Paul Offord | FE Week

Still pushing for apprenticeship reforms clarity

Karin Smyth MP reflects on key issues with apprenticeship reforms that the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee is pushing for more information on. Post 16 education is vitally important to the UK, and to my Bristol South constituency. It’s always one of the issues raised with me by parents, carers and grandparents, and that’s […]

Campaign victory over apprenticeship funding

Widespread anger about planned funding cuts exposed by FE Week has brought about a welcome change of heart from the government, which this morning pledged much needed extra financial support of 16 to 18 apprentices in poorer areas. FE Week’s analysis published in August of the planned government funding rates, showed they could be slashed by up […]

Subcontracting saved in final apprenticeship plans

The reversal of government plans to reduce subcontracting through its new Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers has been welcomed by Association of Employment and Learning Providers boss Mark Dawe. A guide to the new register was unveiled by the Skills Funding Agency today. It was supposed to be more rigorous than the existing SFA provider register – which will […]

First evidence session grilling for Halfon on apprenticeships

The first parliamentary evidence session grilling for apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon will take place on Wednesday (November 2). The Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy hearing, starting at 9.30am, will be dedicated to apprenticeships. It is highly likely that Mr Halfon’s appearance will come after the government has updated the sector on […]

Ofqual boss urged to ‘fight’ for apprenticeship assessment watchdog role

“Stand up and fight” to become the apprenticeship assessment watchdog – that was the call to Ofqual’s boss from new Federation of Awarding Bodies chair Paul Eeles at conference today. The role has currently been laid at the door of the Skills Funding Agency, which has been slow to approve organisations to carry out new […]

Collab Group: Building on yesterday for tomorrow

Ian Pretty explains why the former 157 Group has changed its name. Ten years ago a group of colleges came together with a grand vision. These principals formed what would become the 157 Group, an organisation formed to showcase the best of what FE can be. Since then, the 157 Group has lived up to […]

Devolve FE funding to tackle post-Brexit skills gap, London mayor demands

Demands are being made by London mayor Sadiq Khan for devolution of all post-16 FE funding, to bridge post-Brexit skills gaps. His team announced today that he wants new powers to develop “a home-grown talent pipeline equipped” to help London’s businesses stay globally competitive. Key to this would be the “devolution of FE funding for […]

Four new FE Commissioner reports published by DfE

A college has been slammed for its “dysfunctional” leadership, in one of four new FE commissioner reports to have been published by the Department for Education. The damning report into Mid Cheshire College, dated April 2016, came after it was rated inadequate by Ofsted in January – but before the resignation of then-principal Richard Hollywood […]

Lack of assessment organisations ‘disrespectful’ to apprentices

A former top skills civil servant has turned on “diabolical” government planners, after exclusive FE Week analysis showed there are no approved awarding organisations for over 40 per cent of learner starts on new apprenticeship standards. Number crunching of government data published this month showed this applies to 1,790 (42 per cent) out of the […]