Jude Burke | FE Week

20% off-the-job rule divides opinion again

The director of the National Apprenticeships Service has mounted a strident defence of the controversial 20-per-cent off-the-job training requirement. “The 20 per cent remains, absolutely,” declared Sue Husband (pictured) in response to a barrage of questions from presenter Kirsty Wark and members of the audience at FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeships Conference. But she promised the […]

Merger bulletin: the colleges in need of a partner

The area reviews of post-16 education and training ended last March. They were designed to establish “fewer, often larger, more resilient and efficient providers”, but one year on from that final meeting of the steering group, there are more than a few financially challenged still struggling to find merger partners. FE Week looked at what’s […]

AAC2018: Some apprentices might not have an end-point assessor this year, IfA admits

A “very small number” of apprentices could reach the end of their course in the next year without an organisation in place to deliver their final exams, the Institute for Apprenticeships’ boss has admitted. But Sir Gerry Berragan, who gave the opening address at FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeships Conference, promised the IfA was “on the […]

Lambeth College and LSBU merger is back on

A merger between a cash-strapped London college and a nearby university will be going ahead after all – even though the college has been searching for other potential partners. Lambeth College originally said it would join London South Bank University in December 2016. But it emerged in January that those plans had hit the […]

Subcontracting changes blamed for West Notts College job cuts

The largest college provider of apprenticeships in 2016/17 will have to cut more than 100 jobs in an effort to make £2.7 million in savings. West Nottinghamshire College is blaming it on changes to subcontracting rules. It had contracts to deliver apprenticeships and traineeships worth £19.8 million last year, but the overwhelming majority of this […]

IfA ‘concerns’ revealed over quality assurance conflict of interest

The Institute for Apprenticeships has “concerns” about conflicts of interest in its new model for quality-assurance, FE Week can reveal. This emerged from minutes for a meeting of the IfA quality assurance committee, obtained via a Freedom of Information request. The body “confirmed it had concerns about conflicts of interest with EQA providers in general” […]

Second financial notice for troubled Bradford College

A cash-strapped college has been hit with a notice to improve for financial control – mere months after receiving one for financial health. Bradford College, which received two government bailouts in December alone, had already been referred to the FE commissioner after the first notice in November. The latest notice warns that the Education and […]

Government preparing new ESOL strategy

The government will develop a new strategy to teach English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), which is aimed at improving integration. The proposal is outlined in the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper, published this morning by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. “To boost English language skills – which are fundamental to […]

UCU college strike – dates set for a second wave of action

Dates have been set for a second walk-out by members of the University and College Union at a number of colleges in an ongoing dispute over pay. Staff at the colleges – all in London except for one in the Midlands – will walk out on either March 27 or 28 for two or three […]