Nick Linford | FE Week

Featured: Sussex Downs fundraising to fight cancer

Sport students at Sussex Downs College battled through an emotional and physical pain barrier to complete three Ironman challenges in one day to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, after a student lost his mother to the disease, writes Billy Camden. Fourteen BTec sport diploma students from Sussex Downs College pulled out all the stops as […]

Plain sailing for new racing boat

Boatbuilding students at Falmouth Marine School have crafted the first prototype for a new type of racing dingy for an international sailor. The build was commissioned by Pete Crockford, of Restronget Sailing Club. He hopes to sail the International 14 boat to victory at the world championships in France this September. Mr Crockford said: “I […]

Movers and Shakers: Edition 170

Milton Keynes College has announced the appointment of Imelda Galvin as chief operating officer. The newly created role has given Ms Galvin responsibility for finance, facilities and project implementation. The college’s board of governors said Ms Galvin’s strong skillset, around financial strategy, project implementation and building high performance teams, was key to her appointment. She […]

CBI warns institute must not just ‘rubber-stamp’ standards

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has criticised the body established to police the reformed apprenticeship system as having a “disappointingly narrow” set of duties and responsibilities. Pippa Morgan (pictured), head of education and skills at the CBI, raised the concerns during a webinar for members on the apprenticeship levy on Wednesday (April 13). She […]

Geographic funding data published for first time

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has published geographic funding data for the first time — ahead of devolution of the adult education budget. It is based on learners’ postcodes and relates to non-apprenticeship adult skills budget (ASB) delivery in the 2014 to 2015 funding year. The data sets out the proportion of provision that each […]

Government launches area review cash for consultants

Application guidance for up to £100k consultancy grants that will support the implementation of area review recommendations has been published — a month after FE Week exclusively revealed they would be made available to colleges. The memo, which went online this morning, also revealed that colleges could receive more than one grant, as it would […]

157 Group wants ‘technical institutes’ to lead level three and above training for key industries in capital

The 157 Group has proposed that single colleges should take a lead for level three and above training for key industries across London. It called for the establishment of a series of “technology institutes” delivering “levels three, four and five skills to leverage the full capacity of London”, in a report unveiled this morning ahead […]

AoC sport national championships kicking off

More than 1,800 college sporting stars will travel to Tyne and Wear this weekend to compete in the 38th AoC National Championships. Students, who qualified for the championships through regional tournaments that took place in the autumn term, will compete in 15 different sports across Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead venues. The golf tournament will kick […]

FE ‘postcode lottery’ for high needs learners, expert warns

A leading expert in learning difficulties and disabilities has branded the FE sector a “postcode lottery” for young people with high needs, after an Ofsted report found the provision they receive “was often not of a high enough standard”. In an expert piece for FE Week, Kathryn Rudd (pictured), principal of National Star College and […]