Young people

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
Young people

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
Inclusion

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
Opinion

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
Colleges

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
Teaching

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
Young people

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
Young people

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
Colleges

The four Ps that will ensure your external governance review brings value for money

The new mandatory requirement for external governance review represents a substantial investment, writes Melissa Drayson, so it’s important to…

JL Dutaut
Melissa Drayson
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships diversity still lags and now is the time to act

National Apprenticeships Week and Race Equality Week happen at the same time – a coincidence that should speak volumes…

JL Dutaut
Payal Bhavsar
Opinion

Reply: The case to cut BTECs and applied generals is misinformed  

The ‘muddled’ case for cutting BTECs shows a lack of understanding of what employers, young people and the economy…

Shane Chowen
Bill Watkin