Opinion

Escaping the prison education past

Prisons came under fire in a speech by Ofsted’s FE and skills director Matthew Coffey, who pointed out how…

FE Week
FE Week
Opinion

What happens when the money runs out?

With allegations of shoddy practice, revelations of low pay and little training for apprentices, along with concerns about limited…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Planting and pruning course ‘not for leisure’

With Skills Minister Matthew Hancock wanting the 24+ Advanced Learning Loan System used to fund courses with a “direct…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Much talk of reform, but plenty left unsaid in conference season

Further education featured prominently among the policy proposals outlined by the three main political parties at the recent conferences….

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Unemployment ‘should not be an option’ for 18 to 24s

Learning for Life is the Liberal Democrats’ policy paper for education and skills. Lady Brinton explains some of its…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Knee-jerk reaction to skills report would be damaging

Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development put England and Northern Ireland behind for numeracy and literacy,…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter


Opinion

Preparing for increased maths teacher needs

With government policy dictating that learners must work towards maths qualifications, new measures are needed to make sure there…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Colleges achieving from ‘burning platform’

The Organisation for Economic Development caught everybody’s eye with a report uncovering “poor” levels of adult numeracy while also…

Nick Linford
Nick Linford
Opinion

Beware the dangers of traineeship exploitation

Traineeships are the government’s latest weapon in the fight against youth unemployment, but, asks Mike Hopkins, what hope do…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Apprenticeships aren’t broken but system might need fixing

David Phillips explains why reform is needed to ensure trainees learn a broader set of skills to suit businesses’…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

The familiar face of the Husbands Review

David Harbourne agrees with much of what has been recommended in the Labour skills taskforce review, but recommends a…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter
Opinion

Upholding need for teacher qualifications

Ruth Mathias raises concern about the government decision, which was implemented earlier this month, to remove the requirement for…

FE Week Reporter
FE Week Reporter