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11 April 2026

Author: Paul Offord

Anger as apprenticeship providers asked to log off-the-job training

Providers will be asked to log apprentices’ off-the-job training hours to prove that the deeply unpopular minimum funding requirement is being met, the government has revealed. A new data field for individual learner records (ILR) – which is to be updated monthly – is supposed to “help” providers “demonstrate compliance” with the requirement for at […]

Apprenticeship levy transfer policy explained

The government has explained how employers which pay the apprenticeship levy will be able to transfer funds to other organisations from April for the first time. Large employers have been forced to pay the levy since it was launched last April, but they have only been able to spend the funding generated on their own […]

Pressure mounts on Student Loans Company over learner loan scandal

The Student Loans Company is feeling the strain of an FE loans scandal that has left hundreds of learners with huge debts and no qualifications, as their repayments reprieve draws to a close. FE Week has been campaigning for the past year to have debts from advanced learning loans written off for the blameless former […]

IfA approves quality assurer that is scheduled to close

A company approved to provide external quality assurance for digital apprenticeships will fold in September, in a situation described as an “unworkable short-term solution”. The Institute for Apprenticeships approved the Tech Partnership for the role in December, two months after it announced plans to shut up shop. The IfA also confirmed that if no suitable […]

Revealed: Gove was forced to create UTCs

As education secretary, Michael Gove was “forced” to create university technology colleges by George Osborne and David Cameron, a former senior minister has revealed. David Laws, a Liberal Democrat who served under Mr Gove as schools minister in the coalition government from 2012 to 2015, told FE Week that he “never liked” the policy, but […]

Enforcement measures proposed to keep kids in education until 18

Enforcement measures should be introduced to make sure that 16-to-18-year-olds participate in education and training, a leading sector figure has said. The controversial proposal, which would see parents legally bound to ensure their children’s attendance, has split the sector. The boss of the Association of Colleges, David Hughes, has said the idea deserves “serious consideration”, […]

Metro mayors commit to growing BAME apprenticeships

Five city mayors have committed to increasing the number of apprentices from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. The ‘Five cities project’, launched by the Department for Education, will see the National Apprenticeship Service work with the mayors of Greater Manchester, London, Bristol, Birmingham and Leicester to improve apprenticeship diversity in their areas. The cities’ respective […]

NUS president Shakira Martin engulfed in ‘bullying’ row

A row has erupted in the upper echelons of the National Union of Students, as its president wants to investigate claims made on social media that she has bullied staff members. Every elected NUS officer, including its vice-president for FE Emily Chapman, will be working from home this week “to protect all parties”, a spokesperson […]