York College
‘Jobs’
Teachers at sixth form colleges across England walked out of work today amid a bitter dispute between unions and the government over pay and conditions. Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) who work in sixth form colleges were involved in today’s industrial action, but it is not yet known how many walked out […]
News
Lambeth College staff who have been on strike since June 3 over new contracts went back to work today — just two days before the summer break. The move, which means workers will be entitled to full holiday pay having returned to work before the end of the college year, comes after three days of […]
The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for a “joined-up employment and skills service” formed of powers from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Skills Funding Agency, the Education Funding Agency and councils. Its report, Investing in our nation’s future: the first 100 days of the next government, says the the move would “stop […]
The Association of Colleges (AoC) has warned Labour-backed proposals for 100 more University Technical Colleges (UTCs) to be established by 2020 “may not be the best response” to skills shortages. The AoC was joined by former government advisor Sam Freedman in questioning whether there was enough evidence to support the plans, outlined by Lord Adonis […]
The University and College Union (UCU) has called for a parliamentary investigation into college spending. The call follows UCU claims that Warwickshire College had paid more than half a million pounds to the Gazelle Colleges Group and had raised its principal’s pay by £50,000 in two years while almost 100 staff face redundancy due to […]
The Labour Party is expected to back calls to establish 100 more University Technical Colleges (UTCs) by 2020, despite a string of poor Ofsted gradings for existing UTCs. Labour leader Ed Miliband (pictured above) will accept a series of recommendations from the Adonis Review, ‘Mending the fractured economy: Smarter state, better jobs’. The review, written […]
A new cross-party commission to examine how apprenticeships can help to bridge the skills gap has been launched by the thinktank Demos. The Commission on Apprenticeships will be co-chaired by the Conservative MP Robert Halfon and Labour’s Lord Glasman, and is due to meet for the first time in the next month. The group will […]
With the Tories and Labour coming up with strategies to help young people off JobSeekers’ Allowance and into a job or back to the classroom, Mark Corney assesses the importance and implications of such policies. The Conservatives and Labour are squabbling over who came up with an 18 to 21 ‘earn or learn’ strategy first. […]
Opinion
A veteran of the skills sector, Dr Sue Pember has worked under eight Secretaries of State, from David Blunkett to Dr Vince Cable. But despite having left her government job for a life of freelance consultancy work earlier this year, the 59-year-old mother-of-one still won’t say who was her favourite boss. “I definitely have favourites, […]
Profiles
