Author: Nick Linford

Troubled Lewisham Southwark College is continuing to improve in all areas according to its latest monitoring visit report from Ofsted. The college, previously named Lesoco, became the first FE and skills provider to be branded inadequate by Ofsted twice in a row last year. In a report on an inspection last February, the college was […]

The leaders of all 11 colleges in the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area have joined forces to be the “driving force and the engine” behind economic growth. The New Anglia Colleges Group, which was launched this month but has been informally meeting since February 2014, also published a ‘manifesto’ which lays out their collective […]

The Government’s much-lauded “Productivity Plan” has been criticised by a committee of cross-party MPs today – with concerns raised over the three million apprenticeship target and new levy. The Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) committee in a report published this morning has claimed the government’s plan – heralded as a “blueprint for creating a more prosperous […]

The Business, Innovation and Skills committee released the findings of its investigation into the government’s productivity plan today. Senior reporter Alix Robertson put the big questions to committee chair Iain Wright MP in an exclusive interview.   Q. Do you feel Nick Boles is doing enough at present to reassure providers and employers about apprenticeship reforms? […]

The founder of a scandal-hit apprenticeship provider has been disqualified from acting as a director for six years after investigators found he paid himself nearly £1 million while his firm slid into administration. Elmfield Training – one of the country’s largest providers of apprenticeships that received more than £100m in public money – was wound […]

Over-allocated ‘discretionary funding’ now stalling apprenticeship decisions as college describes ‘negative impact’ and FE leader calls lack of info ‘crazy’ The delay in confirming growth requests for 16 to 18 apprenticeships and traineeships is the result of the Department for Education (DfE) over-allocating funding, FE Week can reveal. Providers who submitted growth requests to help fund […]

The Skills Funding Agency has today published the funding guidance, rates and formula for 2016/17 across 10 individual documents (see below). It explained that the plans for skills devolution and reform of apprenticeships had provided an opportunity “to review and rationalise our current funding approach and the way we present the funding rules”. “This year […]

— ‘I have no idea — or if I had an idea I’m not going to share it’ Skills Minister tells FE figures — Former SFA director David Hughes tells of worries about employers policing employers Skills Minister Nick Boles told key FE figures that he had “no idea — or if I had an idea I’m […]

Greenhead Sixth Form College has come out on top again in this year’s league tables for schools and colleges, according to government figures released on Thursday (January 21). It boasted the highest average point score among sixth form colleges (SFCs) both per full time vocational student and full time A-level student, in the latest Department […]