colleges | FE Week

Could private training provider cash-in after college sell-off?

A national training provider could step-in to become the only education provider in Stourbridge, after the area’s FE college is sold-off. Skills Training UK, which currently trains more than 2,000 learners across London, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Brighton, said it would launch the new the centre for 16-18-year-olds “subject to demand”. Cash-strapped Birmingham Metropolitan College […]

Colleges fail to win any OfS mental health funding

All three college bids for a £6 million fund to help reduce student mental health problems have been rejected. Instead, ten universities have been chosen to share the cash on offer from the Office for Students, along with co-funding of £8.5 million to develop “innovative” projects. The call was open to both universities and colleges, […]

Ofsted watch: Two providers straight in with ‘good’ in uneventful week for FE

One specialist college and a private provider received a grade two rating in their first ever Ofsted inspections, in what was otherwise an average week in the FE sector. The only critical report came in for an NHS trust, after inspectors found it was making ‘insufficient progress’ in an early monitoring visit of its apprenticeship […]

AoC Sport National Championships: south east reigns victorious

The southeast retained the coveted Wilkinson Sword trophy when it stormed to victory for the third successive year at last weekend’s AoC sport national championships. The battle for the top spot was once again with their neighbouring rivals, the southwest, but the southeast proved too strong, finishing 42 points ahead. Coming in third was the […]

Ofsted watch: Solid start to the summer term for most providers

The summer term has kicked off on a solid footing with two colleges and one university being graded ‘good’ while one dance and drama college was rated ‘outstanding’. However, the good news was slightly overshadowed by two ‘inadequate’ full inspections and three ‘insufficient’ monitoring visits. Liverpool Theatre School & College Limited was upgraded to ‘outstanding’ […]

Revealed: The winners and losers in the £170m Institutes of Technology competition

The Department for Education has today unveiled the colleges and universities in line for a share of £170m in capital funding and a licence to be named an Institute of Technology. One day after FE Week reported delays in its competition process, due for announcement last month, the department revealed the names of the first […]

Ofsted watch: UTC jumps from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’

A university technical college was celebrating this week after it climbed its way up from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’, while six other providers also secured grade two ratings. But the week wasn’t without its lows, as one provider dropped to ‘inadequate’, three received ‘insufficient’ ratings in early monitoring reports, and another fell from grade one to […]

Revealed: The 16 members of the ‘College of the Future’ commission

The 16 people that will form an independent commission to set out a “new vision” for colleges in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been revealed. The commission on the “College of the Future” will be chaired by Sir Ian Diamond, chair of Edinburgh College’s management board, and also features BBC broadcaster Steph McGovern, […]

Half of college strikes planned for this week called off

Half of the 10 strikes planned at colleges across the country this week have either been suspended or called off. The University and College Union told FE Week that Bridgwater and Taunton has settled its dispute ahead of action that was due to start tomorrow, joining New College Swindon, which on Friday announced it had […]