Local Area Reviews should be welcomed not feared
As one leading thinker on all things skills said to me last month, ‘This is the end of the world as we know it.’ An…
Nick Isles
Rehabilitating offenders is what FE does well
The Lord Chancellor emerged from his period of reading into his brief earlier this month. The Lord Chancellor being Michael Gove expectations were set high.…
New Government but same old story
Cuts will be the leitmotif of the next three years for FE. Quick off the mark, on 4 June, the new Chancellor (who happens to…
Now the dust has settled
So that was the election result no one saw coming. Certainly not the pollsters. We have a new political animal that has entered the menagerie…
Is cutting adult skills budgets the right move pre-election?
The answer to that question has to be a resounding no. Indeed it should be a resounding no at any time of year and especially…
The election so far
For those of us interested in such things the highlight of the general election campaign so far has been a couple of serious gaffs by…
2015: The year when coalition could turn into confusion
They’re off. The general election race has started and both the major parties start the year neck and neck in the polls. The latest You…
Low wage Britain – why colleges are the key to resolving the UK’s productivity challenge
The UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES) has hit the nail on the head. Their report last week, Growth through People, highlighted the fact…
What happens next?
In six months time we will have a new government. Whether it will be more of the same or a coalition of a different hue…
Why the next government must borrow to invest in skills
So the political party conference season has ended for another year. Having been an inveterate attender for too many years to mention what struck me…