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15 April 2026

Tag: Damian Hinds

Hinds blames colleges as their share of apprenticeships slumps to 26 per cent

Apprenticeships delivered by colleges fell to just 26 per cent last year, according to analysis by FE Week, and education secretary Damian Hinds has accused colleges of “not winning enough” funding. When asked by the education select committee last week about financial constraints within the FE sector, Hinds blamed colleges for failing to secure more […]

Revealed: The 19 areas splitting £2.5m in careers hubs funding

The government has announced the names of 19 areas that will join its careers hubs programme, but they will split just half the amount of money handed out in the first round. Damian Hinds, the education secretary, said today that £2.5 million will go to 19 local enterprise partnerships across England. Between them they will […]

Pressure mounts on Hinds to explain £500m apprenticeship ‘alleged overspend’

The chair of the influential education select committee has urged the government to be “open and transparent” about a projected £500 million overspend on this year’s £2 billion apprenticeships budget, after the education secretary dodged a question about it in parliament yesterday. Robert Halfon asked Damian Hinds to confirm the figure – first raised by […]

Damian Hinds reacts to concerns that spend on apprenticeships is soaring

The education secretary didn’t deny that the apprenticeships budget is heading for a £500 million overspend this year, when he was quizzed about it by FE Week. Damian Hinds was asked whether he acknowledged the Institute for Apprenticeships’ concern, revealed in a presentation by its chief operating officer Robert Nitsch last week, that “we are […]

Hinds quick to show IfA support but fails to name employers in agreement

The education secretary was unable to name a single employer who supported the Institute for Apprenticeships in an interview with FE Week editor Nick Linford this week. Damian Hinds had arranged the interview while on his fact-finding trip to Germany and the Netherlands. He was asked if the English version of employer ownership was working, […]

Names of over 60 colleges involved in new careers hubs revealed

The names of more than 60 FE colleges set to play key roles in new hubs, which the education secretary Damian Hinds has said will transform careers education across England, have been unveiled. But question marks have been raised over how viable it will be for the colleges to implement the required changes, as the […]

Damian Hinds defends T-levels timetable to Education Committee

The education secretary has defended his decision not to delay the first T-levels, insisting the new qualifications are being introduced at a “good pace”. Damian Hinds appeared before the education select committee just two days after his top civil servant told the Public Accounts Committee that he still has contingency planning concerns regarding the tight […]