York College
‘apprenticeships’
A flexibility that allows apprentices to take their end-point assessment before their functional skills exam is set to be reintroduced, FE Week understands. It follows an investigation by this publication that found thousands of apprentices “stuck in limbo” as awarding bodies struggle to adapt their functional skills assessments in the face of Covid-19. Ministers are […]
News
The proportion of staff being trained has dropped to its lowest level since 2011, according to the government’s latest employer skills survey. More than 81,000 employers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in the biennial survey for 2019 – the results for which have been published today by the Department for Education. It […]
The skills minister has said she is “hopeful” the list of free, first, full level 3 qualifications being funded as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee will be published next month. Speaking at an FE Week roundtable today, Gillian Keegan was asked when providers and learners can find out which courses they could start from […]
The principal of Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, talks to JL Dutaut about growing up on various educational faultlines and her attempt to close the UK’s digital skills chasm Culture wars rage on social media. Our political consensus is fraught. Elitism, aspiration and social mobility define our public discourse while time and again […]
Profiles
A former college principal who championed further education and skills as a member of Parliament has been knighted in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Nic Dakin, who represented Scunthorpe from 2010 to 2019 after having run Sir John Leggott College in the city, is one of 20 FE and skills figures to have been recognised. […]
The Department for Education has this morning published eight intervention reports based on FE Commissioner visits that in some cases took place more than a year ago. These are the first reports to be published since Gillian Keegan (pictured) was appointed as minister in March 2020. The reports were accompanied by a letter from Keegan, […]
The prime minister’s announcement lacks urgency and fails to bring enough money forward to this year, writes Toby Perkins The prime minister’s recent discovery of the merits of FE is superficially attractive but as we’ve learnt with this PM, things aren’t always as they seem. His announcement lacked both the pace to address the immediate […]
Opinion
Labour has castigated the Conservatives for their “pitiful” investment in college estates, after a minister revealed that the average annual spend fell by £244 million between 2010 and 2016. Skills minister Gillian Keegan this week released data showing that, while funding for capital improvements in FE colleges under the previous Labour government stood at £3.6 […]
The apprenticeships trial in my department will be closely evaluated so we can set an example across government, writes Gillian Keegan There has never been a more critical time to invest in new talent and help create more job opportunities. As a former apprentice, I’ve experienced first-hand the amazing journey an apprenticeship can take you […]
