FE Week

Apprentice minimum wage to rise to £8 New hourly rate will apply from April 2026, chancellor set to announce at tomorrow’s budget

The minimum hourly wage for apprentices will be boosted to £8 next April, the chancellor has announced feweek.co.uk/apprentice-m...

Royal recognition: 4 colleges win top national prize Queen Elizabeth Prizes announced for disruptive construction training, AI-powered ESOL, automotive skills leadership and an SME innovator

🏆 Four colleges have been named among the winners of the 2025 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education

feweek.co.uk/royal-recogn...

Intervention programmes can be effective – but only if staff consider student motivations, make themselves available and speak with one voice
Carla Campbell, LSEC

A deep dive feature on pressures facing NEET provision, from pastoral care demands to an instable employability market and restrictive funding rules ⬇️

White paper asks colleges to do more with less, says IFS Top economists warn that the government's further education and skills reform plans 'do not add up to a coherent strategy'

😳 Colleges are being asked to do more with less, says the IFS, in new analysis of the government's white paper reforms vs funding

feweek.co.uk/white-paper-...

📰 FE Week Weekly News Update

Check out this week's news summary. If you still need to register for our newsletter updates, you can sign-up at the below link.

🔗 mailchi.mp/mkt.educatio...

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 513 Our FE movers this week have had several star-studded encounters including Nicole Kidman, Samuel L. Jackson and Boyzone

🍿 Our FE movers this week have had several star-studded encounters including Nicole Kidman, Samuel L. Jackson and Boyzone

feweek.co.uk/movers-and-s...

'Only a small number of colleges deliver transnational education'
Dr Rossi Vogler of the British Council on how transnational education could be a powerful tool for exporting UK FE teaching expertise

'Fragmentation is holding everyone back'
Lindsay Conroy, The 5% Club on what's really putting off employers from training

What are you doing during 1-5 December to celebrate #ThePowerofSpecialistFE movement?

#SpecialistFEWorksForMe

England's three YOIs fail 15-hour education requirement None of England’s young offender institutions provided children in their care with the education they were entitled to during the last three years reveals probe

👮 None of England’s young offender institutions provided children in their care with the education they were entitled to during the last three years, an FE Week probe has revealed
feweek.co.uk/englands-thr...

'Every extra field or keystroke added to the enrolment process has a real and significant cost'
@ipryce.bsky.social on the unforseen consequences of the skills white paper's plans for autoenrolment

Business backlash builds over ‘dumbed down’ apprenticeships Ministers are facing a “tsunami” of employer backlash against their apprenticeship assessment reforms that are being “bulldozed” through despite widespread safety fears. FE Week understands that…

Investigation: Ministers are facing a 'tsunami' of employer backlash against their apprenticeship assessment reforms that are being 'bulldozed' through despite widespread safety fears feweek.co.uk/business-bac...

🗞️This week's FE Week front page:

Business backlash builds over ‘dumbed down’ apprenticeships assessment plans
&
What it really takes to stop a young person becoming NEET

Subscribe | feweek.co.uk/subscribe/

#TomorrowsPapersToday

Reverse adult education cuts now, protesters tell MPs Hundreds of adult education advocates lobby MPs to pay attention to funding cuts

🪧 Around 400 adult learners and college lecturers descended on Parliament this week to demand their MPs seek a reversal of adult education funding cuts

feweek.co.uk/reverse-adul...

Ofsted deputy chief Matthew Coffey to retire The former FE teacher will leave Ofsted next month after nearly 30 years in senior inspection roles

🆕 Ofsted's deputy chief inspector Matthew Coffey - whose career began as an FE teacher - will retire next month after nearly 30 years in senior education inspection roles

feweek.co.uk/ofsted-deput...

'Beyond the awareness week, The Power of Specialist FE is a movement'
Clare Howard, @natspec.bsky.social on the new campaign that puts FE SEND specialists centre stage
@plmr.education

New Ofsted inspection process is FE sector’s ‘chance to shine’, says Oliver Watchdog also reveals it will publish first report cards in batches ‘so no one feels exposed’

✨ Ofsted’s refreshed approach to inspection and new focus on inclusion represents a 'chance to shine' for the FE sector, chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver has told college leaders feweek.co.uk/new-ofsted-i...

'Every outsourced role is one less chance for UK talent to gain experience'
Sarah Beale, AAT on how accountants' roles are evolving, and training needs to catch up

Finalists revealed for 2025 Good for Me Good for FE awards Judges have selected 24 college staff, students and projects for this year's awards

🏆Finalists for this year's Good for Me Good FE awards have just been announced at AoC conference.

Find out who has made the shortlist 👇

feweek.co.uk/finalists-re...

UCU ballot results: 32 colleges vote to strike over pay and workload Pay deals were agreed at a further 17 colleges during the ballot window

🪧Teachers at 32 FE colleges have voted to strike over pay and workload

feweek.co.uk/ucu-ballot-r...

LSIPs 2.0: Colleges and universities told to pool knowledge New guidance builds on white paper pledge for ‘more coherent’ post-16 pathways

🔀 Further and higher education leaders will be expected to share employer intelligence, research on local skills needs and details about training provision with each other under new local skills improvement plan guidance published by Skills England today

feweek.co.uk/lsips-2-0-co...

'How can evidence be trusted in a world awash with AI?'
AI is also being used against teachers. It’s only a matter of time before lives are ruined.
David Murray, Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College

FE colleges take £20m slice of OfS capital funding 134 colleges awarded a fifth of £92m pot to 'address the government’s industrial strategy and priority sectors'

🛠️ The Office for Students has announced 134 colleges will receive over £20 million in funding to invest in their buildings, facilities and equipment

feweek.co.uk/fe-colleges-...

Letter to the editor: Protecting British values in education As college leaders, we call on the sector to speak out, protect learners and defend British values against far-right attacks on and off campus

✍️LETTER TO THE EDITOR ✍️

'In recent weeks, each of us has witnessed attempts to sow division in our communities, particularly the targeting of migrants and minority groups. We feel compelled to speak out against ugly racist attacks, reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s.'

feweek.co.uk/letter-to-th...

Performance Through People bought by chamber of commerce ‘Business-as-usual’ after training provider deal is announced

🤝 A Walsall-based training firm has been bought by a local chamber of commerce to expand its reach across the West Midlands

feweek.co.uk/performance-...

South Devon job cuts turned college finances to 'small surplus' A college in financial intervention has turned its deficit budget into a surplus after a 'significant restructure' that resulted in more than 60 job losses

📈 A college in financial intervention has turned its deficit budget into a surplus after a 'significant restructure' that resulted in more than 60 job losses, according to the FE Commissioner
feweek.co.uk/south-devon-...

Newbury College considers merger after FEC intervention A Berkshire college is exploring merger options after struggling with “serious cashflow pressures” that triggered government intervention this summer

🔀 Newbury College is exploring merger options after struggling with 'serious cashflow pressures' that triggered government intervention this summer

feweek.co.uk/newbury-coll...

'We can’t rely on plastic cards and good intentions'
Paul Devlin, @causewaysol.bsky.social on the need for digital skills passports in construction

'This college is the love of my life’
West London College principal Karen Redhead on fighting for her college, fairness and FE