FE News on the go

The facts speak for themselves on the link between health and wealth, and the root causes for vulnerable populations being unemployed. An IPPR study reveals that 25% of economically inactive individuals reside in the 50 areas in England with high poor health, indicating a “double injustice” with lower household income and higher poverty. ONS statistics show those in deprived areas are 1.5 times mo...

A significant gender gap persists in many STEM fields. To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we look at how early intervention and collaboration between the private, charity and education sectors can accelerate progress towards gender parity and inclusion.11 February marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science: the UN’s annual day dedicated to promoting the full and eq...

Local further education colleges are ‘the way to go’ for studying towards a foundation degree, HNC or HND and provide an alternative pathway to traditional universities, opening doors to education for many who might face barriers in pursuing higher education through conventional means. Here, Gower College Swansea Chief Executive, Mark Jones, shares his thoughts. Last Autumn saw Gower College Swans...

In this article, Andy Forbes, Head of Development at the Lifelong Education Institute, celebrates apprenticeships but expresses concerns about the apprenticeship levy. Despite its significant funding impact, four urgent issues need to be addressed. National Apprenticeship Week is here again, providing an opportunity for us all to celebrate the achievements of the half a million apprentices working...

Sharon Blyfield, Head of Early Careers at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners discusses how we can come together to break down the barriers in the Early Careers space, including functional skills, to increase the apprenticeship completion rate and reach the Government’s targets.2024 marks a milestone year for Early Careers at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners as we celebrate a decade since the introductio...

How digitisation is helping City & Guilds close the skills gap for learners and employersSkills development has the power to change lives and build workforces but for learning and development efforts to succeed it’s vital that we embrace new technologies to elevate the standards of the training we deliver. One area in which City & Guilds is proud to have emerged as a pioneering force is th...

As leading prison education provider Novus marks its 30th anniversary, Managing Director Peter Cox reflects on three decades of delivering programmes to hard-to-reach learners – and looks forward to another 30 years of innovationOver the last three decades, the prison education sector has changed beyond recognition. What started out as a low-key provision run by the former HM Prison Service under...

In the third of five articles for FE News themed around their Skills Means Growth vision for a sustainable skills system, AELP outlines how we can deliver a simplified, high-quality apprenticeship system in this exclusive column by their Director of Policy, Simon Ashworth. National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a great time to celebrate apprenticeships and the transformational impact they have on l...

This article discusses the importance of a national skills strategy in the UK, focusing on regional needs, flexibility in policies, and the role of local authorities and metro mayors in addressing skills shortages. In the UK there are 10 million people who are digitally excluded and lacking basic skills, in a post-pandemic world where our ways of working and living have changed, this has a huge im...

While apprenticeships are known for the benefits they bring to individuals, employers and the economy, apprentices tell us they want more support to achieve the best outcome. In this article, we look at exactly what they need and how we can do more to support them. IntroductionWe know that apprenticeships play a crucial role in work-based learning. They provide learners with choice and opportunity...

Last month the Lords Education for 11-16 Year Olds Committee published its long-awaited report on the education system for secondary school-age children. And the overall message is clear – change is needed. Requiring ImprovementThe report, titled ‘Requiring Improvement’, bemoans the undue focus on academic learning and written exams in English secondary schools. It argues this is limiting opportun...

In the first entry of her ‘Diary of an Apprentice’ series, Sakina Khan details her experience of beginning a Level 7 apprenticeship later in life, discussing her desire to pave the way for others as well as the challenge of balancing studying alongside her role as Innovation Project Manager at NCFE.Starting a new chapter in life can be both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. It’s a grey morning in N...

Building an apprenticeship scheme that meets individual and organisational needs whilst fully utilising the Apprentice Levy is no easy task. I know that we are not alone in trying to do this but we are quite pleased with how it is going and wanted to share some of what we have learned so far. The PieceThe dictionary definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. At Travis Perkin...

“Skills for Life” is both an inspirational and very appropriate theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week. The half-life of skills is shrinking making continuous learning essential. In this article, Jenny explains how apprenticeships can help individuals and organisations fill the growing skills gap.“Skills for Life” is a very inspirational theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship We...

Skills Minister Robert Halfon MP shares his thoughts on National Apprenticeship Week 2024.This National Apprenticeship Week, I want to reflect on what government, businesses and educators have achieved together in the remarkable growth of high quality apprenticeships. For over a decade, this government has been striving to make high quality the feature that distinguishes these qualifications, what...

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive, City & Guilds reflects on the positive value of apprenticeships to learners and the economy. She focuses on how apprenticeships can address skills gaps, and change lives and offers insight on challenges in increasing apprenticeship uptake as well as changing public perception of the value of an apprenticeship and ensuring that the apprenticeships work for...

Eight years on from the launch of the Apprenticeship Levy, and billions are still going unspent while industry struggles with skills gaps. Anna Clarke, director of employer engagement and partnerships at Milton Keynes College Group, says it’s time for reform. As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, colleges across the land will also be bemoaning the struggles we all have with the Levy. Would...

Stuart explores how micro-credentials are currently being utilised within the UK and discusses how the vocational education sector is currently not as engaged as the higher education space. Stuart provides a way forward for the sector to more fully engage and explores the benefits of doing so. Micro-Credentials in the UK Higher Education SectorMicro-credentials has been a term de jour for years no...

Our relationship with QA isn’t always a comfortable one. That’s worth exploring both as a sector and within each organisation to get the most from our investment in time and energy. At its best, a feature of governance; informing strategic decision-making, underpinning quality improvement, and building capacity. I’ve thought a lot about why quality assurance in education seems to set itself apart...

Sweden’s economy faces challenges due to global economic disruptions and inflationary trends. Innovative employability strategies are crucial to navigate these challenges effectively. Understanding Sweden’s Current Economic LandscapeAs we step into 2024, Sweden’s economy, renowned for its resilience and innovative prowess, faces a unique set of challenges. Characterised by a robust welfare state a...

In this final article from the series of being, belonging and flourishing as a Further Education professional, Annie explores how FE professionals flourish in research networks. She is joined by Dr Adam Dwight and Ray Truby who hosted the third iteration of the ‘Hear Me, See Me’ FE Research Conference, at City of Wolverhampton College on Thursday 23rd November 2023, a space where professionals in...

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will transform access to education at levels 4 to 6, enabling people to train, retrain and upskill flexibly over their working lives. It will replace the current student finance system – allowing people much more freedom to choose how and when to fund the education and training they need. Under the LLE, loan funding can be used for a much greater range of co...

Sharon Blyfield, Head of Early Careers at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners reflects on 2023 and discusses why businesses that offer apprenticeships have a duty to guide their new recruits further than just offering the job, including equipping apprentices with financial skills. Reflecting back on 2023, it has been a great year for the early careers landscape. We’ve continued to see the general attit...

In an evolving educational landscape leveraging technologies and fostering collaboration are crucial, for driving positive transformations in the education sector. Holding extensive potential to that – is data management. In his latest article, Go Live Data CEO Adam Herbert, explores how data management can help revolutionise education, contributing to a more personalised and efficient learning ex...

In this article, Kat discusses the important of understanding the differences between filtering and monitoring tools to help protect students onlineTechnology brings huge opportunities for educating young people, with 97% of students accessing the internet either at home, school or elsewhere, online activity is now an essential part of all students’ college and social life. However, it can also br...