Apprenticeships

Treasury is still skimming the levy while NEET numbers surge

A narrow NEET policy won’t shift the dial – we need to go beyond providing a safety net for…

Jessica Hill
Ben Rowland
SEND

A youth guarantee that forgets SEND isn’t a guarantee at all

If the youth guarantee fails to extend EHCP protections and invest in FE pathways to age 25, ministers will sabotage their own growth…

Jessica Hill
Ben Bastin
Prison education

To rebuild lives prison teaching can’t be just English and maths

The new Prison Education Service promised reform, but shrinking curriculums risk undoing progress. Enterprise education could be the key…

Jessica Hill
David Morgan
Budget

A budget that backs FE, delivered by a government that can’t stop undermining itself

Today’s budget offers long-overdue wins for skills and apprenticeships, but the constant leaks, U-turns and mixed messages are throttling…

Jessica Hill
Erika Marshall
Skills reform

Our jobs market is changing faster than anyone expected – our skills system isn’t

Our analysis shows millions of roles could vanish far earlier than predicted. Unless the UK builds a cradle-to-grave skills…

Jessica Hill
Jude Hillary
Apprenticeships

Let’s stop treating school apprenticeships as second-class training routes

Apprenticeships have been overlooked in the education world, yet they’re quietly transforming how we recruit, train and retain talent

Jessica Hill
Monique Macauley


The Staffroom – opinion

If learners don’t feel they belong, they won’t engage

Working in safeguarding means seeing both the barriers and the brilliance in young people. Our project is proving how…

Jessica Hill
Carla Campbell
Skills funding

Our economy won’t grow with almost 1m young people left behind

Britain cannot rebuild its economy while a million young people are locked out of opportunity. This Budget must back…

Jessica Hill
Sarah Smith MP
Colleges

Training across borders works but we risk missing the boat

Transnational education could be a powerful tool for exporting UK expertise and expanding access to quality training, but our…

Jessica Hill
Dr. Rossi Vogler
Skills reform

The skills system is broken because we keep fixing it in pieces

Employers aren’t walking away from training – they’re being driven off by complexity, cost and constant reform

Jessica Hill
Lindsay Conroy
Colleges

White paper’s details pose a devilish problem for FE admin

Just as Wells’ Martians were undone by what they overlooked, the post-16 white paper could be derailed by the…

Jessica Hill
Ian Pryce
Skills reform

FE isn’t built for sprinting, so don’t treat skills reform as a race

At the AoC Conference, one message came through loud and clear: FE can’t absorb another whirlwind overhaul. Ministers want…

Jessica Hill
Rob May