Latest news from FE Week

Gemma Collins hate is snobbery, says Phillipson

Bridget Phillipson has defended the use of reality TV star Gemma Collins in a promotional video for vocational courses after it attracted backlash online.

The education secretary said criticism of social media clips featuring The Only Way is Essex star had veered between “outright snobbery and just downright unpleasant”.

She said the Department for Education sought to use Collins’ “incredible reach” online to discuss the importance of education to young people.

In the campaign video, filmed at the DfE head office, Collins spoke candidly of her educational struggles, including a failure to pass GCSE maths.

“I found it so panicky, and so stressful. Part of it was I didn’t believe in myself. All that pi over sky or whatever it is, you probably know,” she said.

Phillipson replied that the government’s ambitions were to create “great routes” into technical vocational education, trade occupations as well as strong academic options.

Collins added: “So everyone has got to remember there is always an opportunity out there for everyone.”

The video comes as the DfE plans to roll out V Levels at level 3 from next year and is consulting on level 1 “stepping stone” English and maths qualifications for GCSE resit students.

“You better make sure, hunnies, that whatever you’re going to be learning, you concentrate because you’re going to be taking it into your future career and one day, kids, this could be you… I hope this will help people to be ambitious,” Collins adds in the video.

FE leaders were among those who criticised the campaign.

“There is nothing about this whole stunt that I think is even remotely helpful,” said education policy analyst and former adviser to skills ministers Tom Richmond.

Darren Hankey, principal of Hartlepool College, said the messaging that implied vocational routes were for learners who fail academically was “insulting”.

“A good level of maths (and English) is needed to do well in vocational/technical qualifications and careers,” he added.

Anne Morris, founder of online maths tuition platform YipYap, said: “Many of us have spent a whole career promoting positive attitudes to maths for this to come from DfE.”

Speaking on radio yesterday, Phillipson dismissed critics as having a “killjoy attitude”.

“I think some of the discussion around this that I’ve seen has veered between outright snobbery and just downright unpleasant really and just a bit of killjoy attitude,” she said.

“There’s enough doom and gloom in the world. There’s enough bad things happening. A bit of joy and a bit of fun I think could do us all a good favour.”

TV star Gemma Collins speaking to education secretary Bridget Phillipson

The cabinet minister argued that Collins’ celebrity reach would deliver the government’s message to young people who “frankly don’t really care what the secretary of state for education has got to say about the topic”.

“She has got an incredible reach in terms of the kinds of voters and the audience and the citizens that we want to reach so it was a great opportunity,” Phillipson added.

In another video, Collins said she would do a morning TV spot if she was education secretary for the day.

“I would do a whole morning shout out. Go to school hunnies, go to college, go to uni, have a fabulous day and just be fabulous.”

Critics also questioned the value to the taxpayer. DfE officials defended Collins on social media, claiming she was not paid for the campaign, which was later confirmed by Collins herself.

Collins said in a video on her Instagram account yesterday she understood that people were confused about her collaboration with DfE.

“I do have experience with SEND. I don’t really at this stage want to go into it that much but I understand a little bit more than people think,” she said.

“I wasn’t paid. I’m creating a lot of noise about the subject. That is what I’m there to do.

“It’s a topic close to my heart. It’s all going to become clear, hun.”

Day in the life: The community campus lead peddling a virtuous cycle for students

Further education colleges often describe themselves as anchors within their communities, but at City of Bristol College, that commitment extends beyond a slogan.

Its team of three community campus leads work on students’ personal development alongside their education and employability skills.

Jake Sanders, community campus lead for the college’s Ashley Down and Parkway campuses, knows Bristol inside out. A former carpenter and a passionate cyclist, he carved out a career in FE after working on building sites.

This is what a typical day looks like for him.

5.00am

Three mornings a week, my day begins with a gravel bike ride. My usual 25km route climbs to a viewpoint above the River Avon, where I can look out across both Bath and Bristol – an incredible way to begin the day.

I think I fit well within FE because I understand what it feels like growing up with the stigma of being a free school meals kid.

My family sometimes couldn’t afford the 50p needed for school discos, and in the holidays we’d often live off jam sandwiches because money was tight. It shapes the way I think about inclusion and how colleges can support students beyond the classroom.

I knew my parents really wanted me to get an apprenticeship and earn a living, so I trained as a carpenter – and I loved it. But part of me also felt capable of much more.

7.30am

After taking a shower and getting the kids ready for school, I down a smoothie packed with oats and berries before jumping back on my bike and cycling to work.

The two campuses where I work have their own distinct feel. Ashley Down, where I am today, offers ESOL courses and SEND provision.

Its grey stone buildings carry a fascinating history as the site of the Müller Orphan Homes, founded in 1849 as a progressive alternative to the harsh Victorian workhouse system. The campus later became the exterior filming location for the BBC medical drama Casualty.

Meanwhile, Parkway Centre specialises in engineering, motor vehicle and construction courses. When I joined the college last year, I assumed that campus would feel like a natural fit because of my background in construction.

But over time, I’ve realised I probably fit in better at Ashley Down as supporting our most vulnerable learners plays to my strengths. My nephew has Down’s syndrome, which gives me a personal connection to supporting young people with SEND.

8.15am

As I’m locking up my bike, I notice a student who is already on his final written warning jumping his moped over a speed bump. I know he can become defensive when challenged by staff, and the last thing I want is for him to lose his place at college. He’s only 18 and already a father.

Instead of confronting him there and then, I ask him to come and see me an hour later so we can talk properly about what had happened. The approach worked. He acknowledged what he had done and no further action was needed.

A big part of my role involves contributing evidence at behaviour management meetings, but I always try to consider the wider context behind a student’s behaviour as part of our trauma-informed practice.

8.30am

I spend some time at reception greeting students as they enter. Many of our SEND learners arrive by taxi. Part of my role is simply being a familiar, welcoming face – someone who helps students feel they belong here.

I love the sheer variety that each day brings. One moment I’m organising a campus tour for local MP Darren Jones (the prime minister’s chief secretary), and the next I’m arranging a student talk on healthy relationships or reviewing CCTV footage for breaches of the student code of conduct.

I took a small pay cut to join this college because I’d always wanted to work here. Bristol is my hometown, and this role was unlike anything I’d seen before or since in further education.

9.15am

With GCSE exam season approaching, my office is piled high with boxes of calculators and exam supplies. I attend a meeting with staff working through the finer details, only to discover that one exam clashes with a student activity happening nearby. It’s the sort of logistical issue that can quickly become a headache if it’s not picked up early.

I don’t mind attending lots of meetings. When I first started as a carpentry lecturer at Wiltshire College & University Centre, aged 25, I remember sitting in my first staff meeting thinking, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this”.

Around me, lecturers were complaining about minor frustrations while I was thinking, “Last week I didn’t even have a toilet on site, working on building sites – what’s there to moan about?”

Teaching had always been my dream job, but stepping into FE felt like entering a different world. Up until then, I’d just been kicking around construction sites, so I carried a huge sense of imposter syndrome.

The first time I had to teach theory, I was terrified. I’d never stood in front of a room and spoken publicly before. But over time, teaching taught me how to communicate clearly and connect with people.

Moving into management was another challenge altogether. When I became deputy head of construction, the role felt alien and I struggled with the difficult conversations that come with leading staff. There were even moments when I tried to resign and return to full-time teaching, but thankfully, nobody let me.

Later, I joined Swindon College as a quality manager, a role that suited my growing interest in teaching, learning theory and the processes that underpin good education.

10.45am

I’m in a meeting planning a community picnic as part of the college’s Refugee Week activities. The idea is to create a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere where students can share food and sit together on picnic blankets so it feels like a genuine community event rather than a formal college activity.

A big part of my day is spent in such meetings with department heads and programme managers. In a recent meeting with our ESOL team, we were reviewing attendance data and noticed a dip during Ramadan. It prompted important conversations about how we can better support students during that period, including perhaps introducing later starts next year to better reflect their needs.

12.00pm

We’re hosting Avon and Somerset Police for a lunchtime pop-up linked to a project called Corridor Conversations, designed to reduce any distrust students may feel towards the police.

For our SEND learners, particularly those who experience anxiety or become dysregulated, the presence of police officers can feel intimidating. The aim is to create positive interactions and help students see officers as people they can approach for support. I spend time encouraging students to ask questions and talk openly with the officers about issues affecting them.

A couple of years ago Bristol suffered a rise in knife crime linked to postcode rivalries between gangs, although things have improved since then. We’re supporting the national knife crime initiative Operation Sceptre, and the police are making students aware there are safe and anonymous ways to hand weapons in.

12.30pm

I grab a panini and coffee in our student-run café, and catch up on emails. It’s the best place on campus to see students interacting with one another. I’m quietly keeping an eye on things, making sure they’re treating each other respectfully.

A huge part of my role is about making college feel like more than somewhere students simply pass assessments and get qualifications. It’s about creating a genuine sense of community.

Later, I head to our Parkway campus. I’ve developed a structured enrichment programme there for apprentices and vocational learners who might not normally volunteer for enrichment activities, to broaden their horizons and help prepare them for life beyond college.

The 12-session programme covers topics such as gambling awareness, driver safety and refugee myth-busting.

Often, our safeguarding team will come to me with concerns about behaviours emerging among students, and together we’ll organise talks or workshops to address them. As the network of local organisations I work with continues to grow, it gives me more flexibility to bring in the right support where it’s needed most. That’s probably the part of the job I enjoy most – knowing that, in some small way, I’m helping these young people make better life decisions.

2.00pm

As I arrive at Parkway, a group of motor vehicle students are gathered in the car park, chatting about cars and playing loud music. I stop briefly to join them in conversation, but the real reason was to ask them to lower the volume and remind them to use the designated smoking area before heading inside. I find challenging behaviours in this way more effective as it makes the interaction less confrontational and helps us to develop a respectful relationship.

I’m attending a student council meeting focused on plans to redevelop parts of the campus. We want students to help shape what that redevelopment looks like and gather feedback from their peers about what they think might improve their college experience.

Some staff understandably prioritise teaching, so part of my role is balancing those perspectives. I’m that bridge between different groups across the college – translating what students want into something workable for lecturers and support teams.

1.00pm-3pm [on Wednesdays]

One of the most rewarding parts of my day is seeing students experience something that many people take for granted: the freedom to ride a bike.

At Ashley Down, we work closely with a local organisation, Warmley Wheelers, that has a range of adapted bicycles so everyone can enjoy cycling, regardless of physical ability or disability.

At first, we ran a cycling collaboration at Gloucestershire County Cricket Club’s grounds, before moving it to the Ashley Downs food hall. During the sessions, the hall is transformed into a makeshift velodrome, with students navigating the adapted bikes around the space together.

The activity draws out our students’ potential; lecturers have described seeing them communicating with each other for the very first time while trying to overtake one another on the track. Forget the cycling; at that point it’s all about what else that project is doing.

3.00pm

Another part of my role involves leading the college’s approach to competitions. I work closely with departments to encourage students to take part in regional contests or create opportunities through internal events.

Today, I’m meeting with the programme manager for foundation and community learning to plan the next stage of Art Beyond Barriers, an inclusive SEND competition we’re running in partnership with four other colleges across the South West.

The project invites learners to creatively explore and express the barriers they experience in everyday life. Local artists help judge the entries, and the competition culminates in an exhibition and celebration event showcasing the students’ work.

More than anything, it gives learners the chance to connect with others who share similar experiences and feel seen through their creativity.

5.30pm

When I get home, I usually try to switch off from work so I can maintain a healthy work-life balance. At the start of each term, I’m full of energy and ideas, although by half-term I’m usually limping towards the finish line in need of a break. But the fulfilment I get from the job more than makes up for that. I feel incredibly fortunate to do work that genuinely means something to me.

Even now, though, I never want to lose sight of the fact that at heart I’m still a carpenter. I’m proud of that background. And whatever happens in my career, I love knowing I can still fit my own kitchen if I need to – which is a pretty useful string to my bow.

Most evenings, I’m tinkering with my bike in the garage or reading cycling articles on my phone, already thinking about the next ride.

In many ways, my job feels like cycling – the uphill parts can be tough, but they’re also what make the journey so rewarding.

Ofsted delivers ‘needs attention’ blow to Multiverse after starts stop on weakest apprenticeships

Leadership and training at apprenticeship giant Multiverse ‘needs attention’, Ofsted has said after inspectors found some apprentices were enrolled on courses that did not match their work roles and staff were overstretched.

It comes as FE Week learned the company has paused starts on multiple apprenticeship standards where performance is poor, following an agreement with the government.

The latest Ofsted result for Euan Blair’s firm marks a significant fall from grace since it was judged ‘outstanding’ in 2021 under the watchdog’s previous rating system.

The company, valued at an estimated £1.6 billion despite never turning a profit, has grown rapidly over the past five years, with apprentice recruitment soaring fourfold to 14,000. But achievement rates have consistently stayed low and barely half of apprentices successfully completed their training last year.

Ofsted inspected the company under its new report card approach in February and returned for an extra day in April to gather additional evidence after the latest qualification achievement rates were published by the government in March.

Leadership and governance, apprenticeship achievement, curriculum and teaching, and participation and development were all judged ‘needs attention’ – the second lowest of five possible ratings.

One ‘expected standard’ grade was handed out for inclusion.

‘Too many leave before completion’

Ofsted found that leaders have a “clear vision and commitment to work mainly with existing employees in large businesses to upskill and equip apprentices to work effectively and efficiently with artificial intelligence (AI) and data”.

But it added: “Apprentices do not have a consistently positive experience. The content of the apprenticeships for some apprentices is not well matched to their role at work, and too many leave before completion.”

Inspectors said that leaders are working to reduce the proportion of aborted apprenticeships by “improving initial advice and guidance so more apprentices are on courses that match their roles at work” – but the impact was “yet to be seen”.

A Multiverse spokesperson said the company “fundamentally does not accept that it is as blunt as people are on apprenticeships that are not suitable for them”.

They added: “We are delivering training in an emerging frontier technology, which the regulated system is beginning to catch up with. We told people extensively that we were going to be delivering AI apprenticeships, and in fact got encouraged and applauded on that journey, and we have also been completely transparent about the job titles, the different areas that our people work in, and [are] very, very proud of that.”

High workload

Ofsted said “too many” staff reported that their workload was “too high, with a large number of apprentices to support”.

Ofsted outlined this was largely due to staffing changes which leaders are in the process of resolving through increased recruitment and the use of AI to reduce administrative burden.

Inspectors found that apprentices “mostly” enjoy their online coaching and workshop sessions, but “many” feel these are “rushed, with limited time to ask questions”.

Ofsted reported that leaders have reduced the duration of some apprenticeships to meet employer demand – leading to “some” apprentices struggling to complete their learning in the time allowed.

Leaders also “do not work closely enough with employers to coordinate apprentices’ on- and off- the-job training”, while careers advice was found to be lacking.

Inspectors did however praise Multiverse’s “skilled” coaches and instructors, as well as the company’s inclusive culture, “appropriate support” from governors, and professional development opportunities for staff.

Ofsted stated that apprentices who remain and achieve gain “substantial new knowledge and skills” in AI, use of data and business analysis and management. They mostly remain in employment and gain promotion or increased responsibility.

Chloe Barker, senior director of quality at Multiverse, told FE Week the company is a “completely different provider” from when it was judged ‘outstanding’ in 2021, a time when it was only delivering to new employees in areas such as business admin and digital marketing.

She claimed inspectors came away from the latest inspection admiring Multiverse’s approach of delivering apprenticeships in “cutting-edge areas in domains where people don’t have job titles that perfectly match occupational-led standards” but while managing to achieve “a meaningful impact for them”.

Barker quoted internal statistics that show 70 per cent of the company’s withdrawing apprentices “deliver at least one project in their apprenticeship that has measurable return on investment”.

Some starts stopped

Training providers that receive ‘needs attention’ Ofsted judgments in leadership and any provision-type level evaluation area for apprenticeships are placed in the ‘needs improvement’ category under the government’s apprenticeship accountability framework.

Multiverse told FE Week that the government already intervened in the months leading up to the Ofsted visit as officials had early sight of their declining achievement rates.

The firm said it volunteered to pause starts on some apprenticeships, including leadership standards and the business analyst standard. Multiverse refused to provide the full list of apprenticeships where a pause has been contractually applied, but claimed it was a “small number”. It added it would continue to grow its data and AI-focused standards.

Leaders believe the pause will be lifted when qualification achievement rates improve.

Multiverse confirmed it was not invited to deliver the government’s flagship apprenticeship units, which include three new AI short courses funded through the growth and skills levy.

Multiverse’s overall achievement rate fell from 59 per cent in 2023-24 to 52.6 per cent last year. Its most popular standard, data analyst, recorded an even lower achievement rate of 50.1 per cent based on 2,770 leavers, while its lowest achievement rate was 42.3 per cent for the business analyst standard which had 760 leavers.

Starts at the training provider soared from 3,050 in 2020-21 to 12,030 in 2024-25. The business is on course to grow again in 2025-26, having recorded 8,390 starts in the first two months of the year – more than any other training provider in England.

‘We know what it takes to be an outstanding provider’

Multiverse is typically scrutinised by the national media due to its high-profile chief executive, high valuation, international AI work and growing apprenticeships division. The Times reported recently that it was accused of placing learners on apprenticeships ill-suited to their careers due to an “aggressive” focus on learner recruitment.

Examples from The Times included funeral planners and security guards enrolled on data and artificial intelligence apprenticeships.

Blair, son of former prime minister Tony Blair, defended the approach in a blog post where he admitted completion rates were too low and that his firm had not always managed the strain caused by fast growth “as well as we should”.

For Multiverse’s AI programmes, his team chose an “inclusive approach to enrolment” at the expense of completion rates.

Blair wrote: “Employers asked us to reach frontline workers – the people who typically get passed over for formal training. The result is a 50/50 gender split on our two biggest AI programmes and genuine reach across the country. That approach comes with a real trade-off on completion.

“One of our NHS apprentices reduced missed appointments in a hospital department by 30 per cent. A pay rise or promotion during or after the programme is the majority outcome for our learners.”

He added that Multiverse also hit “friction” because the regulated apprenticeship system hadn’t caught up with AI.

“The release of the first general purpose AI apprenticeship is now imminent; but nearly four years after ChatGPT launched. The right answer was never to simply ignore AI from an apprenticeship perspective – but we paid a price in our QARs for innovating ahead of the programmatic standards available. We’re working to close that gap.”

Multiverse has attracted more public funding to deliver apprenticeships in recent years than any other training provider.

Despite this, the company openly admits it “optimised for mass adoption of AI skills over completion rates”.

Responding to Ofsted’s report, a Multiverse spokesperson told FE Week: “Ofsted have recognised some of our strengths. They’ve also given us areas where we need to pay additional attention.

“We know what it takes to be an outstanding provider, because we have been that in the past, but our mission today is to prioritise mass adoption and reach as many people as possible.

“We work with the regulators, they’ve given us scenarios to pay attention to, and so we’re going to do that.”

Green energy training needs joined up delivery

The UK does not have a shortage of green ambition – but a lack of joined-up delivery is hampering the number of people learning much-needed skills in heating and plumbing.

The country continues to edge towards green heating solutions. For example, heat pump sales rose 27 per cent in 2025 to a record 125,000 units. Meanwhile, the government recently announced that from 2028 no new homes will be on the gas network, making either heat networks or heat pumps a necessity. The new homes must also have solar panels on their roofs, along with the EV chargers already required.

At the same time, the industry suffers from an ageing workforce. Government figures estimate that two-thirds of the installer workforce are aged 45 or older – and just over a third are aged 55 or older.

We see it within our own customer base at Smart Energy Training, where 20 per cent of our clients tell us they plan to retire in the next 12 months.

It’s understandable that these older members of the workforce have little or no interest in learning new green skills. They are more than happy to stick to what they know and has served them well for many years.

So, there is a huge opportunity for new people to enter the sector, secure the necessary qualifications and ultimately build a great career.

But, though at Smart Energy Training we are seeing growth and have plans to increase our number of training centres considerably, the uptake in green heating training programmes across the board has been lower than expected.

In my opinion, businesses are being asked to invest in skills before the market, the funding system and the grid have all caught up.

The level 3 low carbon heating engineer apprenticeship is a 24-month course. For employers of all sizes – but particularly smaller operators – that is a considerable commitment over a long period of time.

The UK will still need gas-qualified engineers for many years to safely maintain existing stock, decommission old systems and support households through the switch, so some businesses will consider there is enough ‘traditional’ work without turning to new technologies.

At Smart Energy Training, we are constantly working with employers and manufacturers in the sector to provide the very best low carbon apprenticeship programmes that exceed requirements. But the apprenticeship does take time as air source heat pump installation is not simply a product course. It requires system design, commissioning, servicing, fault finding, customer handover and an understanding of MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) standards.

Funding uncertainty also makes things harder. Grants and incentives can stimulate demand, but when they are reduced, narrowed, extended late or made difficult to navigate, employers hesitate. There is some limited funding available for the heat pump short courses for experienced engineers, but industry newcomers either need to do an apprenticeship or a managed learning programme (MLP) with heat pump lessons weaved in.

The MLP is currently £6,500 so it is not a small investment for an individual. We are talking to combined authorities to see if some courses can be funded through skills bootcamps, which would make a huge difference.

The grid is another missing part of the skills debate. In areas such as Stockton and Tees Valley, there have been planning and retrofit constraints where new housing developments and large retrofit schemes have been limited or delayed because the local electricity grid doesn’t have enough spare capacity. Around 15 per cent of cables and almost half of substations may need replacing to meet the UK’s net zero goal.

In those problem areas, it might not be feasible for a housebuilder to install some green technologies as the grid capacity just isn’t there.

Ultimately, the speed at which the country switches to heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles will be determined by the general public. It took 20 years or so to dissuade people from having gas fires in their homes – but it did eventually happen.

To accelerate the process, we need more joined up action. That means consistent, reliable funding, new construction and grid improvements.

As green energy becomes the norm, more businesses will be willing to release their people for training. But those employers that invest early will steal a march and be best placed to reap the benefits or a changing landscape.

The future of learning isn’t academic or vocational – it’s both

Higher technical education is reaching a turning point.

For years, the debate around level 4 and 5 education has been positioned as a question of how to tackle the “missing middle”.

That terminology now feels outdated.

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are, rightly, gaining increasing recognition thanks to Institutes of Technology and their partners championing employer-led education.

This progress is supported by the government’s continued investment in technical education pathways.

The challenge now is ensuring learners understand these opportunities exist and feel confident to move flexibly between education and employment throughout their careers.

Changing perceptions, from fixed to flexible

For many years, young people were encouraged to see university as the default route. Thankfully, that is beginning to change.

Increasingly, learners are recognising that technical education can offer a more flexible, affordable and employment-focused pathway, with ongoing opportunities to progress, earn and continue learning depending on preference at that particular time.

For example, at GMIoT, we are working to ensure every level 4 and 5 programme has a clearly identified one-year degree top-up route. Learners can then choose to progress immediately or return to study later alongside work.

This is important, because for many people, they want the option to step in and out of education as their careers develop or as their circumstances change, building work experience alongside academic progression.

Meanwhile, for many employers a blend of technical study and real workplace experience is becoming increasingly valuable, giving them a pipeline of talent that meets current and future needs.

Connecting education and employment

We often talk about skills shortages, but there is also a pathway gap between education, higher technical study and long-term careers.

By pathway gap, we mean that many learners still struggle to see how different qualifications connect to one another, where progression routes lead, or how technical education links to degree-level study and skilled employment over time.

Opportunities at level 4 and 5 are expanding rapidly, with increasing focus on how those routes connect more clearly across education and employment.

Recruitment practices are also evolving. Employers are recognising the value of higher technical skills and beginning to shape clearer entry routes and progression opportunities around them.

Fostering stronger collaboration between education and industry will help learners to see clearly how technical qualifications connect to long-term careers.

At the GMIoT, we design the curriculum alongside our employers. For example, Siemens’ Connected Curriculum aims to bring academia and industry together by giving our students access to the Industry 4.0 technology they will use on the job.

What a more joined-up system looks like

Technical education is gaining momentum, supported by a more flexible lifelong learning approach.

Under the leadership of Andy Burnham and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, our region is creating a joined-up technical education ecosystem, rooted in place and shaped by demand.

Initiatives such as the MBacc enable young people to be introduced earlier to the full range of academic and technical pathways available to them.

Institutes of Technology are also showing how a more coherent system can work in practice, aligning curriculum with industry, creating clearer progression routes and offering more flexible pathways.

Crucially, learners are beginning to understand that movement between those routes is possible at every stage. Learners might progress from A Levels into a technical level 4 or 5 qualification, or from a T Level or BTEC into a full degree programme.

This is no longer about choosing between “academic” and “vocational” education. It is about personal choice: how people prefer to learn, how quickly they want to enter the workplace and how they balance career progression with the cost of study.

Learners are making decisions that reflect their individual circumstances and ambitions – and that is a positive shift.

Moving forward

The next phase for higher technical education is about confidence, visibility and connection.

We know what works well: flexible pathways, closer employer collaboration and clearer progression routes that allow learners to move between education and work throughout their lives.

Importantly, Greater Manchester is showing how technical education can become a mainstream, high-status choice and a core part of how we develop the skilled workforce the economy needs.

Level 6 apprenticeships matter to UK’s science and nuclear industries

Level 6 and 7 apprenticeships have been pivotal for the science industries, enabling recruitment from a diverse talent pool whilst offering employees previously unavailable progression opportunities.

Apprenticeships offer science industry employers structured, highly technical, employer-led training pathways, designed by and for those sectors, without which innovation and growth is unsustainable.

The upheaval of apprenticeships means employers fear that level 6 might be under threat. They’re already uneasy through the defunding of level 7 and of management and leadership standards, the perceived downgrading in apprenticeships quality following unpopular assessment reforms, and what they see as a raid on levy funds as they’re reduced to 12 months.

Level 6 is widely recognised by science employers as providing a robust, job-ready alternative to traditional degree routes. It combines academic learning with structured, assessed workplace competence, ensuring that candidates can apply scientific knowledge consistently and safely in operational environments.

Pfizer’s R&D HR director Karl Treacy told me he believes that level 6 apprenticeships are particularly important because they build capability in specialist and emerging skills areas, which ensures alignment with both current and future capability needs.

The scientist, nuclear scientist and nuclear engineer standards have delivered more than 2,500 apprenticeship starts to date, with almost half across other science subjects at level 6.

Supporting the government-backed Nuclear Skills Plan, level 6 apprenticeships have revolutionised how Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), part of the NDA group, has developed its people.

They’re delivering a highly complex and multi-generational mission of national importance with a well-documented skills gap, and tell me that access to degree level apprenticeships has been “vital” in helping them meet the skills challenge.

So it would be a catastrophic failure for any skills policy to restrict a vital supply of apprenticeship talent into sectors identified by the government for priority growth. More broadly, this risks a disconnect between policy and industrial need, ultimately undermining industry ambitions.

This is about supporting growth but also widening access and driving social mobility. University, with its associated costs, is not for everyone. So, level 6 apprenticeships provide a valuable alternative, enabling individuals from lower socio‑economic backgrounds to progress into professional and leadership roles, supporting genuine social mobility.

Degree apprenticeships also support companies to build advanced skills locally, supporting regional growth, developing resilient life sciences clusters and reversing community ‘brain drains’. Developing talent locally is both a social good and a strategic necessity; building capability, strengthening succession and ensuring organisations retain the skills to operate safely and effectively.

Policymakers face difficult choices in shaping the future of the skills system. However, given the central role science industries play in growing the economy, it is essential to protect advanced skills pathways. Level 6 apprenticeships equally support critical workforce needs and progression routes that broaden participation and widen access.

Cogent Skills supports employers across the science industries; highly-skilled, economically vital sectors with innovation built on technical expertise. From chemical engineers designing clean energy solutions to research scientists developing life improving new treatments, these globally-significant roles depend on a UK talent pool of technically proficient, well-skilled employees with tenacity, curiosity and a safety mindset. And companies need a lot more – about 140,000 skilled workers by 2035.

If the UK is serious about growth, innovation and competitiveness, these pathways must remain both accessible and viable for the employers who rely on them.

Past my best before. Not past my best

Lots of people confuse ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates. One implies a deadline while the other is really no more than a suggestion. I have been wondering recently if teachers have use by and best before dates too.

I recently heard a piece on the radio suggesting that overall performance on cognitive tests now peaks around age 50. That gave me hope. 50 might seem late for mental agility to reach its apex. After all, processing speed peaks at around 18.

I know I’m an awful lot slower than those who fill the seats of my classroom. But they’re not the finished product, the done deal, just yet. I have that advantage over them, at least. Some aspects of memory do not reach their height until the mid twenties. Others continue growing in power up to the mid thirties.

Emotional intelligence, meanwhile, unsurprisingly seems to correlate with life experience so that is not at its height until a wisdom-soaked 40 to 60. I’m certain most of my best days are behind me now. But not all. There’s still time. My emotional intelligence is still strong and my cognitive abilities are only just past-peak. And my teaching is still good, maybe better than ever. I may be beyond my own ‘best before’ date, then, but my ‘use by’ is still some way off. And I’m planning accordingly.

A 2018 DfE study showed that older teachers did not diminish in their abilities and the success rates of students taught by older teachers did not decline as might be expected until the age of 70. We will all be out of the classroom by then, I hope.

But more teachers than ever are leaving the profession in their fifties rather than seeing out the full career course, either changing careers or taking early retirement. The issue is particularly acute for women. As a result, the average age of the UK teacher workforce has been steadily declining over the past fifteen years and we now have one of the lowest proportions of teachers over 50 in Europe.

In UK primary schools, 31 per cent of teachers are under 30 and 60 per cent under 40. This shifts upwards in secondary schools, where the average teacher age is around 40. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the average teacher age in FE is the highest, at around 46.

Nearly 40 per cent of FE teachers are aged 50 or older. Maybe this reflects the value of the Li-FE experience many bring to the job. Experience is hard to come by and takes a long time to acquire. It has to be valued. Older people simply make very good teachers.

Yet our education sector is crippled by perpetual short-termism, a problem endemic to our reactive system. It’s very much the case for individual teachers, for whom every year’s results can be make-or-break, career-changing crossroads. Of course, for individual students there’s only one set of results that count, and long-term thinking is irrelevant as far as they are concerned.

Maybe we’re limited by an all-too-human need for novelty and immediacy. You may have written some of the most celebrated songs of all time, but you’re only ever one Frog Chorus away from irrelevance. Teachers are often only one VA-added measure away from the spectre of capability measures or simple sidelining.

So how do we recognise and reward our older teachers, and keep this valuable cohort not just safely ensconced and enriched in the boardroom, but there in the actual classroom? I have no real idea, but I can see the problem clearly enough. I’m a teacher, after all, and not a policy wonk.

Could we imagine a world where the value placed on experience was really taken into account? Perhaps such a system might add an extra grade to teachers’ pay scales, one which applied only after time. It would be like a hidden level unlocked late in a game.

Maybe there might be an extra rise, given only after 25 years of teaching, or 30 years of solid work, there to counter the shocking attrition of our eldest and our best, designed to stem the bleeding-out of the profession which comes from teachers who leave before their time.

UK teachers are already amongst the worst paid in Europe, and this would target only a small cohort of the workforce.

I dream of a world where, alongside golden handshakes at the starts of teaching careers, we might find the grace to introduce golden back-slaps too as those same careers come towards their close. But in reality I know how the system works. The short-term rules. So I won’t hold my breath for long. I’m simply too old for that.

We want to end the snobbery around post-16 vocational routes

You will have heard a lot about new V Levels vocational qualifications recently and how we want to remove the snobbery from post 16 education.

This is more than a catchy headline; it’s a chance at a future for young people who otherwise couldn’t see themselves thriving in the existing system. And our reforms are much more than V Levels alone. We’re also bringing in new level 2 qualifications that will provide support to lower attainers to help prevent them from dropping out of the system and becoming one of the almost one million people who are NEET.

These reforms will go a long way in putting vocational learning on par with academic and breaking down crucial barriers for young people to get rewarding, well paid jobs. It is central to the prime minister’s ambition to ensure two thirds of young people are in a gold standard apprenticeship, higher training or university by the age of 25, boosting priority sectors in the industrial strategy, and driving economic growth as part of national renewal.

Currently, thousands of vocational courses sit within a system which is incredibly difficult to navigate and does not reflect the skills employers tell us they need.

You already work incredibly hard to support young people and we want to make sure the system matches that effort with the right tools.

The implementation plan

That’s why we have published an implementation plan setting out how we intend to deliver a clearer system of V Levels, T Levels, and A Levels, along with the new foundation certificates and occupational certificates, over the next four years. Crucially, it makes clear how we will support you through the transition because none of this works unless you are supported to deliver it.

We are listening and improving. Change of this scale needs to be pragmatic not dogmatic. For example, the availability of industry placements has proven a barrier to growing T Level numbers in the past. We have worked with the sector to make substantial changes, including scrapping the limits on the percentage of remote hours a student can do and how many employers they work with. This gives providers the scope to deliver placements at scale while making clear our ongoing expectations for quality. We have published that new guidance alongside our implementation plan to give providers time to make those changes ready for the year ahead.

Reform of this scale doesn’t stand still, and neither will our implementation plan. We will keep it updated as decisions are made, informed by conversations with you, so you always have a clear picture of where things stand and what’s coming next.

We are already consulting on the content of the first eight new vocational qualifications. By the end of the year, we aim to have draft content for consultation for over 30 more qualifications from routes such as construction and engineering, social care, sports and health.

Qualification pioneers

To support these reforms, we will work with 16-19 providers to create robust transition plans with a clear timeline and strategy for supporting staff, students and employers through the change. We have set up a new sector-led group known as Qualification Pioneers, a mix of 16-19 providers from across England, reflecting different regions, provider types, sizes and levels of readiness, to help shape what strong provider transition plans look like in practice. They will support engagement between the Department for Education and providers during the transition period, and will help to develop guidance, tools and approaches to help with delivery.

We have also set-up a stakeholder steering group that will also help to shape the delivery of these important changes, giving the sector insight on curriculum planning and what works for your students.

Thank you to those of you who continue to be generous with your time and experience in contributing to subject content development and the consultations we are running. It’s incredibly important that we continue to harness the expertise in the sector and we welcome further contributions by getting in touch with the Department for Education.

You already do extraordinary work with these young people. We want to support you by putting in a qualifications architecture that matches that ambition and is fit for the future. We’re building one, we’re delivering it and we are determined to work with you to get it right.

T Levels go fully remote as ministers scrap work placement limits

Students can now complete T Level industry placements entirely from home, following the government’s latest attempt to rescue the flagship qualifications.

Updated guidance published by the Department for Education removes limits on how much of a placement can be carried out remotely. It also scraps caps on the number of employers involved in a placement.

The changes mean that a student on a standard 315-hour industry placement could complete the entire requirement remotely and divide the hours among as many employers as necessary.

Claire Green, post-16 and skills specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the limited availability of full, in-person industry placements had been a “major barrier, particularly in rural areas, and introducing greater flexibility should make it easier for colleges to deliver these qualifications”.

However, she warned that the purpose of an industry placement is to give young people “meaningful, hands-on experience of the workplace”, and there is a “risk that fully remote or highly fragmented placements could dilute this experience if not carefully managed”.

Red tape removed

The move marks a retreat from the original vision for T Levels when ministers insisted placements must take place almost entirely in person in the workplace, but with 35 hours permitted for “work taster activities”.

That position was softened in 2023 after colleges and employers warned the rules were unworkable. The Department for Education then allowed most students to complete up to 20 per cent of their placement remotely, rising to 50 per cent for digital T Levels.

The latest rewrite abolishes those thresholds altogether.

Officials still “recommend” using remote hours for no more than 20 per cent of the placement “where possible”, with students spending most of their time working face-to-face with an employer.

But removing the percentage limit was necessary to recognise that not all placement employers will have a physical workplace for the student to attend, with the guidance adding that in some sectors, such as digital, it “may be more appropriate for learners to spend more than 20 per cent of their placement working remotely”.

Restrictions on employer numbers have also been removed. Previous guidance allowed placements to be split between two employers, or up to three where firms formed part of the same supply chain or network.

New guidance said providers “should” still aim to use no more than two employers, but exceptions will be made where a student “would benefit from broader sector exposure” or short-term placements are more workable for employers.

For example, a student studying the health T Level could split their industry placement between three different employers across the local NHS integrated care system – including a hospital, a care home and a pharmacy.

The relaxation of placement rules goes further. Ministers have also removed limits on how much time students can spend on team projects and simulated training environments rather than in traditional workplaces. Previous guidance stated that small team projects overseen by employers and time spent in skills hubs or training centres should account for no more than one-third of a placement. The revised rules now only “recommend” that threshold.

The DfE has also widened the use of placements run ‘on site’ at colleges beyond students with special educational needs and disabilities.

A DfE spokesperson said removing this “red tape” would “help more young people to access premium placements and empowers businesses to offer placements that work for everyone”.

Green urged the government to keep the impact of its changes under close review, adding that the “priority must be to ensure that all students benefit from high-quality placements which genuinely support their skills development and progression”.

Low recruitment challenge

The changes mark another dilution of the government’s flagship technical education policy after years of low recruitment numbers and repeated concessions to schools and colleges struggling to make the system work.

T Levels were introduced in 2020 with the promise of creating a prestigious technical alternative to A Levels, combining classroom learning with substantial industry experience. Ministers hoped hundreds of thousands of students would eventually enrol.

Instead, take-up has remained stubbornly low. A report by the National Audit Office last year showed student number forecasts were missed by three quarters, resulting in a near-£700 million spending shortfall, and questioned whether employers and providers could sustain the demanding placement model.

The government has already moved to reduce the size of future T Levels, cutting teaching hours in an effort to make the courses more manageable for students and colleges.

Regulator Ofqual is also working to remove content “not absolutely necessary to demonstrate threshold competence” and cut the assessment burden for T Levels.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Industry placements remain a key part of T Levels. Our updated guidance introduces a new delivery framework for high-quality placements, giving providers more scope to tailor placements to their local context and the needs of their students.

“These updates have been carefully designed based on feedback from businesses to remove barriers to being accessible while crucially maintaining quality.

“Providers remain responsible for delivering high-quality industry placements that support their students to progress.”