Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

👶 Ministers have launched a £3.2 million grant scheme to subsidise training and employment costs in a drive to recruit 400 early years teacher degree apprentices

https://feweek.co.uk/grants-launched-to-jumpstart-early-years-degree-apprenticeships/

Grants launched to jumpstart early years degree apprenticeships

Ministers have launched a £3.2 million grant scheme to subsidise training and employment costs in a drive to recruit 400 early years teacher degree apprentices.

feweek.co.uk

February 13, 2026 at 5:27 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🍒 Ofsted is requesting education providers publish a QR code link alongside any content they share from new report cards to help prevent leaders 'cherry picking' grades shared with parents and stakeholders https://feweek.co.uk/ofsted-requests-providers-publish-qr-code-with-report-card-content/

Ofsted requests providers publish QR code with report card content

Watchdog wants parents to get links to full reports to avoid 'cherry picking' only positive grades

feweek.co.uk

February 13, 2026 at 1:50 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

Exclusive: Leadership and management apprenticeships are on the chopping block under plans to find savings and tilt the apprenticeship system towards young people, skills minister Jacqui Smith has confirmed https://feweek.co.uk/management-apprenticeships-on-the-chopping-block-minister-confirms/

Management apprenticeships on the chopping block, minister confirms

Government gears up to tell employers which apprenticeships 'aren't appropriate for public funding'

feweek.co.uk

February 13, 2026 at 12:52 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

KCSIE 2026: Everything colleges need to know https://feweek.co.uk/kcsie-2026-everything-colleges-need-to-know/

KCSIE 2026: Everything colleges need to know

Colleges should report concerns about a student carrying a weapon and make sure they review internet filtering system effectiveness at least once a year, draft new safeguarding guidance states. The Department for Education is consulting on draft ‘keeping children safe in education’ guidance until April. It applies to children and young people aged under 18 and

feweek.co.uk

February 13, 2026 at 12:48 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

Exclusive: Employers will face no cap on the amount of levy funding they can spend on new apprenticeship units when an initial ‘tight group’ launches in April, skills minister Jacqui Smith has said https://feweek.co.uk/tight-group-of-apprenticeship-units-to-launch-in-april/

'Tight group' of apprenticeship units to launch in April

'Paltry' initial short course offer expected to focus on engineering/construction and AI

feweek.co.uk

February 13, 2026 at 12:36 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

✍️There is a lot to be positive about, but our recent survey found cost-of-living now tops the list of apprentices' concerns

Hannah Mehr, Association of Apprentices

https://feweek.co.uk/apprentices-dont-believe-their-voices-are-heard-by-ministers/

Apprentices don’t believe their voices are heard by ministers

Our AoA survey found 80 per cent of apprentices dear they are ignored - but if we want a system that works, listening must come before reform, says Hannah Mehr

feweek.co.uk

February 13, 2026 at 11:55 AM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🧑‍⚖️ An ex-trainee lecturer must pay £19,000 towards her union’s costs after a judge ruled she pursued discrimination claims with 'no reasonable prospect' of success

https://feweek.co.uk/ucu-wins-19k-from-teacher-it-represented-in-court-claim/

February 13, 2026 at 10:05 AM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🗞️This week's FE Week front page:

National Apprenticeship Week: Minister confirms leadership and management apprenticeships in the firing line

Subscribe | feweek.co.uk/subscribe/

#TomorrowsPapersToday

February 12, 2026 at 8:33 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

England’s apprenticeship budget was topped up with an extra £43.2m halfway through this financial year, underscoring mounting financial pressures and intensifying government’s drive to tighten control of the system https://feweek.co.uk/apprenticeship-budget-top-up-piles-cost-pressure-on-ministers/

Apprenticeship budget top-up piles cost pressure on ministers

Mid-year adjustment to 2025-26 allocation reinforces warnings the system is operating on increasingly fine margins

feweek.co.uk

February 12, 2026 at 4:07 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🪑 A new chair of the Student Loans Company has been appointed. Gary Page will oversee the organisation as it implements major reforms like the lifelong learning entitlement, which is due to open for applications in September

https://feweek.co.uk/student-loans-company-turns-the-page-with-new-chair/

Student Loans Company turns the Page with new chair

Board member Gary Page will take over from Peter Lauener in April

feweek.co.uk

February 12, 2026 at 3:14 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

👏 Waltham Forest College principal Janet Gardner has announced that she will retire in August this year after six years in post

https://feweek.co.uk/changing-of-the-guard-at-waltham-forest-college/

Changing of the guard at Waltham Forest College

Waltham Forest College principal Janet Gardner has announced that she will retire in August this year after six years in post.

feweek.co.uk

February 12, 2026 at 2:03 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🏗️ Applications have opened for the government’s post-16 and construction capacity funding grants, as the DfE has promised a 'decade of national renewal' through a new education estates strategy
https://feweek.co.uk/national-college-capacity-funding-opens-alongside-new-dfe-estates-strategy/

College capacity funding opens alongside estates plan

Applications have opened for the government’s post-16 and construction capacity funding grants, as DfE promises 'decade of national renewal' estates strategy.

feweek.co.uk

February 11, 2026 at 5:35 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🪓 The Department for Education is considering the future of the T Level in finance, which launched in 2022, after no awarding organisations bid to run it in the latest procurement round

https://feweek.co.uk/finance-t-level-faces-write-off-after-no-aos-bid-to-run-it/

Finance T Level faces write-off after no AOs bid to run it

Engineering licenses will transfer to Pearson from City & Guilds

feweek.co.uk

February 11, 2026 at 9:41 AM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

University and College Union leader Jo Grady has accused her election opponents of taking private messages out of context and 'seeking to frame' her social media usage as a breach of campaign rules

feweek.co.uk/jo-grady-hit...

Jo Grady hits back at claims of UCU election breaches

Full account of Grady showdown with election opponents at certification officer hearing

feweek.co.uk

February 10, 2026 at 6:27 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

👉 The Department for Work and Pensions’ most senior official has announced he is stepping down this summer.

feweek.co.uk/dwp-permanen...

DWP permanent secretary to step down

The Department for Work and Pensions’ most senior official has announced he is stepping down this summer.

feweek.co.uk

February 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

''Pass the learning around the classroom in the mould of a creative midfielder'
Clare Dignum, South Bank Colleges on lessons FE teachers can learn from Arsenal football players

feweek.co.uk

February 10, 2026 at 4:27 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

👋 Basingstoke College of Technology principal Anthony Bravo retired on Monday, leaving the college under interim leadership in the middle of the academic year
feweek.co.uk/bcot-princip...

BCoT principal Anthony Bravo suddenly retires

Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) principal Anthony Bravo retired on Monday (Febuary 9), leaving the college under interim leadership mid-year

feweek.co.uk

February 10, 2026 at 12:36 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

'The old infrastructure for essential skills provision is increasingly creaking and dated'
@lwalexs.bsky.social , @learnworkuk.bsky.social on how joining up Jobcentres and adult
learning could be a gamechanger, with the right vision

feweek.co.uk

February 10, 2026 at 10:05 AM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🏗️ Construction firms working on school and college buildings will be forced to offer apprenticeships and T Level placement opportunities to students to work on site, the government has said
feweek.co.uk/school-and-c...

School and college builders will have to hire apprentices

Construction firms working on school and college buildings will be forced to offer apprenticeships and T Level placement opportunities to students

feweek.co.uk

February 10, 2026 at 9:20 AM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🧑‍💻 An apprenticeship brokerage pilot run by metro mayors will offer a university 'clearance style system' for young people whose applications have been rejected, the government has said
feweek.co.uk/clearance-st...

'Clearance style' apprenticeship pilot to be run by mayors

An apprenticeship brokerage pilot run by metro mayors will offer a university “clearance style system” for young people whose applications have been rejected

feweek.co.uk

February 9, 2026 at 5:44 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

'SMEs’ engagement in apprenticeships has been flagging in recent years'
says Alice Gardner of @edgeuk.bsky.social - but there's an easy fix to this #NAW2026

feweek.co.uk

February 9, 2026 at 3:32 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

📰 FE Week Weekly News Update

Check out this week's news summary. If you still need to register for our newsletter updates, you can sign-up at the below link.

🔗 mailchi.mp/mkt.educatio...

February 9, 2026 at 12:33 PM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

Inside the world of FE college 14-16 provision, where colleges are turning around the lives of anxious young people who had previously turned their backs on the education system

feweek.co.uk

February 9, 2026 at 10:05 AM

FE Week

@feweek.bsky.social

🆕 Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, the government says it can slash the time it takes to update apprenticeship standards to as little as three months

feweek.co.uk/ministers-to...