Politics

The next government must set up a commission on tertiary education

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is an opportunity to rethink our model of skills development and remove the barriers to…

JL Dutaut
Angela Halston
Skills reform

The Skills Deceit: How stagnant policy thinking is holding the sector back

We can’t keep pretending the same old thinking is going to get FE out of the perennial challenges that…

JL Dutaut
Mark Dawe
Politics

How do the manifestos stack up on further education and skills?

Labour’s manifesto offers the strongest proposition on skills and apprenticeships – but it will take cash and courage to…

JL Dutaut
Iain Mansfield
Adult education, Politics

Local skills plans need evolution, not revolution from the next government

A new report offers early insight on how LSIPs can be supported and further improved to ensure they have…

JL Dutaut
Claire Russell
16-19

Character education is vital and should be explicitly taught

Amid rapid change, uncertainty and a mental health crisis, character education has never been more important to our role…

JL Dutaut
Rebecca Tigue
Careers

What we need from a revived national careers service policy

It’s great to see the idea of a national careers service revived after it was canned a decade ago….

JL Dutaut
Christine Doubleday


Politics, The Staffroom – opinion

The election is a chance to empower our learners to improve their lives

Colleges have a vital role in encouraging political engagement among their learners. Here’s how we’re doing that while remaining…

JL Dutaut
Shakira Martin
resits

This election must spell the end of the blunt GCSE resit

The sector must rally to force a rethink on a policy that simply doesn’t meet the country’s needs, let…

JL Dutaut
Mary Conway
Apprenticeships

Boosting apprenticeships take-up requires better lines of communication

Communication channels between employers, schools, parents and students are vital but they are far too inconsistent to deliver on…

JL Dutaut
Ewan Freeman
Politics

There are positives – but the Conservatives’ manifesto misfires on crucial issues

This was a chance to come out fighting, but the Conservatives’ policies fail to acknowledge the scale of need…

JL Dutaut
Olly Newton
Politics

Gaps remain in Labour’s plans to fill shortages and spread opportunity

Labour’s manifesto gives further education grounds for optimism, but the sector will need more than warm words and big…

JL Dutaut
Carl Cullinane
Qualifications

How the new Adult Social Care Certificate will support local skills needs

What is the new qualification is, who is it for, and what opportunities does it present for colleges and…

JL Dutaut
Craig Wade