Nick Linford | FE Week

Could another nosedive in apprentice numbers be around the corner?

Government figures this month indicated advanced apprenticeship starts had plummeted since the introduction of FE loans and with more policy changes afoot David Harbourne asks whether we could be in line for another big drop. Official statistics have confirmed a massive fall in the number of adults (25+) starting level three apprenticeships. In the first […]

Sixth form college strikes put back a month

National sixth form college strikes planned for next week have been put back a month. Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) had been expected to take industrial action over pay and pensions by Friday, February 14. But the NUT announced today that a national strike would be taking place on Wednesday, March 26. […]

Skills Funding Agency chief defends shock qualifications cull

Skills Funding Agency chief executive Barbara Spicer has spoken out to defend a shock public funding cut for adult qualifications. An unexpected 15-credit threshold for public funding was revealed by the agency late last month, prompting concerns about a lack of consideration. But Ms Spicer said there had been sector consultation and also hit back […]

The Education and Training Foundation ~ an introduction

Download your free copy of the FE Week 16-page introduction to the Education and Training Foundation. Click here to download (5 mb) —————————————————– Introduction The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has a tough job ahead of it. Not only does it need to spread the word about its existence, it needs to convince sceptics of its necessity […]

Concerns over nuclear college plans

Plans for a new college to train nuclear power plant workers have sparked concerns among colleges who had been hoping to deliver training for the industry themselves. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock was at the PoliticsHome Skills Summit in London on Tuesday (January 28) when he announced the proposals. He said the new college could “provide […]

Shock funding cut for 1,500 adult quals

As many as 1,500 qualifications face the public funding axe as the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) looks to introduce a 15-credit threshold. The SFA has published a list of 1,477 Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) level two to four qualifications which it says will not be approved for funding in 2014/15. It aims to make […]

Software problems ‘distorting’ key FE and skills statistics

Key information designed to “hold the government to account over delivery of policy” has been corrupted by ongoing problems with new funding software. The latest Statistical First Release (SFR), out on Thursday, January 30, included a host of important information based on providers’ data. However, they’ve struggled to submit learner numbers, course details and other […]

Former provider staff due in court on host of fraud charges

More than a dozen former employees of welfare to work provider A4e are due to appear in court charged with fraud. The eight women and five men are due at Reading Crown Court on Monday, February 3, for a plea and case management hearing. They face allegations including conspiracy to defraud, making a false instrument […]

Ex-Cabinet Secretaries wade in on 18-year-old funding cut debate

Two former education and skills secretaries joined the charge against a controversial funding cut for 18-year-old learners as Skills Minister Matthew Hancock was grilled by MPs in a special debate on the issue. Former Education Secretary David Blunkett and former Skills Secretary John Denham joined the Westminster Hall debate over plans to cut the full-time […]