ESFA | FE Week

ESFA insists the apprenticeship budget is not under pressure

The top apprenticeship civil servant has sought to reassure the sector after fears were raised of a budget overspend this year, as part of a wide-ranging interview with FE Week. Keith Smith, director of apprenticeships at the ESFA, said he was “not expecting any pressures” on the £2 billion budget this year, in response to […]

ESFA finally launches ‘tougher’ apprenticeship provider register

The “tougher” register of apprenticeship training providers has finally reopened, more than a year after the last window closed. It’s now open indefinitely – meaning that providers can apply on a rolling basis, rather than having to wait for an application window. It comes almost 15 months after the Education and Skills Funding Agency revealed […]

Sixth form funding rates to remain unchanged in 2019/20

Funding rates for 16 to 19-year-olds will remain unchanged next year, the government has confirmed – prompting disappointment from the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association, which has been fighting for extra cash. A letter from Peter Mucklow, FE director at the Education and Skills Funding Agency, published today, said that “the national base rates of £4,000 […]

IfA and ESFA in listening mode about apprenticeship concerns at FAB conference

The bosses of the Institute for Apprenticeships and the Education and Skills Funding Agency were in listening mode today, as they acknowledged there were points they needed to “learn from” about apprenticeship assessment. Sir Gerry Berragan and Eileen Milner’s speeches on the second day of the Federation of Awarding Bodies conference followed a panel discussion […]

3aaa co-founders still own the company despite resignations

The co-founders of crisis-hit Aspire Achieve Advance have remained as the apprenticeship giant’s majority owners despite resigning as directors, FE Week can reveal. Peter Marples and Di McEvoy-Robinson, who were the company’s chief executive and main director respectively until last week, had their terminations of directorships confirmed on Companies House this morning. Since their resignations […]

Revealed: The 6 apprenticeship providers banned from taking new recruits

Six new apprenticeship providers have been barred from taking on new apprentices after early monitoring visits found them to be making ‘insufficient progress’, the Education and Skills Agency has confirmed. The penalties are revealed in the latest update to the register of apprenticeship training providers, dated September 10, which now includes a column titled ‘provider not […]

UVAC demands special treatment for degree apprenticeships

The University Vocational Awards Council is demanding special treatment for universities offering degree apprenticeships, following the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s recent decision to extend existing non-levy contracts by a year. The body, which represents HE institutes delivering vocational training, is claiming that degree apprenticeship provision has been hit the hardest by the move […]

Ofsted given final say over new apprenticeship provider quality

Ofsted has officially been given the final say over poor-performing apprenticeship providers following an early monitoring visit, the Education and Skills Funding Agency has confirmed today. FE Week reported back in May that the move was on the cards, following embarrassment for the government over apprenticeship accountability. According to the ESFA’s ‘Removal from register of […]

North-east training provider on the verge of collapse

A training provider in the north-east that held subcontracts worth more than £3 million last year is on the verge of collapse. JB Skills Training Limited, based in Sunderland, is in talks about bringing in the administrators, according to its managing director Dave Macmillan. He told FE Week it was “highly likely” the provider would […]