Author: Nick Linford

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has told Labour to “wait and see” what happens in next week’s Budget before accusing the government of failing to protect funding for 16 to 19 education and training. Labour called an Opposition Day House of Commons debate this week to propose that the 16 to 19 education budget be given […]

Trailblazer employers in the early years sector are on a collision course with the government over the GCSE exit requirements for their new standard. The Early Years Educator (EYE) Trailblazer group resubmitted its apprenticeship standard and assessment plan on November 10, asking the government to accept ‘reasonable equivalents’ to the GCSE English and maths requirements […]

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. We meet in a sombre context. After this morning’s session I’ll be returning to London and I hope you will agree on your behalf we will be travelling to the French Embassy to the sign the book of condolence after the terrible attacks on Friday night. And I am sure […]

– Apprenticeships account for less than 5 per cent of Adult Skills Budget for some large FE colleges – AoC says colleges ‘see significant role’ in hitting 3m target and should ‘start planning strategic response’   The college sector’s performance on apprenticeships has come under attack after exclusive FE Week analysis uncovered budgets with as […]

Labour has secured an Opposition Day debate to propose that the 16 to 19 education budget be given the same protection as that of schools. The debate takes place tomorrow and will see Labour MPs argue that government should “protect the education budget in real terms, from the early years through to 19 years old”. It […]

Two further mergers have been proposed for the college sector. Shrewsbury College, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and New College in Telford have announced plans to discuss a proposal to merge, creating a single sixth form college group. In a joint statement, the principals of all three — Steve Wain, Martin Ward and Fiona O’Brien, respectively […]

These are some of the faces in Sixth Form College Commissioner Peter Mucklow’s new team as he shares the growing workload of post-16 area reviews. They include an academy trust chief executive, a former sixth form college umbrella organisation executive director, an ex-Ofsted inspector and, of course, some old sixth form college principals. The six […]

Sector leaders have reacted with concern to a “tight” Skills Funding Agency (SFA) timetable for handing out £650m of delayed European Social Fund (ESF) cash — with delivery completed in just 18 months. It was exclusively revealed on feweek. co.uk that the SFA was planning to run a “sequence of procurement” that must be finished […]

The Network for Black and Asian Professionals (NBAP) is to close “due to lack of funding,” FE Week can exclusively reveal. Its chief executive, Rajinder Mann OBE (pictured above), delivered the blow to members today and said closure was the “result of the current political environment and the austerity cuts in the public sector”. In a […]