Apprenticeships

How ITPs can ensure more SMEs benefit from levy transfer

More upheaval is not necessary if ITPs use their unique place and the capacity they’ve built to leverage more…

JL Dutaut
Jon Graham
Work experience

How mandatory work experience could be a win for colleges

New Social Market Foundation research shows colleges could benefit directly and indirectly from a universal work experience offer, says…

JL Dutaut
Niamh O Regan
The Staffroom – opinion

Time in student services transformed my approach to learners

While the staffroom debates whether this generation of learners are ‘snowflakes’, student service support is coolly preventing an avalanche…

JL Dutaut
David Murray
T Levels

Alumni agree: Losing BTECs will exclude many from success

New life histories research adds the voices of alumni to the chorus of concerns about the scrapping of BTEC,…

JL Dutaut
Susan McGrath and Maia Madhvani
T Levels

Ministers must heed colleges on their move to defund BTECs

T Levels are a rigorous alternative but will not fill the gap left by scrapping BTECs’ tested route from…

JL Dutaut
Sam Parrett
SEND

SEND plan: less big bang and more damp squib for FE

A lack of policies for 16-25 year old students with SEND brings in to question the government’s commitment to…

Shane Chowen
Ruth Perry


skills

The key to bridging the skills gap is staring us in the face

We know colleges are key to bridging skills gaps and the spring budget is an opportunity to put them…

JL Dutaut
Peter Aldous, MP
Cybersecurity

Safeguarding our colleges from cyber threats is a matter of education

Investing in education and awareness for staff and students is a key tool in our fight against cyber attacks,…

JL Dutaut
Sharon Archer
edtech

How ChatGPT could reduce and transform teacher workload

James Kieft tests ChatGPT on a range of time-consuming tasks for teachers and assesses its potential to support and…

JL Dutaut
James Kieft
WorldSkills

International benchmarking is vital in raising standards in UK skills

In the absence of PISA rankings the UK skills system needs international benchmarking to drive up standards and keep…

JL Dutaut
Ben Blackledge
14-16

College provision for 14-16 can no longer be overlooked

More must be done to support direct-entry learners in further education settings as the provision offers a critical lifeline…

JL Dutaut
Alan McKenna
Vulnerable learners

Vulnerable adolescents deserve better than a maze of bureaucracy

A new public accounts committee report outlines a costly and decades-long failure to bring services together to support vulnerable…

JL Dutaut
Dame Meg Hillier, MP