Nick Linford | FE Week

Cable marks ‘two million’ apprentice starts

Business Secretary Vince Cable was at Abingdon and Witney College to mark the “two millionth” apprentice. He met 16-year-old Paige McConville in Oxford, where she began her advanced apprenticeship in engineering manufacture with high-tech engineering firm, FMB Oxford in August. The Business Secretary also visited the college where Paige and her fellow apprentices study. Dr […]

Bank of BIS launches emergency college loans

General FE colleges turned away by the banks and facing financial meltdown have been thrown a possible lifeline with a new system of emergency loans from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The rules for “exceptional financial support” were released on Thursday (December 4) and provide hope for a last chance source of funding […]

All-age apprentice starts down for second consecutive year but improvement for 16 to 18

The number of new apprentices in 2013/14 was down by nearly 70,000 on the previous year — the second consecutive annual fall, according to official figures out this morning. All-age apprenticeship starts were at 440,400 last academic year, down 13.7 per cent, having been at 510,200 the previous year, and 520,600 in 2011/12. The 2012/13 fall in all-age […]

John Leggott College issued with financial notice to improve after second inadequate rating in two years

A Scunthorpe sixth form college has been told to sort out its bank balance or face intervention after being handed a financial notice to improve by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). John Leggott College was issued with the notice when its finances this academic year were rated as “inadequate” by the EFA — the second […]

Clegg’s 16 to 18 UCas plan ‘already here’ says UCas

The Deputy Prime Minister today announced “revolutionary” plans for a UCas-style vocational database for 16 to 18-year-olds — but UCas said the service already existed. Nick Clegg (pictured) told visitors to the Skills Show, at Birmingham NEC, the government would set up a “fully-comprehensive national database” of post-16 skills and employer led-courses and opportunities in England […]

Police investigate suspected chemical attack at College of West Anglia

Police are investigating a suspected chemical attack at a college in Norfolk that left 30 learners needing medical attention. One block of the College of West Anglia was evacuated and one student was hospitalised as a precaution after people at the King’s Lynn campus began experiencing breathing difficulties on Friday (November 7) morning. A nearby road […]

EFA boss Lauener to head up SFA

Peter Lauener is to take over as chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) — while continuing to head up the Education Funding Agency (EFA), the government announced this afternoon. He will take up the new role on Monday, November 3, replacing interim chief executive Keith Smith (pictured right). A government statement said Mr Lauener […]

SFA publishes new way to measure performance for 2013/14, just days after providers submit final data

New minimum standards guidance for post-19 training was published today, revealing a shake-up in how the Skills Funding Agency measures qualification success rates (QSRs). It comes just days after providers submitted their ILR 14 returns amid reports of ongoing problems with the Hub, which is due to fully replace the online data collection (OLDC) next […]

Ofsted looking at ‘frequent but shorter’ inspections for good providers

Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has laid out plans for “frequent but shorter” inspections for good FE and skills providers from September next year. Sir Michael this morning launched an eight-week consultation on reforms to the education watchdog’s inspection regime intended to give “much clearer focus on ensuring that good standards have been maintained”. “Most […]