Author: Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu

One in five colleges have not published board minutes in over a year, an FE Week investigation has found. The news will come as a shock to FE Commissioner Richard Atkins who recently criticised Hull College for being less than transparent by not making its minutes available to staff and stakeholders for the same period […]

The FE Commissioner has almost doubled the number of national leaders of further education (NLFEs) and national leaders of governance (NLGs), after new appointments were announced today. Richard Atkins announced that five more college leaders will become NLFEs, and that there will be four new NLGs, bringing the total number to 19. The national network […]

More than 2,500 apprentices and adult learners have been left in the lurch after their provider immediately exited the training market following a grade four Ofsted report. Progress to Excellence Limited (PtE), an independent learning provider established in 1997, today dropped from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’. The education watchdog reported that leaders’ and governors’ growth strategy […]

Plans for PhD-level apprenticeships have moved a step closer, despite the government’s failing to agree a policy position on the controversial concept. A proposal for the first ever level 8 apprenticeship – the clinical academic professional – has been approved for development. It is not known how long the standard, for the health and science […]

All colleges and schools in England will finally be able to access free sanitary products from Monday, as part of a “fully funded” government scheme to tackle period poverty. They will be able to order a range of options, including eco-friendly items, from supplier Personnel Hygiene Services Group (PHS) by using an online portal, via […]

The first FE provider to receive a grade four under Ofsted’s new inspection regime is closing down. Sixteen jobs are set to be lost and hundreds of learners will be affected after an appeal by independent learning provider Mercia Partnership (UK) Ltd failed to overturn an ‘inadequate’ rating, first published in October. The provider, which […]

The apprenticeships system is “continuing to let women down”, a union has said. The claim came after it was revealed the gender pay gap for apprentices has almost doubled in recent years. Male apprentices at levels 2 and 3 were paid nearly six per cent more than their female counterparts – £7.90 per hour compared […]

Loans for nearly 300 learners worth more than half a million pounds will be written off by the Student Loans Company, FE Week can reveal. A further 423 students could also be in scope for a loan cancellation, which would bring the total value of the debt write-off to more than £1.3 million, according to […]