Paul Offord | FE Week

NCG first college granted full taught-degree awarded powers

NCG (formerly Newcastle College Group) is the first FE institution in the country to be authorised to develop and award its own honours and masters degrees. The move was hailed as a “landmark development for the sector” by NCG chief executive Joe Docherty. While a number of FE colleges can currently award foundation degrees, which […]

AELP Conference: Shadow minister hits back at lack of progress

Shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden has accused the government of wasting three years that should have been better spent promoting and targeting traineeships. He told AELP conference delegates on Monday (June 27) that the original concept for traineeships when they were launched three years ago – that of improving job prospects for young people who […]

AELP conference: View from chair and new CEO

Ofsted has been accused of favouring traineeships that concentrate on classroom-based maths and English provision rather than getting young people out into the work place. Association of Employment and Learning Providers’ (AELP) chair Martin Dunford (pictured right) spoke out on the issue during the conference’s opening question and answer session on Monday (June 27). It […]

Skills minister announces “little delay” to publishing apprenticeship reform detail

Skills Minister Nick Boles has admitted that a string of key apprenticeship reform announcements will be further delayed following Brexit. The government was due to provide further funding information for apprenticeship reforms by the end of this month, with the long-awaited Sainsbury review report setting out new technical professional education (TPE) routes into work, and […]

Burton & South Derbyshire College joins AELP after quitting AoC

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has picked up a new member that quit rival organisation the Association of Colleges (AoC). FE Week revealed last September that Burton & South Derbyshire College was leaving the AoC, although no comment was provided at the time to explain its reasons for doing this. It has […]

No opt-out for colleges

Traineeships aren’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination — as our recent stories exposing their success rate failings to apprenticeships demonstrated. But they still appear to have the full support of the government, which is prepared to invest large sums to boost starts. The findings from our freedom of information request suggest a distinct […]

Union calls for casual staff to be made permanent after two years

Casual staff who have been working at an FE provider for at least two years should be made permanent, the University and College Union is demanding. This was one of the staffing union’s key negotiating points at its first meeting this month with the Association of Colleges, after it submitted its 2016/17 national pay claim. […]

Sector needs clarity on levy prospects and wider apprenticeship reforms after Brexit vote

Sector leaders have called for clarity on whether the government will still press ahead with apprenticeship levy plans following the British public’s decision to leave the European Union. The referendum result was confirmed this morning, provoking the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. It will throw into doubt the viablilty of plans for the levy […]

SFA could shoulder up to 90% of training costs for non-levy employers

The government plans to slash the amount smaller firms will have to pay towards the cost of apprenticeships training after the levy launch. Employers of all sizes currently have to pay a third of training costs with the Skills Funding Agency agrees to covering the rest, under the pilot for new apprenticeships. That means a […]