Author: Jude Burke

Careers advice in schools has been added to the skills minister brief, as part of the machinery of government changes. The Department for Education this morning finally confirmed ministerial responsibilities after taking ownership of the further and higher education budgets last month. The announcement, as part of a ministerial shake up at the DfE, comes almost […]

Performing arts students who took to the streets to save their courses are celebrating after college leaders decided against cutting them. FE Week reported on the protest by a large group of Burton and South Derbyshire College learners — many of whom were expecting to continue in the second year of performing arts courses after […]

Hold-ups to key FE announcements and reports caused by recent government upheavals are undermining planning for next academic year, sector leaders have warned. Concern is mounting that post-Brexit ministerial changes and the decision to transfer responsibility for skills and apprenticeships to the Department for Education (DfE) has caused the machinery of government to grind to […]

A four-way college link-up is one of three new major merger plans to have been unveiled— as eight partnerships involving 18 colleges were finalised today. The multiple merger, resulting from the Cheshire and Warrington area review, involves Mid Cheshire College, West Cheshire College, South Cheshire College and Warrington Collegiate. All the colleges involved confirmed today that […]

As broken by FE Week this afternoon — Nick Boles has quit as skills minister, so we’ve gathered immediate reaction from sector leaders. Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: “Mr Boles has set an ambitious agenda and, though he did not redress the cuts in funding over the preceding five […]

A parliamentary inquiry has been launched today into post-16 education and skills reviews. The probe by the Education, Skills and the Economy Sub-Committee will look at their progress, effectiveness and impact on the FE sector. It will also seek answers to why other providers, such as school sixth forms, are not directly involved. The deadline […]

The number of FE colleges could drop by a third once the post-16 area review process has completed, the FE Commissioner Sir David Collins has said. Sir David’s “best bet” for the size of the sector was based on his estimate of up to 80 mergers, he told delegates at the Area Review Summit at […]

Apprenticeships will have a minimum price tag attached to them for the first time after the apprenticeship levy is introduced, FE Week can reveal. A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills official told delegates at a Capita conference on apprenticeships and traineeships, in Manchester, that the current funding caps would be replaced with new upper […]