Diversity

From blind hiring to flexible work: How FE can fix workplace exclusion

Ethnic minority communities are being left behind by employers. We need to close the employment gap

Jessica Hill
Dr Jane Lewis
Skills reform

One year in, Labour’s skills revolution is feeling hollow

Skills were meant to be at the heart of Labour’s economic revival. Yet, after a year of bureaucratic tweaks…

Jessica Hill
Tom Bewick
College governance

We need to learn lessons from Weston debacle before we move on

The Weston College scandal damaged trust in FE, but it also forced a reckoning on governance. With compliance under…

Jessica Hill
Ian Valvona
Skills shortages

Power crisis: the UK’s infrastructure boom could stall before it starts

The government wants to build more homes, greener energy, and major infrastructure – but a fast-declining electrical workforce could…

Jessica Hill
Chris Claydon
entry level roles

Jeremy Hunt is wrong if he thinks entry level roles aren’t vital

Despite fears that AI will eliminate entry-level jobs, demand for them remains strong in the accountancy sector. But outdated…

Jessica Hill
Clare Dye
The Staffroom – opinion

Colleges should be civil society guardians in a more uncivil world

As populism rises and trust in institutions crumbles, FE colleges are quietly doing the vital work of rebuilding civil…

Jessica Hill
Henry Taylor-Toone


Adult education

It’s wrong that nobody knows if the adult skills fund actually works

Unlike apprenticeships, adult skills funding operates in a data black hole. Should the grant-allocated system in adult education be…

Jessica Hill
Aidan Relf
Colleges

Why FE colleges must lead the fight against coercive control

When our students took the stage to perform scenes of coercive control, their raw performances revealed an uncomfortable truth:…

Jessica Hill
John Revill and Tanya Schottlander
Ofsted

The unseen impact of Ofsted: What one grade can really cost

How a single Ofsted grade for a small part of overall provision triggered contract losses, staff redundancies and even…

Jessica Hill
Ian Ross
Colleges

We must build to deliver our city’s big reconstruction goals

The plans for Bradford’s regeneration are huge but physical capacity is holding our college back, says Chris Webb

Shane Chowen
Chris Webb
skills

The industrial strategy is quietly remaking skills policy

We should get used to priority sectors getting first dibs on limited new skills funding, writes Mike Crowhurst

Shane Chowen
Mike Crowhurst
Apprenticeships

I know how apprenticeships can fail… these reforms can fix that

Changes to funding rules are to be applauded but employers and providers must embrace their spirit

Jessica Hill
James Kimble