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‘apprenticeships’

Ex-Dragon Theo gets Skills Show countdown under way

The final countdown to The Skills Show 2013 was officially marked at one of London’s most iconic landmarks — St Mary’s Axe, more widely known as The Gherkin. last Tuesday (8 October). Skills Minister Matthew Hancock and former Dragons’ Den investor Theo Paphitis launched the show countdown with a call to ‘inspire a new generation […]

Uncategorized

What happens when the money runs out?

With allegations of shoddy practice, revelations of low pay and little training for apprentices, along with concerns about limited government cash being spent on ‘leisure’ courses, Ian Nash questions whether the FE and skills sector has moved on at all in the last 20 years. he National Audit Office (NAO) review of the Education Funding […]

Opinion

Much talk of reform, but plenty left unsaid in conference season

Further education featured prominently among the policy proposals outlined by the three main political parties at the recent conferences. However, Lynne Sedgmore believes nothing was said on a number of key sector issues. The annual conference season has come to an end and aspects of FE featured strongly on their agendas. We heard about free […]

Opinion

Unemployment ‘should not be an option’ for 18 to 24s

Learning for Life is the Liberal Democrats’ policy paper for education and skills. Lady Brinton explains some of its key points. The Liberal Democrats believe education and skills are critical for both individual opportunity and the overall economic performance of the country. Our new policy on this, which was recently passed at our conference, confirms […]

Opinion

Ofsted finds significant prison shortfalls

Ofsted FE and skills director Matthew Coffey has delivered a damning verdict on prison education and training in England and Wales. In a speech on Thursday at London’s Wormwood Scrubs prison he pointed out how 65 per cent of the 78 prisons inspected since 2009 had failed to achieve at least a good grading. “None […]

News

Minister attacks FE for allowing learners to ‘give up’

Further education leaders have lined up to defend the sector after Liberal Democrat Schools Minister David Laws claimed new figures “exposed” colleges for allowing learners to “give up” maths and English. Figures published for the first time by the Department for Education (DfE) show almost three-quarters of school students who achieved an English GCSE grade […]

News

Minister writes to new apprentices on pay

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock has written a letter for every apprentice telling them what they should be earning — despite hundreds of adverts for underpaying apprenticeships remaining on a government-funded website. The letter, which will be distributed to apprentices starting from October 1 by providers, outlines the minimum wage for 16 to 18-year-olds as £2.68 […]

News

Colleges achieving from ‘burning platform’

The Organisation for Economic Development caught everybody’s eye with a report uncovering “poor” levels of adult numeracy while also questioning literacy skills. But, explains Martin Doel, there was another report earlier this month that was equally deserving of attention. The Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) recently published a review of vocational education and training, covering core […]

Opinion

Apprentices paid below £2.65 an hour legal minimum jumps 45%

Nearly a third of apprentices were not paid the legal minimum wage in 2012, according to information published by the department for Business, Innovation and Skills this afternoon. The findings in the Apprenticeships pay survey 2012, dubbed “shocking” by unions, show 29 per cent of learners did not receive the then legal minimum of £2.65 […]

News