Paul Offord | FE Week

A first step to loans justice for learners in the lurch

Learners left with huge loan debts and no qualifications when their providers went bust have had their repayments deferred for a year in a partial victory for FE Week’s campaign for loan justice. We have been demanding government action on the issue since January, when we discovered hundreds of learners were on the hook for […]

Staff anger at cash-strapped college’s new carpark charge

Staff and students at a Liverpool college facing “financial crisis” are fuming that they must now pay £600 per year to use a car park on campus that was previously free, after it was sold-off to a secret buyer. City of Liverpool College has repeatedly refused to name the new owner of its Vauxhall Road […]

£1.6 billion bids for ‘markedly oversubscribed’ non-levy procurement

The total value of bids lodged through the now-paused procurement for apprenticeship provision allocations for non-levy-paying employers was around £1.6 billion, almost four times more than the sum available, FE Week has learned. The Education and Skills Funding Agency announced on April 12, that the decision over funding allocations relating to this procurement had been be paused, […]

Outstanding Ofsted verdict for private apprenticeships provider

An outstanding across the board rating has been handed out by Ofsted to a West Midlands independent training provider that specialises in engineering apprenticeships. The glowing report on In-Comm Training and Business Services Limited was published today. Its grade one verdict was up from a good rating following the company’s last inspection in 2015. The report […]

Breaking: Ofsted launches official ‘good’ logo in policy U-turn

A new logo is being launched by Ofsted for providers rated ‘good’ – seven months after FE Week exclusively reported how the inspectorate threatened legal action over “unauthorised” use of its logo promoting grade two ratings. The apparent U-turn follows shocked and angry sector reaction to our original story last September. We revealed that Ofsted […]

Decision to retain forced maths and English GCSE resits ‘extremely’ disappointing

A government move to continue insisting on widespread GCSE maths and English resits – through the heavily criticised condition of funding rule – has left sector bosses “extremely disappointed”. All 16 to 18-year-old students with a near-pass (previously grade D, now grade three) GCSE in the subjects have since August 2015 had to continue studying […]

Minister slams ‘financial crisis’ college’s oversight of doomed First4Skills

A college facing “financial crisis”, which posted a 2015/16 group deficit of over £15 million, has come in for fierce ministerial criticism for poor oversight of doomed apprenticeship provider First4Skills. The Liverpool-based company went bust earlier this month, affecting around 200 staff and around 6,500 learners, after the Skills Funding Agency pulled its contract. That was […]

Lords amendment to extend child benefit entitlement for apprentices

Peers have passed an amendment to the Technical and Further Education Bill, which would extend child benefit and financial support available to higher education students to make it accessible to apprentices. The amendment – passed this week at reporting stage – is designed to ensure that any person taking an apprenticeship can apply to qualify […]

Breaking: SFA and EFA merger confirmed and Lauener retiring

The Skills and Education Funding Agencies are merging and Peter Lauener is stepping down as boss of both, the government has just confirmed. The moves, which FE Week exclusively revealed would be happening back on March 3, have been announced online by the Department for Education. The new, single body – to be called the […]