Nick Linford | FE Week

Worries at AELP over HMRC funding proposal

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has raised concerns over the government’s proposals to direct funding for apprenticeships straight to employers. Chancellor George Osborne, in the Autumn statement, said a new funding model would use Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) systems to route funding directly to employers. And AELP’s position paper for […]

Funding agency in danger of ‘overload’ warns NAO

A government investigation into the Education Funding Agency has warned it could become “overloaded” as financial constraints, staffing difficulties and an increased workload take hold. The National Audit Office has published the findings of its investigation, launched in June last year into whether the agency was “prepared to meet future challenges”. It said funding and […]

Skills shortage behind almost a quarter of unfilled vacancies, says UKCES survey

Nearly a quarter of vacancies in the UK have gone unfilled because of a shortage of much-needed skills, the chief executive of UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) has revealed. Michael Davis (pictured) gave the Skills Summit in Central London a preview of the Employer Skills Survey 2013 findings in which 22 per cent […]

What can Ofsted learn from its own complaints system?

Last week, ex-NCG (Newcastle College Group) chief executive Jackie Fisher spoke exclusively to FE Week about her notorious 2012 Ofsted inspection. She explained why she booted the education watchdog out of the college mid-inspection before calling for the Ofsted complaints-handling procedure to become more transparent. Here, Policy Consortium trio Colin Forrest, Mike Cooper and Carolyn […]

Government announces nuclear college plans

The nuclear industry looks set to benefit from the country’s second new college in 21 years, Skills Minister Matthew Hancock has announced. Speaking at the PoliticsHome Skills Summit in London today, he said the college could “provide the specialist, advanced skills” for the industry. It comes just weeks after the government unveiled proposals to create a new […]

Skills Minister says education cut needed because there’s ‘no money left’

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock told MPs it was “difficult being a minister when there’s no money left” as he defended plans to cut the full-time education funding rate for 18-year-olds. He was speaking at a Westminster Hall debate this morning on government plans to reduce the funding rate for 18-year-old learners to 17.5 per cent […]

Prime Minister says ‘still got to get basics absolutely right’ on English and maths

Prime Minister David Cameron said skills was a the major focus of his economic plan during a speech to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy conference today. He told delegates the economy was recovering, and that the government’s long term economic plan included policies on reducing the deficit, cutting income tax and freezing fuel […]

Apprentice minimum wage ‘crackdown’ questioned

A government “crackdown” on apprentice minimum wage offenders has been queried with more than one-in-five apprentices not getting paid the legal amount. Labour MP Julie Hilling put the statistic to Employment Relations Minister Jenny Willott in the House of Commons, pushing the Lib Dem MP about what action the government was taking to enforce the £2.68 […]

Ambitious independent provider plans raise prospect of new college

Ambitious plans to become an incorporated FE college and develop new sites across the country have been revealed by Essex-based charity Prospects Learning Foundation. The independent learning provider (ILP), which has a current Skills Funding Agency allocation of £2.6m and already brands itself as Prospects College, has launched a consultation on plans to get FE […]