Nick Linford | FE Week

Trade union and business leaders issue joint agreement over traineeship pay and work experience as programme marks one-year anniversary

Trade union and business leaders have today issued a joint agreement on traineeships over pay and work experience quality as the programme marks its one-year anniversary. The statement from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which was previewed by FE Week a fortnight ago, outlines their support for traineeships and includes four […]

Barnfield Federation to end with separation of college and academies

Barnfield College is to split from its associated academies in a move that will spell the end of the Barnfield Federation. The split proposal, expected to take effect from November, will go before Skills Minister Nick Boles and leaves a question mark over the future of federation interim chief executive Dame Jackie Fisher (pictured above, […]

College in outstanding ‘no improvement needed’ first from Ofsted

A residential college in the north of England has gone one step better than being simply an outstanding FE and skills provider. The Northern College, in Barnsley, got grade one results in each of the headline fields and every other graded area — and it was also told by Ofsted that it had nothing major […]

‘Much-loved’ MidKent College principal Sue McLeod dies, aged 53

MidKent College principal Sue McLeod has died, aged 53. The mum-of-one, who who had joined the college as a travel and tourism lecturer in 1993 before climbing the ranks to deputy principal and then principal, had been diagnosed with a brain tumour last month. A college spokesperson, who described Ms McLeod as a “much-loved principal” […]

Merging Midland colleges’ second naming attempt wins approval from Skills Minister Nick Boles

Two Midland colleges set to merge next month have won approval for their new name from Skills Minister Nick Boles after a local MP said their first suggestion was “an aggressive act” towards nearby competitor colleges. Worcester College of Technology and New (North East Worcestershire) College were turned down by Mr Boles’s predecessor, Matthew Hancock, who […]

A good time for a bad ‘posh kids’ premium’ decision

One of the first in-post announcements of new Skills Minister Nick Boles, for “extra” funding, emerged today and within hours had come under fire from the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association. Mick Fletcher adds his voice to those to question the rationale behind Mr Boles’s announcement. It was perhaps inevitable that the decision of the government […]

NUS calls for ‘new and better’ EMA as report shows drop in sixth form teens after it was abolished

The National Union of Students (NUS) has called for a “new and better” Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) after a “conservative” report showed the number of teenagers in sixth form education dropped by thousands after it was scrapped. The EMA was launched by Tony Blair’s Labour Government in 2004 in an effort to encourage more 16 to 19-year-olds […]

High-achieving Midland apprentices honoured with House of Lords celebration

Dozens of high-achieving apprentices from West Nottinghamshire College Group were handed awards at a House of Lords ceremony to celebrate their efforts. Principal Dame Asha Khemka OBE hosted the ‘Celebration of Apprenticeships’ event in the Cholmondeley Room, overlooking the River Thames, along with cross-bench peer Baroness Prashar CBE. The 27 apprentices were handed engraved glass trophies […]

Bosses at merging colleges hope second naming attempt wins ‘heart’ of new Skills Minister Nick Boles

Two Worcestershire colleges merging next month are hoping their second attempt at a new name will win the heart of recently-appointed Skills Minister Nick Boles after their first suggestion was branded “aggressive”. Mr Boles’s predecessor, Matthew Hancock, rejected the first attempt from Worcester College of Technology and New (North East Worcestershire) College, for ‘Worcestershire College’ — and Mr Boles […]