Cabinet reshuffle – what does this mean for education?
This week has seen a flurry of ministerial movements across government and PM David Cameron has commented that he is proud to lead “a fresh…
FE Archive
FE welcomes Nick Boles as new Skills Minister
Nick Boles, who was Minister for Planning and Development, has been promoted to Minister of State for Skills, Enterprise and Equalities in today’s cabinet reshuffle.…
More ambition and less celebration – thoughts from the first Education Reform Summit
“Inspiration, ambition and celebration” – the three words chosen as the theme for the inaugural Education Reform Summit. Hosted by the Education Foundation, the summit…
Lesson observation: how trustworthy are graded observations?
Recently, graded lesson observations of the type used in England’s FE colleges have come under attack, but are the alarms that have been raised really…
Inventing the future: transforming STEM economies
“Technology is shattering and transforming in equal measure. No one can avoid it. Least of all educators.” Scientists can already map out the human genome.…
Skills training up 40 per cent on Welfare reforms
The number of benefit claimants training to improve their skills soared by nearly 40 per cent between the 2011/12 and 2012/13 academic years, according to…
Implementing WHY in FE
My recent article The answer to FE problems is “Why?” seemed to resonate with many people. Those that phoned and emailed me wanted to know…
Wales unifies FE employment contracts
Employers and trade unions in FE colleges in Wales have agreed to introduce a national contract for staff across the sector in a first for…
Calling all future female engineers
Strong female engineering role models can be found throughout recent history. While historically engineering has been a male dominated profession, there have always been and…
Quality procurement should be a priority for FE – in good times and bad
Despite various reports claiming an improved financial outlook for the UK, most economists are still trying to manage expectations. The fact that interest rates are…