Nick Linford | FE Week

Minister in Elite tag ‘hint’ after Premier Colleges launch

A “new breed of elite colleges” appears to have been hinted at in the same week as a group of providers have branded themselves Premier Colleges. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock mentioned the word “elite” four times in a recent speech about the future of colleges. And it is understood Mr Hancock is considering official use […]

The apprenticeship champion line-up

One of these three women will be crowned apprentice champion of the year. Chloe Gailes, aged 28, Karen Lowry-Hall, 31, and Nichola Mitchell, 22, have battled it out for the honour, but must wait until next month to find out who’s won. The former apprentices were whittled down from a shortlist of 10 before going […]

Colleges hoping for VAT ‘anomaly’ end after MPs’ letter and PM pledge

Sixth form colleges could be about to see the end of a “longstanding inequality” on VAT after more than 70 MPs wrote to Education Secretary Michael Gove calling for a change in the law. England’s 93 sixth form colleges currently have to pay VAT on goods and services, while schools and academies are reimbursed. But […]

Baker’s Career Colleges ‘risk confusion’

Further education leaders have expressed concern at Lord Baker’s plans to establish “yet another” brand of vocational training colleges. The Tory peer has announced new proposals to create Careers Colleges, focussing on training from 14 years old in areas including hospitality, tourism, finance, health and care and construction. These would be based at existing colleges, […]

Agency restructure sees two directors remain but four out

Three directors and a chief information officer have been identified as among the first to go in a programme of Skills Funding Agency job cuts that has left more than 1,000 staff facing an uncertain future. Julie Robson, executive director for growth (Midlands and North), Sally Stewart, executive director for people, Richard Field, chief information […]

Government figures show 16 to 18 apprenticeships down nearly 15,000 in a year

Figures published this morning show a 12 per cent (14,600) fall in 16-18 apprenticeship starts, and a one per cent (7,400) fall across all ages. The first set of figures below compare the full year provisional 2012/13 apprenticeship starts with the same report from the previous year. The second set of figures compare the full year […]

SFA lifts blanket ban on new Elmfield learners after minister orders Ofsted revisit

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has lifted its blanket ban on new learners at Elmfield Training after an early Ofsted revisit ordered by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock resulted in a positive report. The SFA will now assess any request from Elmfield to start apprentices with, for instance, current client Barclays Bank on a “case-by-case basis”. […]

Minister attacks FE for allowing learners to ‘give up’

Further education leaders have lined up to defend the sector after Liberal Democrat Schools Minister David Laws claimed new figures “exposed” colleges for allowing learners to “give up” maths and English. Figures published for the first time by the Department for Education (DfE) show almost three-quarters of school students who achieved an English GCSE grade […]

MP ‘desperately sad’ over numeracy and literacy failings

Poor adult numeracy and literacy levels in England and Northern Ireland were the subject of a House of Commons debate. It was prompted by findings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which warned of some of the highest proportions of adults scoring at or below level one — the lowest possible level […]