York College
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The Skills Funding Agency has demanded “immediate action to safeguard the welfare of all trainees” at a Midland-based provider after Ofsted reported physical and verbal bullying, harassment and exploitation. The education watchdog’s inspection of National Farrier Training Agency (NFTA), in Peterborough, claimed learners suffered at the hands of approved training farriers (ATFs) and “in a […]
News
Colleges look set to miss out on £12m handed over to the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) for traineeships, FE Week can reveal. The Department for Education (DfE) has transferred the cash to agency coffers to pay specific traineeship providers through their 16 to 18 apprenticeship contracts. The ring-fenced funding has been made available for next […]
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers is just over a month away from being headed by new man Stewart Segal. FE Week reporter Eleanor Radford spoke with him to find out his thoughts on all things FE. What are your thoughts on the new Education and Training Foundation (formerly known as the FE Guild)? […]
Uncategorized
The long-awaited traineeship scheme was in the spotlight at an Association of Colleges conference in Central London last Tuesday. More than 60 delegates from across the country asked questions about and discussed the programme, which will be available from September for 16 to 19-year-olds. Traineeships will prepare young people for work or an apprenticeship through […]
As a leader of a college judged outstanding by Ofsted, I was recently asked what pressures I faced from the structural changes to education and the harsh economic climate. David Lewis College is one of 60 independent specialist colleges (ISCs) in the UK providing day and residential FE to around 3,000 students with a wide […]
Opinion
An Ofsted investigation into foundation learning has pointed towards a host of problems with the scheme just weeks before the replacement 16 to 19 study programmes are introduced. The education watchdog uncovered “poor” attendance and “little or no” work placement, along with “low” progression rates. Its report, Lessons from the Foundation Learning Provision for the […]
The deputy chief executive of a housing charity is getting the top job at NCG (formerly Newcastle College Group). Joe Docherty (pictured) is to succeed Dame Jackie Fisher as chief executive when she retires this summer. He is currently at Newcastle-based Home Group, a social enterprise and charity with a turnover of more than £300m. […]
Further education leaders have called for a rethink on traineeships after new rules revealed lower-rated providers would be able to run the scheme, despite it having been designed for top-ranking providers. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock announced the traineeships framework last month, including details of how only providers graded by Ofsted as outstanding or good (grade […]
Ofsted, funding cuts, policy changes . . . it’s no surprise that the number of prospective FE principals/chief executives is falling, says Mike Hopkins A straw poll of principal and chief executive colleagues makes clear the reality of the decline in the number of prospective principals. Why has this happened? Broadly speaking, issues include Ofsted […]
