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16 April 2026

Tag: apprenticeship standards

College forced to stop recruiting apprentices

A college hit with an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating won’t appeal against the resulting ban from running apprenticeships, but says it will continue recruiting learners right up to the last minute. The Skills Funding Agency started allowing bodies to apply to join the new register of apprenticeship training providers last October, but those with the lowest […]

Ofqual to discuss conflict-of-interest concerns with NSAFD organisation

Ofqual will hold talks with an awarding organisation owned by the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, over alleged conflict of interest “issues raised” through an FE Week investigation. The qualifications watchdog announced its plans to intervene in the wake of our report that the NSAFD was misleading providers by trying to sell them […]

Misleading marketing of ‘industry-approved’ provider schemes exposed

Providers are at risk of being duped into believing they need to pay thousands to become “industry-approved” before they can deliver new apprenticeships for the food and drink industry, FE Week has learned. A body called the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink has been accused by industry figures of “misleading” the sector with […]

Apprentice targets should cross administrative boundaries

We are failing to meet apprenticeship targets in construction due to some ridiculous barriers that should simply be removed, says Jeremy Rabinovitch. Apprentices are the lifeblood of the economy. These are people who want to work yet don’t want to spend years learning something without being guaranteed a job. Apprenticeships can provide fantastic opportunities both […]

Race to the bottom: who’s checking delivery quality of apprenticeship standards?

Firm guidelines need to be put into place to ensure the quality of the content of the new apprenticeship standards is accompanied by quality delivery, says John Hyde. Politicians and civil servants are forever talking about ‘quality apprenticeships’. The new employer-led apprenticeship standards were introduced to ensure anyone embarking upon an apprenticeship would earn the […]

Bolton college principal appeals to SFA over new apprenticeship rules

A desperate principal has pleaded with the Skills Funding Agency to relax rules that would prevent Bolton College from recruiting new apprentices from May next year. On October 25 the SFA launched an application process for the new register of apprenticeship training providers, but those with the lowest Ofsted rating for the apprenticeships are barred […]

Government meddling blamed for 2 year apprenticeship delays

Government meddling has meant that students didn’t start on some apprenticeship standards for two years after they were launched. Using the latest Skills Funding Agency data FE Week examined the first standards given government sign-off in 2014. We found two had no starts at all in that academic year or in 2015/16, while low numbers […]

Jaguar Land Rover red-faced by ‘poor’ Ofsted rating

Jaguar Land Rover, the British car manufacturer regularly lauded by ministers for its apprenticeship scheme, has been hit with a shock grade three rating after an Ofsted inspection. The Indian-owned firm received a ‘requires improvement’ score across the board for its dealership apprenticeship programme, for which it is an employer provider. The report will raise […]