Opinion

Less adult money signals a moral future

The world of publicly-financed FE is a diminishing one. Andy Gannon makes the case for defending the sector from…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

What the budget means for FE beyond the apprenticeship headlines

The extension of the apprenticeship grant for employers may have provided the main source of budget attention for FE,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Making employers pay ‘risks’ 16 and 17 apprenticeships

A government consultation on apprenticeship funding reforms is looking at making employers pay towards training. Kirstie Donnelly explores the…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Keeping the options open on Functional Skills

The government has already downgraded Functional Skills more than three years before they are fully replaced in the apprenticeship…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Seeing value in qualifications

Where qualifications are concerned, you should never assume, according to David Hughes. It is all too easy to fall…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Making progress towards an FE UCas system

The Deputy Prime Minister has called for a “UCas-style” admissions system for FE, but Gina Bradbury says that one…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


Opinion

Does anyone care about 16 and 17-year-olds?

Nearly eight month since the government raised the participation age, Mark Corney evaluates a policy that will next year…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Raising questions over the RPA

With statistics this month having shown a rise in the number of unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds not in education,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

A plea to listen to the voice of small businesses on apprenticeships

For many small firms, the thought of taking on more than one or two apprentices at once is overwhelming….

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Small businesses find apprenticeships ‘costly but worthwhile’

Having left school at 15 to become an apprentice plumber, Charlie Mullins now sits as managing director of Pimlico…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Group to take on sex bias and a ‘shocking waste of talent’

Further education has a key role to play in promoting diversity, says Toni Fazaeli, who calls for an independent…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Could traineeships stem skills shortage problem?

Traineeships are most commonly viewed as a means of taking on youth unemployment, but, asks, Fiona Aldridge, could they…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter