The percentage of 18-year-olds in England applying to university has set a new record, according to Ucas figures. An analysis of applications for full-time undergraduate courses starting in September 2019 at UK universities shows that in England a record 38.8 per cent of the 18-year-old population have applied. Read More ..  

The number of apprenticeship standards approved for delivery is set to hit 400 next week, a little over a year after the Institute for Apprenticeships vowed to get ‘faster and better’. The milestone also comes just six months after it passed the 300 mark, and two months ahead of the institute’s own target date of April 2019. Read More 

Twenty-three leading figures from the FE and skills sector have been recognised in the Queen’s New Year honours, published today. These included one CBE, 10 OBEs, 11 MBEs and one British Empire medal – but no knighthoods or dames. Lynsi Hayward-Smith, a trustee for the Education and Training Foundation, received a CBE in recognition for her services to FE. The...

Further education has a hero in Ryan Sinclair, one of the Time Lord's new companions. And his NVQ skills come in handy It’s been a good week for further education thanks to the Love Our Colleges campaign, where FE has become a little bit more visible to the world outside of our sector. The exhausting irony is that there isn't...

More leaders at small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) think colleges are better placed than universities to deliver skills Colleges are seen as best-suited to deliver the skills needed for a post-Brexit workforce by almost half of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a survey suggests. Read More https://www.tes.com/news/smes-favour-colleges-deliver-post-brexit-skills

A new report suggests colleges and universities should build closer links to help student choice Closer partnerships between colleges and universities can help students make choices “best suited to their educational needs,” a new report suggests. In its Routes to High-level Skills report, Universities UK, the organisation representing vice-chancellors, said there was growing and diverse collaboration between HE, FE and...

Colleges around the world would benefit from a shared vision of their purpose, place and status, writes David Hughes It’s Sunday morning and around 30 people have made it along the banks of the Yarra to the plush and swanky PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) offices in Melbourne. We’re in a stunning room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city and river...

Anyone who doubts the power of lifelong learning should see for themselves what impact it can have, writes David Hughes I’ve got my own tale of two cities to share with you this week from personal experiences in a cathedral city (which will remain nameless) over the past couple of months. On a sunny and hot day in July, I was...

Spending too much time with your favourite students means their classmates miss out, writes Tom Starkey Although it can sometimes be a bit of a task, I try to give the learners in my class as close to an equal proportion of my time during a lesson as I can. It’s not the easiest of things to do given that...

A new report from the 5% Club calls for a bigger role for work experience in schools and colleges Improving the quality of work experience and careers advice in schools and colleges is critical to enabling social mobility, a new report states. The 5% Club is a membership organisation of employers committed to increasing the number of “earn and learn” skills training...

Competitions such as EuroSkills are vital to ensure that the UK has the skills it needs after Brexit, says Neil Bentley With less than a month until the start of EuroSkills Budapest 2018, the results from the latest Labour Productivity report makes for a sobering read. Although productivity slightly increased compared with the same quarter a year ago, the data still...

Engaging adults who are ‘not interested in learning’ is just as important as launching new schemes, says Fiona Aldridge Levels of employment are at a record high and unemployment rates at an historic low, with labour-market statistics showing just 1.6 unemployed people per vacancy. Read Full Story https://www.tes.com/news/engaging-adults-learning-critical

The AoC is calling for support in its efforts to secure funding to play a leading role in the UK post-Brexit, says David Hughes As MPs return to Westminster, I sincerely hope that they can save a little bit of headspace to think about some of the big domestic issues that confront them. They will be sorely distracted by the...

Researchers said almost one in ten of those they asked felt they could not afford to enrol on a training course High-cost courses and fears over finances are creating barriers to adults who would like to go back into education. The Department for Education published two reports authored by the Learning and Work Institute on adult participation in education: Barriers...

The post-18 review panel will publish its report in around six months time. So what does the review mean for the FE sector? In February, the government announced its review of post-18 education and funding. But while some fear it may be focused on the university sector here is all you need to know about what the review actually is...

Nowadays, employers are looking for candidates with strong leadership, interpersonal, analytical and critical thinking skills in addition to technical expertise. This calls for action on the part of the learners to identify and develop these key skills that make them stand out in this competitive job market. Effective Communication: Try to understand what matters to the people around you. Good...

Results published The long awaited A-level results were published on August 16, 2018. Although the overall pass rate has fallen down to 97.6% from 97.9% last year, the highest proportion of As and A*s have been awarded this year since 2012, amid changes toughening the exams in England. The key stats represent 26.4% of entries scored A or A* as...

A-level students have been awarded the highest proportion of As and A*s since 2012, amid changes toughening the exams in England. Some 26.4% of exams have been awarded these top grades this year - but the proportion gaining A* to C dropped to 78.4% from 79% last year. England's exams regulator has said the results show a steady national picture...

Further education offers routes to achieve your goals, regardless of how you do in GCSE and A level Exam results season is almost upon us. Our newspapers and TV screens will soon be filled with pictures of happy young people celebrating their results. Quite right, too. They’ve worked really hard for them. It’s also important that we stress that there...

Teenagers have a better understanding of the digital world than we do; however it is important to educate them on this 21st century essential skill to thrive in today’s digital world. The younger generations are ignorant of a life without smart phones, Google or Social Media. Social networks have become a vital part of one’s daily life. The learners must be aware...

However serious the flaws in the levy's design are, they can be fixed, says the CBI's John Cope Despite good intentions, the apprenticeship levy hasn’t had the easiest of beginnings. Apprenticeship starts were 39 per cent down in April compared with the same period in 2016 – the clearest sign yet that we’re some way from having a system that...

September is around the corner – the start of a new term for existing learners and the start of a new academic year for our new learners. We do care for you and here are some well-being tips for you to rejuvenate yourself. Take a Break Disconnect yourself from computers, laptops, mobile phones and do things you love to do...

As the A Level students across the UK are looking forward to the Results Day, a momentous day that marks the close of their school life and the start of a new milestone in their lives, emotions will be very high and mixed on 16 th August 2018. If you manage to get the results you need for a concrete...

One of the objectives of the government is to widen participation across both further and higher education, particularly to enrol 50% of the population into higher education before the age of 30. The main reason for educational institutions to be interested in online learning is that it offers a wide range of benefits to the learners in terms of ongoing...

Further education (FE) in the UK and Ireland is referred to as the education received at secondary school, which is quite different from the Higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. The nonfinancial outcomes of Further Education outweigh the financial benefits, which is demonstrated through better employment prospects and earnings. Continuing to learn after leaving full-time education helps one to improve self-esteem...

Today sees the launch of Skills for Londoners: A Skills and Adult Education Strategy for London by mayor Sadiq Khan. The strategy document says that the mayor “aspires to create a single, integrated skills and adult education offer for London to deliver a more strategic, whole-system approach to post-16 skills”. The devolution of the adult education budget in 2019 is described as...

Grammar school-educated minister was previously at the Department for Work and Pensions Damian Hinds has replaced Justine Greening as education secretary. His appointment comes after his predecessor spent two-and-a-half hours inside 10 Downing Street, after which she resigned. Reportedly, Ms Greening refused to be moved to the Department for Work and Pensions. As well as being a former member of...

Outstanding apprentices and employers honoured for their commitment to the apprenticeships programme Apprenticeships took centre stage last night at an awards ceremony recognising the hard work of apprentices and their employers. The National Apprenticeship Awards, now in its 14th year, was held at the Grosvenor House hotel in central London. The event’s organisers said the winners represent excellence in two...

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to expand the number of apprenticeship places, which will allow nursing associates to qualify as fully registered nurses. The measures are to be part of what he called “the biggest expansion of nurse training in the history or the NHS”. Ahead of his speech to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester today, a target of 5,500...

Theresa May spelled out plans to create a first class technical education system for the first time in our nation’s history, in a difficult speech to conference. The Prime Minister, who has a cold and was struggling to make herself heard, spoke about her high hopes for the government’s FE reform agenda. She stressed the need to invest the same...