Apprenticeships Exclusive Civil servants raced to beat their own level 7 apprenticeship deadline ‘Contradictory’ government behaviour contributed to level 7 starts rush before funding ended in January Anviksha Patel 2h Anviksha Patel 2h Apprenticeships Exclusive Apprenticeship units funding model is ‘stacked against providers’ Officials warn training firms that funding could be withdrawn with just four weeks’ notice Billy Camden 4h Billy Camden 4h Apprenticeships Exclusive Apprenticeship budget to rise to £3.3bn amid savings scramble Allocation for 2026-27 will increase by 5.8% – but Treasury top-slice still hits £700m Billy Camden 20h Billy Camden 20h Colleges WCG exits intervention The college has agreed loans and campus sales to rebalance the books Josh Mellor 3d Josh Mellor 3d Apprenticeships DWP caps new starts on defunded apprenticeships to stop recruitment rush Funding axe will also kick in immediately for providers with no recorded starts on affected standards in 2024-25 and… Billy Camden 4d Billy Camden 4d Adult education, Apprenticeships First apprenticeship units limited to ‘strong’ providers New guidance and draft funding rules provide detail on duration, age restrictions, assessment and payment model Billy Camden 4d Billy Camden 4d Apprenticeships New level 2 admin apprenticeship limited to under-25s It is the first time an apprenticeship has been given an age restriction outside of level 7 apprenticeships Billy Camden 4d Billy Camden 4d Young people Employers offered £3,000 sweeteners to hire unemployed young people SMEs will also be able to claim £2,000 for taking on 16-24 year old apprentices Shane Chowen 4d Shane Chowen 4d Adult education, Apprenticeships, Skills reform Apprenticeships purge: Team leader and chartered manager among 16 axed standards Ministers also unveil the first 7 apprenticeship units Shane Chowen 4d Shane Chowen 4d Ofsted First FE provider to receive Ofsted’s lowest new grade Adult care apprenticeship provider rated ‘urgent improvement’ due to 20% achievement rate Anviksha Patel 7d Anviksha Patel 7d Politics, Young people More detail to come on 16-19 funding, says Phillipson Education secretary responds to outcry from college leaders after breaking white paper pledge of real-terms 16-19 funding increase Shane Chowen 7d Shane Chowen 7d Ofsted Ofsted piloting recruiting inspectors en-masse from FE groups Trial will see leaders recruited in groups from education networks to make inspection ‘more collaborative’ Lydia Chantler-Hicks 7d Lydia Chantler-Hicks 7d 1 2 3 4 5 6 852 Older Must read Adult education, Apprenticeships, Skills reform Apprenticeships purge: Team leader and chartered manager among 16 axed standards Ministers also unveil the first 7 apprenticeship units Shane Chowen 4d Shane Chowen 4d Colleges, Politics Exclusive Joe Docherty: Labour peer quit college role over ‘inappropriate conduct’ The former education executive has been suspended by the party weeks after being sent to the House of Lords… Jessica Hill 3w Jessica Hill and Gabriel Pogrund 3w Colleges, Long read Investigation Inside FE’s lifeline for under-16s: Stepping in where schools fail More and more anxious 14-16 year olds not in school are starting afresh in colleges, but they are under-recognised,… Jessica Hill 1mo Jessica Hill 1mo Next 3 stories Colleges, Long read Exclusive Legrave’s last orders: build cash, challenge leaders and don’t ignore teaching In her final interview, the outgoing FE Commissioner warns colleges not to mistake funding rises for financial safety Shane Chowen 3mo Shane Chowen 3mo Young people Long read Curriculum review: ‘Strengthen’ resit accountability and reduce T Level assessment burden Review recommends already-announced V Levels, level 2 pathways and new pre-GCSE English and maths quals Anviksha Patel 5mo Anviksha Patel 5mo News Case dismissed: Marples loses High Court claim against DfE A judge has dismissed a multi-million-pound claim brought by former training boss Peter Marples and his family against the… Shane Chowen 5mo Shane Chowen 5mo
