Nick Linford | FE Week

Beacon Award winners in full

City of Wolverhampton College has won the Association of Colleges (AoC) Leading Light Award for its programme tackling local unemployment and skill shortages. An AoC spokesperson praised the college’s work with small, medium and large employers, including Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems and Lego. She said the programme was geared at ensuring that “students and […]

Lowestoft Sixth Form College hit with EFA financial notice to improve

Lowestoft Sixth Form College (SFC) has been issued with a financial notice to improve from the Education Funding Agency (EFA). Principal Yolanda Botham was formally told about this before Christmas in a letter from David Jeffrey, territorial director South for the EFA, which was published on the Department for Education website today (February 11). The […]

Alternative providers needed for thousands of learners after funding pulled from charity’s ‘inadequate’ training wing

The government is looking for alternative “quality providers” for up to 3,500 post-16 learners after it pulled the plug on funding the FE training wing of leading charity Age UK. The decision by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Education Funding Agency (EFA) was provoked by Ofsted’s inadequate-overall rating of Age UK in a report […]

Guest for ‘hedgehog haven’

Teddy the hedgehog is the first resident of a new sanctuary set up by Salford City College’s animal management department. Teddy arrived at the “hedgehog haven” in the college’s Walkden Sixth Form Centre at the end of last year after he was brought in by a local resident who found him in their garden. When […]

£6k good sign for college

Learners at Communication Specialist College Doncaster have been given a studies boost thanks to a £6,000 donation from the DM Thomas Foundation for Young People (DMTFYP). The grant has been used to buy a number of Android tablets, which the students will use as part of their British Sign Language classes. Stacey Betts, the deputy […]

Corbyn visits Middlesbrough

Jeremy Corbyn has given a thumbs up to the training being provided by Middlesbrough College for former steelworkers and apprentices. The Labour leader spoke after touring the college’s new £20m science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) Centre, where the majority of the training courses are taking place. The centre features three fully-equipped industrial sections: process […]

Movers and Shakers: Edition 163

The Grimsby Institute Group has announced the appointments of Gill Alton as its new chief executive and Debra Gray as its principal. The decision to split the two posts follows the retirement of Sue Middlehurst, who steps down after more than five years at the helm. The group’s corporation hopes the split role will enable […]

Students innovate to help disabled colleague

The life of a disabled student recovering from a major operation on one of his legs was made a whole lot easier thanks to the inventive efforts of fellow students at Cornwall College St Austell, writes Billy Camden. Jordan Venton underwent an operation in September to straighten a bone in his left leg, which means […]

Barnsley faces the music

Music apprentices at Barnsley College gave up their holiday over the Christmas period to help their lecturer and university peers create a sound recording studio from scratch. Lecturer Tim Speight, who has worked with the likes of Simon Cowell, Westlife and McFly in the past, led the team of learners to create a space equivalent […]