Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 731, 3rd February 2024: Avoiding the Quality Assurance Rut.. and what is happening in Sweden?

This is the weekly e-newsletter and e-journal brought to you by FE News: ISSN 2732-4095. We know life is busy, so here is a snapshot of the latest announcements and epic thought leadership articles, from sector influencers and cool thinkers across FE and Skills this week on FE News.

The countdown to National Apprenticeship Week

First up.. the countdown to National Apprenticeship Week is upon us. I know it is really busy period for everyone... so don't worry, if you want to keep up with the latest (we have a LOT of content planned for next week)... here is a dedicated #NAW2024 tag page. Also... thanks to everyone for the positive response to my LinkedIn post on the importance of NAW... we don't bang on about it.. but we don't just talk about Apprenticeships, the majority of the FE News team are on Apprenticeships. Talk it cheap in my mind! At FE News we live it! So thanks for all of your positive responses to LI on my post. Thank you!

So back to Soundbite... wow, what a range of cool content.

Exclusive thought leadership this week on FE News

I loved Lou Doyle's article: Avoiding the Quality Assurance Rut: Strategies for Success. Scott Parkin wrote another corker... with insights on employability in Sweden. Talking about NAW.. and living it... loved this article by Sharon Blyfield on Supporting Apprentices from an employer's perspective.

We also had fantastic exclusive articles from Stuart Martin on the value of credentials and Annie Pendrey wrote a great piece on Flourishing as an FE Professional. I always love a joint article... this is cracker from Rachel Cooper and Beth Chaudhary on The Lifelong Learning Entitlement and IfATE’s Role.

Top 3 for Jan 24

Every month we have the Top 3 on FE News. This is our Top 3 thought leadership articles from the month. Congrats to Prof Tom Bewick who was the most popular thought leader on FE News in Jan 24, second up was Jack McDougall and in third was Lou Doyle (Lou getting into Soundbite twice this week!).

Announcements, reports and stuff that is good to put on your radar

Sometimes it is hard enough to keep on top of your emails... let alone some major or interesting announcements that may have slipped under the radar during a busy week. So here are some of my 'put on your radar' announcements that I think could be worth a look at:

The Advanced British Standard must be backed by FE investment, says AoC

Removing barriers faced by teachers of colour essential for career progression – Sector Response

Lack of Incentives for SMEs and Organisations Hiring Under-19s Causes Steep Decline in Apprenticeship Starts

So I hope you enjoy FE Soundbite this week.... and enjoy National Apprenticeship Week.. be loud, be proud and celebrate our Apprentices, our employers... and most importantly each other. A unified sector is important for #BrandFE! So let's cheer each other in this week, loud and proud! NAW is a week, but we know the importance of living this on the daily! So go for it next week!

Gavin O'Meara

CEO and Founder

www.fenews.co.uk and www.fecareers.co.uk