Paul Offord | FE Week

Dismay after rail specialist chosen as quality-assurer for digital apprenticeships

A firm of rail specialists have been chosen to replace the Tech Partnership as the external quality-assurance provider for digital apprenticeships, in a move said to “defy all logic”. It was announced on Tech Partnership’s website that its members had agreed to pass “the baton” to the National Skills Academy for Rail, for EQA of […]

Careers and Enterprise Company slammed for multimillion-pound research spending

The Careers and Enterprise Company has been heavily criticised for spending almost £1 million on research and not on frontline guidance for learners. During a bruising appearance before the Commons education select committee, where CEC was called an “overbloated quango”, its chair Christine Hodgson admitted that £900,000 had been spent on research since it was […]

Skills minister under pressure on 16-to-19 funding

The skills minister has admitted to being “very aware of the funding pressures” that 16-to-19 providers are under, even though the government has today confirmed the rate will not change in 2018/19. “We are looking at the resilience of the FE sector which includes sixth-form colleges,” Anne Milton told MPs at education questions in Parliament […]

Rapid increase in providers forces expansion of ESFA audit team

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is beefing up its audit team amid mounting concerns about new providers entering the sector. It has launched a recruitment drive for a “newly created market oversight unit”, including an advert for four auditor vacancies posted on the civil service jobs website. They will operate directly under the leadership […]

IfA defends slowdown on apprenticeship standards

The number of new apprenticeship standards approved for delivery declined dramatically in March and April, FE Week analysis has revealed. The Institute for Apprenticeships only cleared four standards in April and 10 in March, down from 21 in February. The agency’s chief executive Sir Gerry Berragan (pictured) only launched its Faster and Better initiative in […]

The DfE must stop ignoring Ofsted’s warnings on substandard apprenticeship provision

There appears to be a worrying disconnect between the DfE and Ofsted over their approaches to substandard apprenticeship provision from newcomers to the market. Ofsted came down hard on Key6 Group in the first of its early monitoring reports on these types of providers. It was unambiguous in saying that the training was “not fit […]

Shock leadership change at London sixth form college

The principal of a London sixth-form college with a history of financial problems has been very suddenly replaced. It is understood that Ken Warman left BSix Brooke House Sixth-Form College yesterday. The grade three Ofsted-rated college would not comment on the reasons for his departure, but announced that his replacement Kevin Watson has been appointed […]

Staff at colleges striking for up to 7 days in exam season

Staff at a host of colleges across the country will walk out on strike for up to seven days over exam season, in the latest action in an ongoing dispute over pay. Ten colleges, nine of which are in London, will be affected in the latest round of action in May and early June, organised […]