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19 April 2026

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Youth unemployment up again

Statistics revealed this morning show that youth unemployment has risen for another quarter. According to the  Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the three months to January 2012 there were 1.04 million unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds, up 16,000 from the three months to October 2011. The unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds was 22.5 per cent in the […]

SFA auditors to help carry out review of A4e contracts

Auditors at the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) have been assigned to help A4e carry out a review of some of its government contracts. The internal audit, announced by A4e last week, will investigate all of the contracts the welfare-to-work firm has with the SFA. A statement from the SFA, released today, says: “The Agency has decided […]

New member for the 157 Group

Liverpool Community College, one of the largest further education colleges in England, has become a member of the 157 Group. Lynne Sedgmore CBE, executive director of the 157 Group, said the link strengthens the group’s representation in Merseyside and the north-west. She said: “Having established an excellent reputation for its strong community focus over the […]

Deaf learner voice scheme launched

Unique bi-lingual interactive Deaf awareness training has been launched by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). Referred to as the learner voice, it has been developed to be a powerful and authentic way for practitioners to gain an insight into what good teaching and learning is about. This training led by Deaf learners, and facilitated […]

Apprenticeship inquiry heads to Northampton

The inquiry into apprenticeships by the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Select Committee will head to Northampton next week. An itinerary for the visit, which takes place on Tuesday, March 13, has been released today. During the visit, members of the cross-party committee will undertake visits to Cosworth Ltd, GE Precision Engineering Ltd and Church […]

Battle lines drawn over apprenticeships

Lord Knight of Weymouth gave the opening address  |  Scott Upton, vice principal of Sandwell College speaks out  |  Karen Woodward, NAS said quality was illusive Reinforcing standards, the growth in new adult starts and the ever elusive definition of an apprenticeship was at the heart of the agenda for the last session of the […]

PAC takes evidence on adult apprenticeships

It is not just the BIS Select Committee keeping a close eye on apprenticeships. The Public Accounts Committee last week held an evidence session on adult apprenticeships after the National Audit Office’s report last month. The witnesses were Martin Donnelly, permanent secretary of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Geoff Russell, chief executive of […]

Commissioners needed for panel on adult vocational learning

Applications are being invited for commissioners from across further education to join a new independent panel on adult vocational learning. It follows the news last week that Frank McLoughlin CBE, principal of City and Islington College will chair the independent Commission on adult vocational pedagogy. The Commission, which was announced by Government in New Challenges, […]

Sally Hunt re-elected as head of UCU

Sally Hunt has been re-elected as general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU) in a landslide victory. Hunt defeated her only opponent, Mark Campbell, by a margin of 6,835 votes, taking 73 per cent of the votes cast. The margin of Hunt’s victory is more than five times greater than when she was […]