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28 April 2026

Author: Shane Chowen

ESFA opens up claims against AEB clawback

Colleges facing adult education budget clawback have four weeks to make their case to keep the unused cash. Six months after announcing the controversial 90 per cent threshold for 2020/21 adult education budget reconciliation, the Education and Skills Funding Agency are from today open to receive business cases from affected colleges. To be eligible, colleges […]

Sector views sought on domestic abuse guidance

Colleges and other education organisations are being asked for views on new statutory guidance on domestic abuse by the Home Office.  The consultation is being aimed at all organisations with a statutory responsibility for safeguarding, including local authorities, Jobcentre Plus, police forces as well as all education settings from early years to higher education settings.  […]

It’s time for the devolved authorities to lead on skills

Central government agencies have failed to produce a successful skills policy – now it’s time for the devolved authorities to take over, argues Shane Chowen Next to reforming technical education and apprenticeships, the devolution of the adult education budget to newly elected Metro-Mayors is up there as one of the most disruptive policy agendas in […]

FE deserves a seat at the Brexit table

We still don’t know what Brexit will look like, but as FE has so much skin in the game, it deserves a say in talks This week marks one year since the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, a toxic time in our political and democratic history. Perhaps the divisions are still […]

What will replace the European Social Fund?

After Brexit, the government must replace the £500 million provided every year by the European Social Fund for people in disadvantaged circumstances, says Shane Chowen It’s only been a month since that windy Tuesday morning when the prime minister announced that the country will face a general election on 8 June. When parliament resumes on […]

Apprenticeship outcomes: how do we know what they are?

Reporting on outcomes will not be mandatory, which risks undermining the status and quality of apprenticeships, says Shane Chowen Back in November, when I first wrote about the Technical and Further Education Bill, it had only just begun its journey through the Houses of Parliament. By the time this goes to press, the bill will […]

It’s time we talked about lifetime learning

Almost a year ago George Osborne used his budget speech to commit the Government to a review that, at the time, many of us hoped would catalyse a comprehensive national conversation about the role of adult learning in modern Britain. The signs were good, with the budget report containing this eminently sensible promise: “As working […]

The government must go much further with reforms

The Technical and Further Education Bill is a good start, but it needs to address structural problems that will hold us back in world trade, says Shane Chowen. In the wake of the vote to leave the EU, the economic aftershocks are beginning to be felt. Economists still forecast a rise in unemployment – albeit […]

Up Pompeii

Shane Chowen looks into the fallout for FE from the Brexit vote. I wanted to start my column this week with the line ‘now that the post-referendum dust has settled’ but, much like Pompeii in 79 AD, the country will be beset with poor foresight and a somewhat toxic atmosphere for some months to come. At […]