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‘apprenticeships’

Work with colleges on learners’ ‘technical expertise’, Cable tells Hefce

The body responsible for funding higher education has been instructed by the government to work with FE colleges to improve the “technical expertise” of learners. In its annual grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), which confirms overall funding for universities and FE colleges with higher education provision will rise from […]

News

Labour loses vote on apprenticeship two-year minimum duration and level three start

Labour this afternoon lost a House of Commons vote on plans to scrap apprenticeships of less than two years’ duration and below level three. Following a heated opposition day debate in Parliament, a vote on a motion calling for the new standards was defeated 294 votes to 218. The motion, submitted in Labour leader Ed Miliband’s name […]

News

Ofsted pushes ahead with unified inspection plan for FE and skills, schools and early years

Ofsted today confirmed it was pushing ahead with “some of the most significant changes to the inspection of education in its history” following a public consultation on bringing all its inspections under one regime. It was revealed in FE Week in August last year that the education watchdog planned for all education inspections to be […]

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FE leaders criticise ‘disappointing’ and ‘disgraceful’ decision to deny FE funding ringfence

A decision by the Conservative Party not to pledge the same funding protection for FE as is afforded to schools has been labelled “disappointing” and “disgraceful” by sector leaders. The Prime Minister this morning used a speech at a school in Enfield, North London, to confirm that the ringfence, which has been in place around the education […]

News

‘Open traineeships up’ plea after starts hit 5k in first quarter

The government has been urged to open traineeships up to more providers after the programme was boosted with figures showing 1,700 more people started on the scheme in the first three months of 2014/15 than in the entire first half of last academic year. Information in the latest statistical first release (SFR) showed 5,000 starts […]

News

Getting ‘stuck in’ to skills devolution

Chancellor George Osborne and the leaders of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) signed The Greater Manchester Agreement in November. The devolution agreement, and its impact on the region’s FE and skills budget, is assessed by Lisa O’Loughlin. From the Government’s point of view, The Greater Manchester Agreement is a major step towards creating a […]

Opinion

A look back with the general election looming

“A week is a long time in politics,” were famous words from Labour Prime Minister of the 1960s and 70s Harold Wilson. It stands to reason then, that a full five-year Parliament feels like a lifetime. You might already be sick of the general election — the ‘costed spending commitments’, ‘the other lot have got […]

Opinion

‘Colleges that don’t engage with businesses will fail’ Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw tells MPs

Colleges risk failing their Ofsted inspections if they are not engaging effectively with employers, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has warned. During questions from the House of Commons Education Select Committee this morning on the education watchdog’s annual report in December, Sir Michael warned inspectors were going to be “more critical” of poor employer engagement by […]

News

Skilled sector pay under-estimated by teens, according to new research marking launch of VQ Day awards

A “lack of understanding” about salaries has been blamed on careers guidance failings after research released today showed teenagers under-estimated pay in skilled sectors by almost 40 per cent. The research marked the launch of this year’s Vocational Qualification (VQ) Day awards, which celebrate the achievements of vocational learners and aim to raise awareness of […]

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