Skip to content
16 April 2026

Tag: independent training providers

Brenda McLeish, chief executive, Learning Curve Group

From PA to chief executive, Brenda McLeish has risen through the ranks to run one of the country’s largest and most successful training companies, grabbing numerous awards and accolades in the process. Trading conditions in the training sector are tougher than ever, but that won’t stop the ‘purple people’ from going for growth, she tells […]

Sharron Robbie, managing director, Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network

Sharron Robbie, managing director of the Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network, has her feet firmly in both the colleges and ITP camps. Can she get her unique cross-sector voice heard at a national level? Training provider networks are perhaps the unsung heroes of FE. Ministers new to the sector quickly learn there are independent […]

A plea to independent training providers – make your voices heard 

Some ITPs may have small or no marketing departments, but many are very keen to get learner and staff voices into the press, writes Nicki Hay  You may have seen my interview in last week’s edition of FE Week. It was great to have the opportunity to talk about my previous experiences and my vision […]

Despite the risks, training providers must grasp devolution

Combined authorities might favour ‘bricks and mortar’ provision so training providers need to be ready, writes Jane Hickie On Thursday next week, large parts of the country will get to vote in this year’s local elections. Many areas will elect their councillors, and in South Yorkshire there will also be a metro mayor election. While […]

Martin Dunford, chair, Association of Employment and Learning Providers

Martin Dunford, chair and a co-founder of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, is retiring from the role. He reflects on the many policy shifts AELP has achieved over the years “So one day I got this fax through. It was a fax to the ten largest training providers to say, ‘Why don’t we […]

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 […]

Speedy Ofsted criticism of provider just months after multi-million pound purchase

A new provider that was allowed to recruit over 1,000 apprentices before being inspected has been found making ‘insufficient progress’ by Ofsted in a monitoring visit.  Prospects Training International Limited trades as Geason Training and was acquired by Speedy, one of the UK’s leading tool hire services company, in a deal worth up to £26 […]