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‘apprenticeships’

Exclusive: Lep areas revealed for first round of invitations to tender for delayed ESF contracts

These are the first areas which the will be involved in the first round of long-awaited invitations to tender for European Social Fund (ESF) contracts, FE Week can exclusively reveal. The previous 2007 to 2013 ESF contracts closed on July 31 and none have gone out to tender through the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) since. […]

News

LIVE UPDATES: FE and skills sector reacts to Ofsted 2014/15 annual report

The 2014/15 Ofsted annual report painted a picture of an FE and skills sector in which two years of improvement came to a near-halt last academic year — and general FE colleges even saw a “decline” in performance. Click here for more of the report, which was launched at 10am, while sector responses to Ofsted’s findings can […]

News

College performance ‘has declined’ – Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw’s annual report

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw has told how he has “seen the pace of improvement slow” in FE and skills — picking out general FE colleges in particular as where “performance has declined”. English and maths commitments, finances and falling standards in leadership were among the issues for colleges identified by the education watchdog’s chief […]

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Local authorities come under the FE Week 2015/16 adult apprenticeship allocations spotlight

The exclusive front page story of edition 154 on low levels of apprenticeship delivery among colleges promised more analysis. And so while last week’s coverage expanded on this to feature apprenticeship allocations for all general FE colleges, this week it’s the turn of local authorities (LAs). Dr Sue Pember, director of policy and external relations […]

News

Good news in Budget — but what does it mean for learners?

Sandra McNally considers the possible impact of Chancellor George Osborne’s November 25 Budget. The Spending Review has brought good news to FE (at least relative to expectations). Highlights include a commitment to protect the budget for 16 to 19-year-olds in cash terms; an apprenticeship levy on large employers, with a commitment to spend £2.5bn in […]

Opinion

Employer engagement hopes with £3bn levy

Sector leaders have reacted positively after Chancellor George Osborne fleshed out how the new apprenticeship levy on large firms would raise £3bn a-year. Mr Osborne confirmed that from April 2017 employers would have to pay 0.5 per cent of their pay roll costs towards the levy — offset by a £15,000 allowance meaning that most […]

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Chancellor George Osborne’s FE funding protection ‘a cut in real terms’ — Shadow Skills Minister Gordon Marsden

Shadow Skills Minister Gordon Marsden was a key speaker in an Opposition Day debate last week as he aired FE funding concerns, and Wednesday’s Budget did nothing to ease those concerns, as he explains. On Wednesday we saw the broad campaign I and others have put on government on FE funding, not least in our […]

Opinion

Consultation for two-levy payers but Chancellor George Osborne Budget blueprint ‘ticks boxes’

With the CITB having operated a training levy in the construction sector for half a century, it’s view of Chancellor George Osborne’s levy announcement on Wednesday (November 25) was formed of experience. Steve Radley outlines the CITB view of the Budget. Chancellor George Osborne’s Spending Review statement has provided more clarity on the government’s approach […]

Opinion

Much-feared Budget looks positive for adult skills budget — but what could the new 19-plus FE loans mean?

Further education loans were extended to the 19+ age group in a positive-looking Spending Review that many feared could have spelled the end of adult skills funding — but key details are yet to be revealed and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills looks set for the chop. Protection of funding for the “core adult skills […]

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