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Adult quals cull risks ‘throwing baby out with the bathwater’

The government risks “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” with cuts to qualifications it sees as worthless, FE sector leaders have warned. A host of speakers at a seminar on the future of adult vocational qualifications urged Skills Minister Matthew Hancock to think carefully about public funding cuts to apparently unpopular qualifications. It comes […]

News

Raising questions over the RPA

With statistics this month having shown a rise in the number of unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training, Nansi Ellis looks at whether the government’s policy of raising the participation age is working. Statistics this month showed that the number of unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds rose over the last three months […]

Opinion

Does anyone care about 16 and 17-year-olds?

Nearly eight month since the government raised the participation age, Mark Corney evaluates a policy that will next year mean young people up to the age of 18 — increased from 17 — must remain in education or be in training. No one seems to care about 16 and 17-year-olds. Perhaps the reason is that […]

Opinion

Apprentice wage rise gets mixed welcome

The National Minimum Wage for apprentices is set to rise by 5p an-hour to £2.73, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has announced. The 2 per cent rise will come into force on October 1. The move, which was recommended by the Low Pay Commission (LPC) after the government asked how it could […]

News

Apprentice minimum wage to rise to £2.73 an-hour

The National Minimum Wage for apprentices is set to rise by 5p an-hour to £2.73, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced today. The 2 per cent rise will come into force on October 1. The move was recommended by the Low Pay Commission after the government asked how it could increase the lowest […]

News

Sector reacts positively to FE progression proposal from Labour taskforce

A Labour Skills Taskforce recommendation that school funding be withheld if students do not progress into FE, employment or training has been greeted enthusiastically by the FE sector. The taskforce’s third report, Qualifications Matter: Improving the Curriculum and Assessment for All, was published last week, and said that schools cash withheld should go instead towards […]

News

Technology takes centre stage on future talks as politicians clash at 2030 skills report launch

Technology dominated the debate at a conference arranged to discuss the future of the UK skills sector. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills and Work Foundation’s Skills for the Future conference was held at the headquarters of accountants Deloitte in central London last Monday (March 3). The event was used to officially launch a […]

News

Could traineeships stem skills shortage problem?

Traineeships are most commonly viewed as a means of taking on youth unemployment, but, asks, Fiona Aldridge, could they also help answer skills shortages in science, technology, engineering and maths? Traineeships, apprenticeships, higher standards and better qualifications were four key priorities outlined by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock in the recently-published Skills Funding Statement. But six […]

Opinion

Barry Sheerman, chair, the Skills Commission

Within moments of going into MP Barry Sheerman’s Westminster office, numerous clues hinting at his old day job as a university professor become clear. Political biographies, volumes of poetry and literary criticism line the walls and by the time the interview is over, a small stack of books has built up in front of me […]

Profiles