Nick Linford | FE Week

New president for colleges’ association

The Association of Colleges has named Yorkshire principal Michele Sutton OBE as its new president (pictured). The Bradford College boss is due to take up the association role at the beginning of August when current president Maggie Galliers CBE steps down. “I am delighted to have been elected and look forward to taking up the […]

Award cull comes ‘with no warning’

Surprise plans that could end government funding for around 1,600 qualifications might hit the job hopes of thousands of struggling learners, it has been claimed. Graham Hasting-Evans, managing director of the National Open College Network (NOCN) awarding body, said he feared unemployed students could see courses stopped as a result of the plans, which he […]

Colleges hit with Skills Funding Agency warnings

Two of England’s biggest colleges have been slapped with notices of concern by the Skills Funding Agency following inadequate gradings from Ofsted. City of Liverpool College got grade fours in every one of the education watchdog’s headline fields last month, just four years after it was praised as outstanding. And, more recently, City of Bristol […]

National Careers Service boosts provision

The National Careers Service (NCS) is to launch a range of services in 12 regions and is searching for contractors to take on the work. Tenders have been invited for an “enhanced” provision of the current service from April 1, 2014. The announcement comes as the service, launched by former Skills Minister John Hayes, celebrates […]

FE loans create shortfalls

Some providers are facing funding shortfalls of up to £750,000 for adults with extra needs, claims the National Association for Managers of Student Services (NAMSS). As part of the new 24+ advanced learner loans regime for those wanting to take up an FE course, providers were distributed £50m over two years to cover extra needs […]

Learners must have place at the top table

The proposed guild cannot claim to speak for the sector unless its board represents everyone in FE — and that includes learners, says Jayne Stigger Learners put up with a lot from us; the chocolate bar and packet of crisps they signed up for is now a tuna wrap with avocado salsa on the side. FE […]

Hear our voice, the NUS tells FE Guild

The National Union of Students will continue to push for a learner presence on the board of the FE Guild, describing the lack of representation as “wrong”. President-elect Toni Pearce, who takes up the post in July, expressed anger after the revelation two weeks ago that the guild’s draft implementation plans did not include a […]

Joe Vinson to become the NUS vice president for FE

Joe Vinson has been elected as vice president for Further Education of the National Union of Students at their annual conference today. Mr Vinson has been president of Cornwall College student’s union since 2011, and a member of the NUS LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) committee since 2013. In his election speech at the […]

Celebrating 20 years of college independence

Download your free copy of the FE Week 16 page special anniversary supplement celebrating 20 years of college independence, sponsored by NOCN. Click here to download (10mb) Introduction Twenty years ago radical change took place as colleges were freed from local authority control. The revolution had started five years earlier when the 1988 Education Reform […]