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13 April 2026

Author: Nick Linford

FE ‘saviour’ Cable loses seat as Conservatives head for majority

The self-proclaimed ‘saviour of FE’ has been ousted in a disastrous General Election for the Liberal Democrats and Labour. Former Business Secretary Dr Vince Cable became one of the most high-profile casualties of the General Election on Thursday (May 7) as he lost his Twickenham seat to the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrat last October claimed […]

New lead sponsor for Skills Show revealed

Vocational education charity the Edge Foundation is the new lead sponsor for the Skills Show, it has been announced. Show organisers Find a Future revealed today that the three-year lead sponsorship deal with City & Guilds, in place for the first Skills Show event, was ending. The pricetag of the Edge Foundation’s one-year sponsorship of the […]

Let’s stop banging our head against the brick wall over vocational education

While the major political parties’ focus on FE and skills is to be welcomed, they need to look beyond qualifications reform says Tim Oates. When you recognise that banging your head against a brick wall actually hurts, the most sensible course of action is to stop doing it. Strange then, that while all the major […]

Takeover agreed for A4e to create ‘biggest’ Work Programme contractor

Welfare-to-work provider A4e has been sold to recruitment services firm Staffline in a £35.4m deal that includes £11m of debt being taken on. Nottingham-based Staffline Group claims the move will make it one of the biggest contractors of the Work Programme of the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP). It will mean Staffline has a […]

Your FE & skills General Election questions answered — part three: Liberal Democrats

The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all come in for grilling with a host of questions from FE and skills figures. In this last of three articles, a spokesperson for Nick Clegg’s (pictured) Liberal Democrats takes the stand to answer your questions. Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock answered yesterday for the Conservatives, […]

Your FE & skills General Election questions answered — part two: Labour

The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all come in for grilling with a host of questions from FE and skills figures. In this second of three articles, Shadow Skills Minister Liam Byrne (pictured) takes the stand for Labour. Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock answered yesterday, while a Lib Dem spokesperson fields questions later today on […]

Your FE & skills General Election questions answered — part one: The Conservatives

The Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all come in for grilling with a host of questions from FE and skills figures. In this first of three articles, Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock (pictured) takes the stand for the Conservatives. Labour’s Shadow Skills Minister Liam Byrne answers tomorrow morning on feweek.co.uk, while a Lib Dem spokesperson […]

UTCs, apprenticeships and destination data central to Tory manifesto plans for FE

The Conservatives will put a University Technical College (UTC) “within reach of every city” and increase the use of destination data about FE courses if they form a government again in May, the party has announced. Alongside existing pledges to create 3m apprenticeship starts over the course of the next Parliament and “improve” FE by […]

Provider hit with grade four rating after just one apprenticeship achievement in two years

An independent learning provider that has seen just one learner achieve an apprenticeship since it started running the programme almost two years ago is having its government funding withdrawn after it was branded inadequate by Ofsted. Kats Learning Ltd, a Hampshire-based company with 118 apprentices on hairdressing, business management and customer services frameworks, was issued with […]