multiply – The maths scheme that doesn’t yet add up

The flagship Multiply programme, aimed at adults with poor numeracy skills, is failing to attract learners, reports Jessica Hill. She looks at a £559 million scheme hampered by complicated funding and red tape Actress Denise Welch was “that scared” of maths at school, she used to throw up before classes. The former star of Coronation Street […]

The ‘painfully shy’ kid who became deputy principal

Those who work in FE often hold a special place in their heart for the sector. None more so than Claire Heywood, who has spent her entire 30-year learning and professional career at the Heart of Worcestershire College (HoW). For her, it is far more than just a workplace. The deputy principal believes the FE […]

ETF chief executive Katerina Kolyva

The Education and Training Foundation’s new chief executive Katerina Kolyva has taken the helm at a “pivotal moment”, guiding it to the future from turbulent times of late. Kolyva, who joined the charity last month, knows it can no longer rely on clinching automatic government contracts. Her mission is not an easy one; she has […]