Even though we know very little about the big skills shift to DWP, there was a fair bit to pack into this week's coverage: what's moving over? what's the secretary of state's vision? What's at stake? And what exactly are the risks and opportunities here? feweek.co.uk/neets-top-mc...

Some helpful questions and considerations re the skills brief shifting to DWP/"Growth Dept"

Breaking: Keir Starmer has shifted the skills brief out of DfE and into a new reported 'growth department' with the Department for Work and Pensions, led by @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social feweek.co.uk/skills-brief...

Breaking: The government is planning to pull the skills brief out of the Department for Education and move it to a new department feweek.co.uk/skills-brief...

Now widely reported the skills brief is moving to the DWP under Pat McFadden. A very interesting move. Skills has been under the DfE since 2016, when it was moved from the business dept. Seems unlikely this will include 16-19, but will it include both higher education and further education?

Over the summer FE Week took a look at college governance board minutes to see how many are published on a regular basis and how up to date they are. We found a mixed picture, so is it time to tighten up the rules? feweek.co.uk/get-on-board...

Will be interesting to see whether Nottinghamshire County Council ignores/excludes/bans Nottinghamshire Live to the point that they don't provide right of reply comments for future stories, even if it's in their interest. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

This story touches on some ongoing issues for wider the FE sector: Transparent decision making - should the DfE/college management come clean if they plan to sell off a town's only FE campus and agree a £7m grant? feweek.co.uk/dfe-props-up...

💸 A new combined authority has finally dished out £6.5m in procured adult skills fund contracts following the withdrawal of a legal challenge that delayed the tender process feweek.co.uk/emccas-adult...

📚 Awarding organisations have warned they face fresh layers of bureaucracy after Ofqual confirmed plans to add new enforceable 'principles' to its bulging rulebook feweek.co.uk/new-honesty-...

A massive High Court trial against the Department for Education is approaching its final stages A loss for the government could cost them around £60m feweek.co.uk/marples-tria...

Shockingly little planning goes in to planning post 16 education places. Colleges in some major cities are full already, and numbers are set to rise further. Burnham, who has no official role in 16-19 education, is at least putting his money where his mouth is.

Both new @reformuk.bsky.social regional mayors have held their first public meetings this week. Up in Greater Lincs on Weds, new mayor @andreajenkyns.bsky.social was surprised no public came to ask her questions (as they have a right to), maybe because the meeting was at 2pm?

🧪 A healthcare and science specialist training provider has been judged ‘outstanding’ after inspectors found students 'excellently prepared for their future roles' feweek.co.uk/eureka-scien...

“We’re in a position where information which is far more prejudicial to future proceedings is swirling on social media, and sadly, future juries are now far more likely to be exposed to that information than they are true information which is published in reputable news platforms.”

@transportforlondon.bsky.social think there might be an issue with your displays on the Liz line, this passing train stopped.

Lovely www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

After revealing mayors have been told to cut their adult skills budgets, @joshmellor.bsky.social has been investigating where the axe will fall While some are using banked underspends to protect budgets, others are planning huge cuts to procured contracts feweek.co.uk/mayors-cut-i...

🚨Mayors with devolved skills are handling gov cuts by protecting colleges & LAs while cutting training providers. Some aren’t happy. Qs: 🔹Impact on growth & DWP’s benefits bill? 🔹Top-slicing underspend or real cuts? 1/2⬇️

Fascinating to see #skills-devolved mayors approaches to boosting employment. West Yorks, West Mids, and Liverpool all rebooting the pandemic-era #Kickstart scheme. Can they avoid past pitfalls while helping more into good jobs? One to watch. My latest for @feweek.bsky.social

🚨New figures reveal DfE's already reduced apprenticeships budget for last year was 99% spent feweek.co.uk/dfes-revised...

Since publication, one student has been offered a full refund feweek.co.uk/firm-caught-...

A fascinating view into a world of apprenticeship funding claims gone wrong, how the ESFA investigates and whether expensive "errors" should amount to a disqualification for the directors responsible. feweek.co.uk/former-appre...

Ex-education and employment secretary David Blunkett launched the education maintenance allowance (EMA) more than 20 years ago: now he's defending it against @theifs.bsky.social criticism

Waltham Forest Council to hike local taxes the full 5% again as financial crisis grows in town hall leytonobserver.wordpress.com/2025/02/13/c...

A company led by Waltham Forest Council’s former leader has been confirmed as landlord of a property deal approved while she was in charge. leytonobserver.wordpress.com/2025/02/11/e...

Education secretary @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social has appointed five leading figures to run Skills England Ex Cisco boss Phil Smith has been made chair, while ex DfE permanent secretary David Bell has been made vice chair The CEO role has been split between two DfE civil servants

✝️ None of England’s Catholic sixth form colleges have applied to become academies – despite a church campaign that forced a legal change two years ago. Nearly all secular sixth form colleges have been able to academise and enjoy the luxury of not paying VAT since 2015.

NHS blocks damning reports on mental health patients left free to kill www.thetimes.com/article/4f34...

Exclusive: DfE has warned mayors their adult education budgets will be cut as part of government savings This means £30 million in adult skills and 'free courses for jobs' cuts coming next academic year feweek.co.uk/fury-as-dfe-...

Appalling www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/2490440...

Tragically, this is a recurring issue with mental health murders. NHS allowed Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane to skip his medication www.thetimes.com/article/e810...

Also fun working on this story about whether bikini waxing is or should be compulsory for beauty therapy students, following a series of viral videos from a mother who wouldn't accept a tutor's claims that her daughter should do the waxing treatment, or leave the course. feweek.co.uk/ban-mandator...

Interesting writing about what it means to be a standalone sixth form college in England today, after 10+ years of preference for academies. feweek.co.uk/sixth-form-c...

For a typical college with young people, adult learners, apprentices and high needs learners, the number of inspection grades is set to go from 10 to 20 This + promise of ‘more context’ on new online report cards could blow open provider accountability

Can we build it? No – because Britain may not have enough workers www.theguardian.com/business/202...

New govt guidance says councils should stop being so secretive about their councillor misconduct investigations. At the moment nothing is published about allegations or findings, as its ’personal data’!

Would/does this happen in schools? E.g. we've got a shortage of teachers and high demand for places, so lets count a few years experience as equivalent to a qualification

Interesting developments in Tower Hamlets as Govt confirms 'ministerial envoys' who'll monitor the council after the Best Value Notice last year. No mention of it in the 'local' press yet! www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

ICYMI: I spent a while pulling together financial information about what England's mayors are spending out of Free Courses for Jobs funding the govt. gives them each year. Should the rules around spending this money be more flexible, so it reaches the right people? Would love to hear your thoughts.

FOI, as it definitely shouldn't be done @georgegreenwood.bsky.social relightmyfoia.blog/2025/01/20/w...

🗞️This week's FE Week front page: Free courses flop: £64m unspent adult education funds handed back to Treasury Subscribe | feweek.co.uk/subscribe/ #TomorrowsPapersToday

Haven’t seen any news reports on the Heathrow expansion that explore the business case, popularity or impact of a third runway.

Noting ONS data issues, a further troubling rise in young people not in work or full-time education. This now stands at 1.26m, up 29% since the pandemic. Seems to be driven more by rises among young men. Reiterates importance of planned Youth Guarantee: offering right work & education support to all

“A Martian looking down would assume that the British government was accountable to public inquiries, rather than to elected politicians.” @davidallengreen.bsky.social says something has gone very wrong in the British constitution. (From the archive) www.prospectmagazine...

The crisis in our courts has opened the door to secretive justice It must be stopped My long-read this weekend for @thelondonstandard.bsky.social www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/cour...

Working on this story about a training provider going bust brings a few basic things home in terms of taxpayer funded adult education -Most of it is meant to help people with low or no qualifications -Govt. commissions £75m/year in adult education from training companies

Devolution white paper: Skills funding pots to be un-ringfenced. Mayors will also take on joint control of local skills improvement plans. More from @feweek.bsky.social @joshmellorfeweek.bsky.social https://buff.ly/41CQOrP #education #educationnews

Three separate Labour MPs are keen to ask the Education Secretary what steps she is taking to 'reform skills training' at today's education questions

Interesting point by Tom, that Labour's youth guarantee of work, training or an apprenticeship for all 18-21 year olds... may not be guaranteed. Though what did guarantee ever mean?