Opinion

What might a virtual industry placement project look like?

The nature of work was forecast to change well before the virus hit. So instead of thinking in terms…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
BEV JONES
Opinion

Remote inspections of ‘paused providers’ will be challenging, but possible

Good planning is key, says Richard Moore, especially for off-the-job inspections An article in FE Week last week, “Frustration…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
RICHARD MOORE
Opinion

FE should be at the heart of shielding 19 to 24-year-olds from unemployment

It makes financial sense for FE colleges to ease the pain of unemployment sparked by Covid-19, say John Widdowson…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
John Widdowson and Mark Corney
Opinion

Fellowships in technical teaching: here’s why you should apply

Having a fellowship doesn’t change the quality of the work you do – but it certainly gives you a…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
CERIAN AYRES
Opinion

The transition to our new normal will not be straightforward

From next Monday, colleges and providers will have the flexibility to offer more students face-to-face learning, explains Gillian Keegan…

Billy Camden
GILLIAN KEEGAN
Opinion

FE has a pivotal role over the next two years (and there is no time to lose)

The sector must be allowed to respond to demands from existing and new students, many of them disadvantaged, says…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
JUSTINE GREENING


Opinion

The prime minister’s ‘apprenticeship guarantee’: over-optimistic or visionary?

Two regular commentators on vocational education policy who now work at the same consultancy firm take opposing sides over…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
John Cope & Jonathan Simons
Opinion

Did the Prime Minister promise an ‘apprenticeship guarantee’? This is why it is needed post Covid-19

Prime minister Boris Johnson last night told the nation that young people “should be guaranteed an apprenticeship” as part…

Billy Camden
ROBERT HALFON
Opinion

Why a ‘right to retrain’ is essential for an inclusive recovery

The outbreak of coronavirus will permanently change the shape of our economy. In adapting to this change, we must…

Simon Kay
ANDY NORMAN
Opinion

Providers are taking the blame for a broken apprenticeships system

The government’s numbers on apprenticeships don’t add up. Worse still, they lead to blaming the wrong people and make…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
JOHN HYDE
Opinion

In a time of uncertainty, here are some predictions for the sector

The skills system has done an amazing job during the corona crisis and will be critical as the UK…

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
DAVID MARSH
Opinion

It’s hard to argue that further college rationalisation isn’t needed

Rationalisation needs to reconcile three very different types of college – and the grey areas in between, says John…

Simon Kay
JOHN COPE