Jude Burke | FE Week

Federation of Awarding Bodies gets the lawyers in over T-levels

The Federation of Awarding Bodies is gearing up for possible legal action over T-levels following the start of a controversial tender process, FE Week can reveal. The government launched its hunt for awarding organisations to deliver the new qualifications with two “market engagement” events earlier this month. But AOs have been left fuming over the […]

Public Accounts Committee wants more DfE action on bad apprenticeships

The Department for Education must “weed out” poor apprenticeship provision, the Public Accounts Committee has said. A new report by the group of influential MPs also presses the department to look into whether financial incentives for teacher training deliver value for money, and to increase the number of women studying science, technology, engineering and maths […]

Movers and Shakers: Edition 248

Your weekly guide to who’s new and who’s leaving Danielle Fallon, Sales and marketing manager, Training Qualifications UK Start date: May 2018 Previous job: National PTP Manager, NCFE Interesting fact: Danielle once got bass guitar lessons from a member of the Stone Roses. —— Charlotte Andrews, Head of education, Skills Edge Training Start date: April 2018 Previous job: Operations […]

Ofsted watch: Private provider straight in at grade four

A private provider has earned the ignominious honour this week of being rated ‘inadequate’ at its first ever inspection. And two “new” apprenticeships providers have fared little better, with both found to be making “insufficient progress” in at least one area, according in monitoring visit reports published this week. The Terri Brooke School of Nails […]

Seven-day strike at Hull College called off

Seven days of strikes at Hull College, due to start on Monday, have been called off after the threat of compulsory redundancies was lifted. Staff had been set to walk out again for five days starting June 18, and again on June 26 and 27 in a bitter row over plans to cut hundreds of jobs. […]

Atkins: Struggling colleges will still need stopgap funds

Colleges that get into financial difficulty will still need funding to “oil the wheels” once the bailout tap has been turned off, the FE commissioner has said in an exclusive interview with FE Week. Struggling colleges currently have access to the restructuring facility and exceptional financial support (EFS), but these will each be withdrawn later […]

FE commissioner recruiting new national leaders of governance

The FE commissioner is on the hunt for recruits to join his army of national leaders of governance. Serving governors or clerks from grade one or two colleges can apply for the role, which pays £300 a day for an estimated 50 days’ work a year. They will provide mentoring and support to governors at […]

Monthly update: apprenticeship starts down 52 per cent in March

Apprenticeship starts for March are down 52 per cent compared with the same period in 2017. There have been 23,900 starts recorded so far in March 2018, compared with 50,000 in March 2017 according to the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s monthly apprenticeship statistics update, published this morning. Overall starts for the year to date […]

Open letter sees government on defensive before apprenticeship figures announced

The government is on the defensive one day before the latest apprenticeship figures appear, expected to show a continued year-on-year drop. An open letter signed by skills minister Anne Milton, Institute for Apprenticeships boss Sir Gerry Berragan (pictured above) and dozens of senior figures from business schools, businesses and other organisations wants the sector to […]