York College
‘apprenticeships’
If you were the funding agency responsible for apprenticeships and looking to take on your own recruits, which college or training provider would you choose? FE Week wanted to find out, so asked the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and it turned out they didn’t pick just one or two. In fact, for their 26 apprentices […]
News
Before the Annual Apprenticeship Conference (AAC), FE Week asked delegates for their views on the government’s apprenticeship reforms. More than 210 representatives from colleges, independent training providers, local authorities, employer providers, awarding organisations and others responded to the survey, which asked for their views on issues such as quality, the impact of the levy and […]
Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has defended his controversial views about education for 16 to 19-year-olds, but denied that he is biased against the FE sector. He made the remarks following his speech on Thursday, the second day of FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference at the Birmingham International Convention Centre. “It’s not a bias, […]
It’s great news that the Skills Funding Agency has finally committed to funding in-year 16 to 18 apprenticeships. We managed to break this story online before it was announced by the agency, and featured it in the paper’s budget coverage. It’s an encouraging development after last week’s editorial called for more investment in apprenticeships the […]
Opinion
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned government plans for a 10 per cent top-up to monthly levy contributions will only benefit a small minority of employers. The top-up plans were unveiled in a budget report published by the Treasury after George Osborne finished his speech to MPs on March 16. It will mean, […]
This year’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference (AAC), held at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre from March 16 to 18, featured an action packed agenda. FE Week went to press onsite at the end of the second day, so what follows is a roundup of the first two days’ highlights. David Hill, the most senior civil servant working […]
FE providers may have to fulfil a new set of criteria in order to be approved by the government as fit to work with employers on delivering apprenticeships, FE Week has found. In the coming months, the government will hold a consultation with providers about the requirements of the Skills Funding Agency’s (SFA) register of […]
The chair of a group of influential MPs has slammed the government’s progress on apprenticeship reform, saying he doesn’t see a “hope in hell” of the target for 3m new apprenticeships by 2020 being achieved. Speaking from the stage at FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference 2016, Iain Wright (pictured), chair of the Business, Innovation and […]
The old adage when you’re in a hole first stop digging before you find a way out couldn’t be more true so far as apprenticeship reform is concerned – at least that’s the view of Graham Hasting-Evans. Following the publication of the Enterprise Bill at the end of February, I believe the Institute for Apprenticeships […]
