Nick Linford | FE Week

New chief executive unveiled for Sixth Form Colleges Association

The current operational director at the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) Bill Watkin has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Sixth Form College Association (SFCA). He will start in the post on April 18 following the retirement of current SFCA chief executive, David Igoe. The appointment was announced today by SFCA […]

Tackling England rugby stars

Hartpury College rugby players took their skills and speed to the next level as they faced the stars of the England national side. The squad of 15 students from the Gloucester-based college took part in a training session with Eddie Jones’ senior England side at Pennyhill Park. After a strict breakfast and a briefing from […]

Cutting it close for modelling competition

A Salford City College learner has secured a place in the final of a national modelling competition after gaining national attention through shaving off her hair for charity, writes Billy Camden. Salford City College learner Leah Dean will be strutting down the catwalk during the Miss Teen Model UK competition, thanks to her money-raising efforts […]

Pitstop at F1 team factory

A group of budding engineers from North Shropshire College (NSC) made a pit stop to the Williams Martini Racing F1 Factory. The 14 learners, who all study either engineering or mechanics, visited the advanced engineering section of the factory, learning how employees with the racing team use their scientific knowledge to solve everyday problems. They […]

Curtain raises for Sleeping Beauty

Talented Walsall College dance students performed at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre ahead of award-winning director Matthew Bourne’s production of Sleeping Beauty. Level three learners Ann-Marie Wood, aged 18, Chelsea Cowley, 17, Emily Hartshorne, 18, and Faye Bolan, 16, impressed the audience with a brand new five-minute dance inspired by the main show, called The Beauties […]

In the frame for photography awards

Three Lambeth College snappers have won awards at the RealLife Photography exhibition. Held at the Menier Gallery in London, the BTec level three diploma in photography learners exhibited work that explored themes of space and community in the context of wellbeing. Jessni Teeluck, aged 18, won the most artistic category, while Milton Furtado, 22, was […]

Furious colleges and training providers slam 16-18 growth funding shortfall

Angry providers have slammed the government’s failure to fully fund all their apprenticeship growth requests as “appalling” and “destabilising”. The comments were made by respondents to an FE Week survey carried out in the wake of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) announcement on 5 February explaining how the money would be portioned out. The funding […]

Apprenticeship funding cut a ‘complete shock’

The Skills Funding Agency’s decision to slash funding rates for a popular level three apprenticeship framework has been labelled a disaster. It was announced on Wednesday that the IT, Software Web and Telecom Professionals apprenticeship framework would be cut by about £2,000 from 1 April. The SFA has not reduced apprenticeship framework rates since 2012/13, […]

FE Week & me student photography competition

Introduction Mid-Kent College learner Bailey McElligott is the winner of this year’s non-photography student category in the FE Week and Me Photography Competition. The 16-year-old level three graphic design student was chosen by a judging panel made up of representatives from FE Week and NCFE from more than 700 entries. Entrants’ photos needed to depict […]