Paul Offord | FE Week

Halfon hands out ladder flyers in bid to chair education select committee

Former skills minister Robert Halfon has been handing out flyers to MPs, illustrated with his favourite ladder of opportunity, as he bids to chair the House of Commons Select Committee for education. The Harlow MP sacked in June as minister for apprenticeships and skills, used the metaphor on numerous occasions during his short time in […]

Association of Colleges restructure plans approved

The Association of Colleges has approved restructuring plans designed to help prevent a £1 million overspend in 2017/18 – which include terminating long-running agreements with associate bodies to run three regional offices. Word first emerged of a consultation on proposed changes in early February, when chief executive David Hughes discussed a revamp of membership fees, […]

Investigates: Are T-level plans in trouble?

– Greening begs big business for help with “substantive” work placements, while DfE refuses to commit to original plan for 2019 launch The education secretary has explained to FE Week how she’ll tackle the mammoth task of convincing huge numbers of employers to run three-month work placements for T-level learners. Justine Greening called on businesses […]

Second FE college gets grade one Ofsted in two weeks

The sector may have had to endure an agonising 14-month wait for Ofsted to rate a general FE college ‘outstanding’ – but there’s now been a second published in the space of two weeks. And as with Dudley College before it, Grimsby Institute Group earned its grade-one report after it asked for its scheduled short […]

Recipe for confusion concern as IfA seeks up to 150 expert advisers

A call for up to 150 industry experts to join new Institute for Apprenticeships advisory panels, has prompted concerns over a lack of “joined up decisions” with similar bodies planned for technical education. Adverts seeking unpaid panel members to join 15 “prestigious employer-led groups” to help shape the future of the apprenticeship programme were posted […]

Learndirect : One in ten staff could face redundancy at nation’s largest provider

The nation’s largest training provider is consulting on a new wave of redundancies – with its chief executive admitting around one in 10 staff could be affected. Learndirect employees were told the devastating news yesterday. It is understood that hundreds of for example sales and operational staff working on apprenticeships, employment related services, European Social […]

‘Maximum disruption’ criticism of strike picket line planned for enrolment day

Striking union members have been criticised for trying to cause “maximum disruption to the community”, by taking the unusual step of holding their industrial action on a college’s weekend enrolment day. The University and College Union announced today that strikes will take place at the Willesden and Wembley campuses of the College of North West […]

Queen’s speech confirms it is full steam ahead for introduction of T-Levels

The Queen’s speech has confirmed that the drive towards T-Levels will continue full steam ahead. The monarch delivered her speech to MPs and peers, setting out the government’s key priorities over the next two years. shortly before midday. She stressed ministers’ determination to create a world-class technical education system. “My ministers will work to ensure people […]

DfE blames lack of resources for loans figures suspension

The Department for Education has blamed a lack of resources for its failure to publish up-to-date advance learner loans figures – on which reporting is now suspended indefinitely. In the past, the DfE has published a report with up-to-date numbers of the advanced learner loan applications it has received and those applications ready for payment […]