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14 April 2026

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The Budget should have tackled the deep structural problems with apprenticeships

Until Sunak realises there’s a preference in the apprenticeship system for existing employees over young people, his Budget announcements won’t help, writes Andy Norman Today’s Budget is all about repairing the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for young people. The measures announced by the Chancellor attempt to kickstart demand for apprenticeships. Yet they […]

Now is FE’s chance to deliver higher technical education

The FE white paper gives colleges the chance to become high-level providers of technical education as in other countries, writes Ewart Keep Last week’s long-awaited FE white paper sets the key strategic priority of higher-level technical skills and sub-degree provision. This is an important focus. Research by Professor Paul Lewis at King’s College London shows […]

Here are 4 things the FE White Paper missed out

Verdict on the White Paper? Fine start but requires improvement, writes Stephen Evans “We must put employers’ needs for skills centre stage. We must make colleges and training providers more responsive to employers’ and learners’ needs, reaching out to more businesses and more people, and providing training in ways that suit them.   “Creating a truly […]

Never in 37 years have I seen colleges in the limelight like this White Paper

This White Paper is the first glimpse of where further education could be heading – for the better – writes Sally Dicketts Today’s eagerly awaited “Skills for Jobs” White Paper will be seen positively by the optimists in the sector and with disappointment by others. I sit in the first camp – I am full […]

We must steady the ship after the government’s half U-turn

After a week at sea like no other, the next big challenge is teacher-assessed grades, writes David Hughes This week we’ve seen another lockdown, confusion, dismay and anxieties raised – and that’s just in education. The prime minister’s third lockdown announcement on Monday night incorporated the surprising decision to go ahead with the January series […]

Thank you to everyone in FE for your extraordinary efforts

Virtual visits during lockdown have revealed many excellent practices to tackle Covid-19 in colleges, writes Gillian Keegan There has never been a better time to applaud the extraordinary efforts of everyone who works in the FE sector. For colleges and FE providers, this term has presented many challenges, but what is even more remarkable are […]

We must not confuse competition with choice

For most other European countries, education is deemed too important to leave to market forces, writes David Corke Today we published a report showing that excessive competition has led to worse outcomes in 16-19 provision in terms of Ofsted grades, financial health and course choice.  We used various data sets including performance and participation data […]

How can we be in financial intervention yet ineligible for Covid relief?

Being turned down twice for relief funding feels like we are losing out partly because of our hard work, writes Chris Malish As lockdown began to really bite in April, the announcement of the ESFA’s post-16 provider relief scheme was welcome. The aim of the extra cash was “to continue to retain capacity within the apprenticeships […]

MPs from all sides call for an end to six years of real-term FE funding rate cuts

There was cross-party and unanimous condemnation from dozens of MPs over real-terms cuts to FE funding during a Parliamentary debate, but campaigners want the government to now act. As many as 50 MPs attended Westminster Hall on Monday to debate a petition which has so far attracted over 69,000 signatures by calling for college funding […]