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‘apprenticeships’

Andrew Jones, apprenticeship ambassador to Parliament

Andrew Jones MP is a little uncertain about being profiled when we meet in the glass-roofed atrium of Portcullis House, across the road from the Houses of Parliament. “I don’t normally do this sort of thing. I normally talk about policies, not personalities,” he says. But he is happy to talk about his passion for […]

Profiles

All-age apprenticeships in first full-year drop since 2005

The number of apprenticeship starts in England has fallen for the first time in seven years, according to new figures published by the government. The final (rather than provisional) figures in latest statistical first release show that in the 2012/13 academic year, there were 10,400 fewer apprenticeship starts than in 2011/12 — a fall of […]

News

Osborne looks to tax credits and mandatory employer cash contributions for apprenticeships

Chancellor George Osborne confirmed the government will introduce an HMRC-based funding system alongside a mandatory employer cash contribution for apprenticeships through his Autumn Statement. He said the government will develop a model which uses HMRC systems to route apprenticeship funding direct to employers. The Treasury subsequently announced it will launch a consultation on the technical details of the system in […]

News

Wheels come off Kwik Fit traineeships

Kwik Fit has stopped running its controversial traineeship programme after Ofsted inspectors said it was no longer an outstanding employer provider. Only providers rated as outstanding or good (grade one or two, respectively) can run traineeships — the government’s flagship youth unemployment policy, which launched in August for 16 to 23-year-olds. And inspectors gave Kwik […]

News

National Skills Academy Logistics goes into liquidation after SFA cancels funding

The National Skills Academy Logistics (NSAL) has been put into liquidation after its financial support was pulled by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). The NSAL’s National Employer Board was critical of the SFA’s role in the demise of the organisation, which helped employers meet legislative requirements and develop training courses. A statement released on behalf […]

News

Shadow minister sets out his vision for the future of FE

The Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt, chose the Association of Colleges conference as the venue for his first speech since taking on the role in early October. He used to opportunity to outline policies laid down by his party’s Skills Taskforce in its second report, entitled Transforming further education: A new mission to deliver excellence […]

News

Quarter of FE loans are waiting to be processed

Just over a quarter of applications for FE loans had not been successfully processed by the end of October, new figures have revealed. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) confirmed 52,468 applications had been lodged, seven months after 24+ advanced learning loans were first introduced. But most recent figures show 13,425 applications were […]

News

2013: A (Further Education) Policy Odyssey

Former House of Commons Education Select Committee specialist Ben Nicholls is head of policy and communications at London’s Newham College. He writes exclusively for FE Week every month. A year ago, when I was appointed to Newham College, I didn’t know all that much about FE (it’s okay, I said so at my interview — […]

Opinion

Hitting back at the level two ‘dead-end’ criticism

Claims last month that up to 50,000 teenagers were studying ‘dead-end’ level two courses were ‘superficial and sensational’ says Lynne Sedgmore. The second Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report in its Condition of Britain series, entitled Growing up and becoming an adult, makes a helpful contribution to our understanding of a complex issue — […]

Opinion