York College
‘ofsted’
Apprenticeship quality concerns will come under the spotlight in a new parliamentary inquiry that will check out the merits of government reforms as it drives to increase take-up. The Education, Skills and Economy (ESE) Sub-Committee’s probe will look at a variety of apprenticeship-related issues, including quality, progression onto higher levels and levy plans. It will also investigate […]
News
One college principal expects the number of colleges in England to drop by a third over the next two years, FE Week can reveal. Stuart Cutforth, principal and chief executive of Chesterfield College, raised the issue in a speech at the 2016 emfec conference in Nottingham today (February 7), saying that he expected college numbers […]
The government is looking for alternative “quality providers” for up to 3,500 post-16 learners after it pulled the plug on funding the FE training wing of leading charity Age UK. The decision by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Education Funding Agency (EFA) was provoked by Ofsted’s inadequate-overall rating of Age UK in a report […]
The Grimsby Institute Group has announced the appointments of Gill Alton as its new chief executive and Debra Gray as its principal. The decision to split the two posts follows the retirement of Sue Middlehurst, who steps down after more than five years at the helm. The group’s corporation hopes the split role will enable […]
Movers and Shakers
As restrictions are lifted on delivering traineeships, with the government claiming excellent results mean they are no longer needed, questions remain over quality. The change has led to accusations that the Government is “desperate for numbers”. Until last Monday, only providers rated “outstanding” or “good” could deliver traineeships. However, provision has now been opened up […]
When the Tories launched their manifesto in April last year at a University Technical College, they promised to create one of them ‘within reach of every city’. Nicky Morgan said: ‘I think we will see an improvement in recruitment. UTCs are a very important part of our overall education offer.’ So what do the September […]
Criminal charges could be brought against the founder of a controversial former apprenticeship provider, who has been disqualified from acting as a director for six years. Manchester-based Elmfield Training was one of the country’s largest providers of apprenticeships, which received more than £100m in public money before it was wound up in 2013 owing 180 […]
Reading for pleasure can transform motivation and attainment. Genevieve Clarke explains how The Reading Agency is achieving results for FE colleges with its Reading Ahead programme. Every week, the subject of FE Week’s profile page is asked to name their favourite book. It’s a great advert for reading for pleasure, but can we take enjoyment […]
Opinion
Rochdale Sixth Form College topped this year’s performance table, published last month, for value added A-Level performance for a third year in a row. Julian Appleyard explains the secret of their success. If someone asked me in 2010 to predict the success of Rochdale Sixth Form College and where it would be in 2016, then […]
