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‘apprenticeships’

Starts suspended at mysterious apprenticeship provider after ESFA launches investigation

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has suspended starts at an apprenticeship firm with multimillion-pound subcontracting deals while it investigates the provider, following revelations in FE Week about its shady set-up. SCL Security Ltd, a private provider based in Kent that is run by Andrew Merritt, has taken £16.5 million from Brooklands College in Surrey […]

News

Ofsted watch: Promising week for new apprenticeship providers

It’s been a promising week for new apprenticeship providers, with only one ‘insufficient progress’ finding from six monitoring visits. One of the reports, for LDN Apprenticeships Ltd, even scored a clean sweep of ‘significant progress’ findings. Inspectors found that the provider’s managers “use progress tracking systems and frequent discussions with the provider’s learning and development […]

News

Government must mitigate the risks of T-levels

The technical education reforms under way have the potential to transform England’s skills and productivity record – it is vital that they are anchored in formal legal partnerships The Department for Education will shortly announce which awarding organisations will be delivering the first four T-levels – a new technical-based qualification being introduced between 2020 and […]

Opinion

We must encourage schools to promote apprenticeships

Too many providers are still being blocked from going into schools to talk about apprenticeships, despite enthusiasm from both employers and young people about the rewards they reap, says Anne Milton. We need to work together to tackle negative perceptions among teachers and parents Top of the list of priorities for any minister for apprenticeships […]

Opinion

Great debate on AEB devolution: will it be a successful policy?

The motion: This House believes the devolution of the £1.5bn adult education budget will prove to be a successful policy More than 150 FE sector leaders came to the Houses of Parliament on Monday, January 28, for the third FE Week-Pearson Great Debate. The previous two debates were on apprenticeship reforms (July) and T-levels (September). […]

News

Secrecy around funding band formulas protects against ‘misuse’, says IfATE chief executive

The government’s apprenticeships agency is not willing to share the formula it uses to calculate funding bands for apprenticeship standards as it fears employer groups will “misuse” it to “inflate their costs”. Sir Gerry Berragan, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s chief executive, acknowledged that it is a “common refrain that we are very […]

News

Office for Students board finally has FE representation

FE finally has representation on the board of the new regulatory body for higher education, after Leicester College’s principal was appointed as a non-executive director. Verity Hancock (pictured) joins the Office for Students’ board on a fixed term appointment for five years from tomorrow until Janaury 31, 2024, according to a Department for Education announcement […]

News

Allow employers to appeal for more time to spend their apprenticeship levy cash, CBI urges

Employers should be allowed to appeal for more time to spend their apprenticeship levy funds if the standards they want to use are still in development, the Confederation of British Industry has said. Its new report, ‘Getting apprenticeships right: next steps’, published today, calls on the government to introduce a process for such employers to […]

News

Social Mobility Commission report warns of ‘virtuous’ and ‘vicious’ cycle of adult learning

The poorest adults with the lowest qualifications are the least likely to access training despite needing it the most, according to new Social Mobility Commission research, which has warned of a “virtuous and vicious cycle of learning”. ‘The adult skills gap: is falling investment in UK adults stalling social mobility?’, released today, looked at participation […]

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