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12 April 2026

Tag: FE

First evidence session grilling for Halfon on apprenticeships

The first parliamentary evidence session grilling for apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon will take place on Wednesday (November 2). The Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy hearing, starting at 9.30am, will be dedicated to apprenticeships. It is highly likely that Mr Halfon’s appearance will come after the government has updated the sector on […]

Strike cancelled after college gives compulsory redundancy assurance

Planned strike action at Hull College has been called off, after bosses gave assurances that there would not be compulsory redundancies. The strike had been due to take place yesterday (October 20) after being postponed from last week (October 13). But the University and College Union decided not to go ahead following “positive talks”, and […]

Exclusive: AoC India to close after 25 colleges quit

A college partnership network set up by the Association of Colleges to provide UK vocational education and training programmes to India is to close after losing over three quarters of its members. AoC India was established in 2012 as a partnership of 33 FE colleges, but after being left with just eight members this year […]

Ofqual boss urged to ‘fight’ for apprenticeship assessment watchdog role

“Stand up and fight” to become the apprenticeship assessment watchdog – that was the call to Ofqual’s boss from new Federation of Awarding Bodies chair Paul Eeles at conference today. The role has currently been laid at the door of the Skills Funding Agency, which has been slow to approve organisations to carry out new […]

Collab Group: Building on yesterday for tomorrow

Ian Pretty explains why the former 157 Group has changed its name. Ten years ago a group of colleges came together with a grand vision. These principals formed what would become the 157 Group, an organisation formed to showcase the best of what FE can be. Since then, the 157 Group has lived up to […]

Devolve FE funding to tackle post-Brexit skills gap, London mayor demands

Demands are being made by London mayor Sadiq Khan for devolution of all post-16 FE funding, to bridge post-Brexit skills gaps. His team announced today that he wants new powers to develop “a home-grown talent pipeline equipped” to help London’s businesses stay globally competitive. Key to this would be the “devolution of FE funding for […]

College asset stripping fears eased by area review guidance

Fears that private equity firms could be allowed to asset strip failed colleges have been eased, with the publication of key area review documents by the Department for Education. A draft version of one of the documents – the due diligence framework – seen by FE Week in June included ‘Acquisition of an FE college […]

EU students will be eligible for English FE loans in 2016/17

Students from the European Union who want to study with an English FE provider in 2017/18 will still be eligible for advanced learner loans, regardless of when Brexit takes place. The government announced this morning that EU learners applying for a place at an English “FE institutions or universities in 2017/18 will continue to be […]