Gordon Marsden | FE Week

Technical and FE bill passes: what does it mean for the sector?

The Technical and Further Education Bill received final clearance from the House of Lords this afternoon, and it is expected to be granted royal assent within the next few days. A major consequence of this will be the introduction of an insolvency regime for colleges, which could for the first time allow them to go […]

Gordon Marsden lays out Labour’s FE policy objectives

Labour would establish an official pre-apprenticeship programme, and support apprenticeships for care leavers, veterans and people with disabilities, according to the shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden. During his speech at the Annual Apprenticeships Conference, Mr Marsden made clear his support for technical education, and hit out at “the lack of adequate resources” the government is […]

Will the Institute for Apprenticeships succeed?

National Apprenticeship Week isn’t just a government thing. Labour’s shadow apprenticeships minister Gordon Marsden also got in on the action, and went on a great British tour of his own, as he explains below. During National Apprenticeship Week we are rightly able to celebrate the thousands of individual successes from young beginners to older workers […]

Marsden ‘very disappointed’ as assurances on IfA announcements fail to deliver

Delays to the release of key details about the Institute for Apprenticeships are “very disappointing” evidence of a “haphazard” approach from the government, shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden has said. In a Public Bill Committee hearing on November 22, Peter Lauener, shadow chief executive of the IfA (pictured right), suggested to Mr Marsden that information […]

Institute for Apprenticeships questions dodged, says Gordon Marsden

The government’s handling of the new Institute for Apprenticeships has been “shambolic” according to shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden, after it evaded a series of parliamentary enquiries about its capacity. He says that questions he asked about staffing, resources and appointments in a letter posted on November 1 were dodged. His queries were prompted by […]

Marsden survives Labour party reshuffle

The “indefatigable” shadow minister for higher education, FE and skills has kept his post, following a Labour party reshuffle. Gordon Marsden has held onto the role since September 2015, when he moved over from the transport department, and was praised by Jeremy Corbyn during an exclusive interview with FE Week back in February. The Labour […]