Author: Nick Linford

Graduates will be offered grants of up to £20,000 to teach at FE colleges, Business Secretary Vince has announced. The government is hoping the incentive will help improve numeracy and literacy among vocational learners, especially in areas like engineering where, said a government spokesperson, the UK had a “massive skills shortage”. Maths graduates will be […]

The Association of Colleges (AoC) is on the hunt for “good” examples of zero-hour contracts amid an investigation into the controversial agreements by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The contracts have been criticised as leaving staff without guaranteed hours, sick or holiday pay, and for making it difficult to get tenancy agreements, […]

A new principal has been appointed at City College Coventry just months after its disastrous inspection report. Former City of Wolverhampton College interim principal John Hogg has taken over at Coventry where he has begun a series of meetings with staff and students and is developing an improvement plan. “The college has a lot to offer, […]

A Lancashire college purchasing officer could be facing a spell behind bars after she used a work credit card to rack up £21,000 of debt on holidays, sunglasses, solicitors and supermarket shopping. Included in the spending of Shaheda Lorgat (pictured, right) at Blackburn College’s expense was also £465 on a trip to Alton Towers. The […]

The FE sector’s new professionalism and standards organisation, the Education and Training Foundation, launched today. The body, funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and formerly known as the FE Guild, started work with its first board meeting, in London. It comes almost four months after FE Week revealed government funding of the […]

The Skills Funding Agency has announced rates from £500 to £900 for work placements in the government’s new traineeship programme. Agency officials laid out payment bands of 100 to 199 hours; 200 to 499 hours; and, 500 hours-plus in a sector webinar on Monday (see slides below). They said the bands would mean training providers […]

The new FE Commissioner is yet to be appointed despite interviews by officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), FE Week understands. A number of candidates have already been spoken to, but none has been appointed to the role — or to any of its seven advisory posts. “The interview and appointment […]

Ten colleges in the North West have joined forces to form a joint venture company boasting a combined income of nearly half a billion pounds. Principals have been working on the move to form the Greater Manchester Colleges Group since 2010. It is believed to be the first of its kind in a city region […]

The government has accepted a recommendation that skills should be a core priority for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS). The recommendation was made by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee in April. It came in a report that also said LEPs should demonstrate engagement with providers. “We believe that skills should be a […]