@edgeuk.bsky.social
Edge is an independent foundation working to inspire education to give all young people across the UK the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to flourish in their future life and work.
Bold reviews only count if they learn from the past. As the Milburn Review gathers pace, @sorahgluck.bsky.social urges policymakers to move beyond short‑term fixes and fragmented reform—and face some hard truths about what has, and hasn’t, worked for young people. www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/th...
05.02.2026 09:59 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Read more from Andrea Laczik, Tessa Eriksen Grevle and Simon Hawthorn, as part of a collection essays based on the chapters in Learning Democracy in Vocational Education and Training in Europe: An Anthology, published by the Council of Europe, October 2025.
www.edge.co.uk/research/dem...
How can we promote greater democratic citizenship through vocational education and training?
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Edge Senior Research @joshpatel.bsky.social has recently published a new book, "Universities and the Purpose of Higher Education: Expansion and Development in Post-war Britain" with Routledge and the Society for Research in Higher Education
Find out more here:
www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
Get involved:
www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
#NAW2026
National Apprenticeships Week is next week & we’ll be celebrating apprenticeships at SMEs with #ApprenticeshipsWork. SMEs represent 99% of UK businesses and 60% of total employment but their engagement in apprenticeships has been flagging in recent years.
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...Originally developed as part of the 14-19 Diplomas – and now the only element of that programme still in place.
Edge Executive Director Olly Newton reflects on recent research into the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) over on our blog:
www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
Project-based learning is widely known for helping young people develop broad-based, interdisciplinary life skills that complement their academic education. One established example of this approach is the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)...
04.02.2026 09:11 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
"Apprentices are our pipeline, our currency – we get to develop the skills we need from day one".
Nicola Byrne, founder of Urban Calm in Liverpool shares her thoughts and experiences of Apprenticeships.
Read more here www.edge.co.uk/apprenticesh...
#ApprenticeshipsWork
Read more from Per-Åke Rosvall and Natasha Kersh here: www.edge.co.uk/research/dem...
03.02.2026 12:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Inclusion and Democratic Culture in VET go beyond physical access to classrooms or workplaces. It encompasses equity, belonging, and the meaningful participation of diverse learners - migrants, ethnic minorities, low-skilled adults, young NEETs, and others at risk of marginalisation.
03.02.2026 12:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Join us later this month as we explore the work of the award winning student-led Future Flames film production company based in Walsall College.
Future Flames is an in-house production company set up by the college’s media department.
More details here: www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
To find out more and how to be involved in Small Business Summer activities, please join the Amazing Apprenticeships launch webinar on Thursday 26th February 2026 and find out about the resources and ideas that could work in your setting. 👇
www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
Small Business Summer is the next stage in our #ApprenticeshipsWork campaign. It will be brought to you by Amazing Apprenticeships in collaboration with Edge Foundation.
02.02.2026 14:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Learning Democracy in Vocational Education and Training in Europe: An Anthology, is a selection of essays examining issues that contribute to the effective development of democratic competences among VET learners leading to democratic citizens.
Watch here:
vimeo.com/1146643761?f...
VocTech Activate grant applications closes tomorrow at 5pm.
VocTech Activate is the test bed, where the first spark of an idea can be developed, tested and deployed in the supportive environment that Ufi funding provides.
For more details and to apply 👉 ufi.co.uk/activate
@ufitrust.bsky.social
Something for the weekend...
Listen to the first of a new podcast series from Edge. "Insights from the Edge".
The first episode is hosted by Sorah Gluck with guests Laura-Jane Rawlings MBE DL and Ben Rowland looking ahead to what's coming up in FE and Skills.
open.spotify.com/episode/5Yjt...
Our world is changing rapidly, expansively and in ways that are impossible to keep up with; we believe that if education stands still then the future will outrun it.
Join us and Wellington School in March for 'Education for a Changing World'. More details here:
www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
...Read more from Eszter Csépe-Bannert who writes about In-company training as a driver of Democratic Competences in Europe, as part of the work on Democratic citizenship in Europe - a collection.
www.edge.co.uk/research/dem...
Across Europe, in-company training is more than a pathway to employability. It is also a potential foundation for strengthening democratic culture...
30.01.2026 10:07 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Alice Gardner, CEO of Edge, looks ahead to what 2026 may hold for our sector in FE News:
www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/lo...
The final months of 2025 brought a flurry of government announcements across FE and skills, from the Post-16 White Paper and apprenticeship assessment reforms to a new review of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs).
29.01.2026 15:56 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0"I joined the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network as a Level 3 Business Administration apprentice, in a team small enough that you quickly learn how things really work, with no option but to get stuck in".
Read Charlotte's story here:
www.edge.co.uk/apprenticesh...
#ApprenticeshipsWork
"I didn’t set out with a long-term career plan, but I applied for an apprenticeship because it felt like a good place to start," says Charlotte Jones, Head of Operations at Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network (GMLPN)...
29.01.2026 12:18 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
This work is part of our Democratic citizenship in Europe - a collection work.
www.edge.co.uk/research/dem...
...even though work itself is deeply shaped by political decisions."
Read more from Jörg Markowitsch and Stefan Schmid-Heher about Learning Democracy in Vocational Education: What teachers need to know and be able to do.
"Work and politics are widely seen as separate worlds, and in most workplaces heated political discussions are deliberately avoided. This separation is reflected in vocational education, where political questions are frequently seen as irrelevant or inappropriate,...
29.01.2026 09:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
English schools face a perfect storm: rising absenteeism, worsening mental health and growing SEND pressures. At the same time, recognition is growing that education must do more than deliver subject knowledge alone.
Read more here:
www.edge.co.uk/news-and-eve...
...Now it's your chance to find out more with a free webinar - What will the future of work look like, and how can we best prepare young people for it? -
Date: 4 February 2026
Time: 4:30-5:30pm (UK time)
Location: Zoom
Register for the webinar here: zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Edge Executive Director Oliver Newton was part of the strategic advisory board for the Skills Imperative 2035 project led by colleagues at @thenfer.bsky.social...
28.01.2026 11:48 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
