Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu | FE Week

Ofsted watch: Radio company that runs Kiss FM among 7 ‘good’ reports

A high-profile radio company that runs UK stations such as Kiss FM and Magic was among seven FE providers to receive ‘good’ ratings from Ofsted this week. But poor reports came in for four new independent learning providers, which all received ‘insufficient progress’ grades in early monitoring visits. Most of Bauer Radio Limited’s 220 apprentices […]

DfE stats lay bare drastic SME shift following levy launch

The Department for Education has revealed for the first time how the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017 has led to a huge shift away from small employers. Apprenticeship starts with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have fallen 40 per cent, while starts with large employers rose eight per cent. One of the most […]

Struggling Gateshead delays annual accounts as auditors conclude investigation

A college has delayed signing off on its 2018/19 accounts as forensic investigators shed light on its unexpected £6 million deficit for the first time. Independent auditors were drafted into Gateshead College late last year after the shock shortfall was discovered. Principal Judith Doyle and chair John McCabe have since left their positions. While full […]

2,500 learners affected as provider goes bust

A training provider with more than 2,500 learners has entered administration, FE Week has learned. Progress to Excellence Ltd (PtE) has closed down two months after it was judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, leaving apprentices desperate for help to finish their course. PtE’s financial accounts showed there were 140 employees for the year ended March 31, […]

Colleges on the frontline in the battle against knives

Knife crime in colleges has more than doubled in recent years, new figures suggest, which has prompted leaders to introduce metal detectors and enforce bag searches. The data obtained by FE Week from 22 of the 39 police forces in England reveal that almost 400 offences with the bladed objects have been recorded in colleges […]

How does reserving unskilled jobs for UK workers benefit them, or the FE sector?

The proposed “points-based” immigration system has a number of seemingly ill-thought through consequences, argues Mick Fletcher Many in colleges may have drawn some hope from the increasing number of senior figures calling for extra investment in FE, specifically in order to train UK workers now that we have left the EU. We certainly need more […]

On the right track: there is much that FE teachers can learn from elite athletes

Helen Van Aardt has identified eight things that athletes preparing for competition have in common with teachers An elite athlete can be characterised as someone who is able to perform under pressure in a challenging environment, to achieve an outcome, whilst being observed by an audience. Teachers in further education colleges not only have to […]

Ofsted watch: 10 providers achieve ‘good’ results

Ten FE providers were awarded grade twos from Ofsted in a good week for the sector. However, the college for HS2 and an independent learner provider were both hit with ‘inadequate’ ratings. IT Skills Management Company Limited was one of the independent learner providers to receive a grade two after its first inspection by the […]

Apprenticeship subcontracts halved since 2017 levy launch

Apprenticeship subcontracting has more than halved since the introduction of the levy in April 2017, new FE Week analysis has revealed. The Department for Education released a new list of declared subcontractors for 2019/20 this week – updating the records for the first time in more than a year. It follows the launch of an […]