Mick Fletcher of the Policy Consortium investigates the underlying messages behind one of the more unexpected proposals within the current BIS consultation about extending the scope of FE Loans. In the rush to get away at the end of term, FE people may have …
Mick Fletcher responds to the first funding announcement from the new Skills Minister, Nick Boles. This piece appeared originally in the ‘FE Experts’ section of ‘FE Week’ on 22nd July 2014. It was perhaps inevitable that the decision of the …
As Parliament went into recess, the Policy Consortium’s Ian Nash cheekily rummaged through the wastepaper bins of the Commons Library and other places to find the ‘lost’ speech that Opposition Leader Ed Miliband should have delivered at last week’s Sutton …
Mick Fletcher writes about the necessity of a new strategic vision for policy which places the individual at the centre of genuine choice in learning. This is a slightly-adapted version of an article that first appeared in the Summer 2014 edition …
Mike Cooper writes about the current state of play regarding the Advanced Learner Loans, and some of the key issues underlying the topic. This piece is an adapted version of an article that appeared in ‘FE Week’ on 21si April 2014. When …
Ian Nash of the Policy Consortium reports from the recent AELP Annual Conference, and particularly on the current state of play regarding apprenticeship funding. Radical plans from the Coalition Government to give employers full control over the funding and design …
Ambitious apprenticeship plans are yet to convince employers Read more »
In an article originally published (in a slightly different and shorter form) by ‘FE Week’ on 6 June 2014, Policy Consortium member Mick Fletcher considers the introduction of a mandatory 33% contribution by employers to the funding of Apprenticeships. The new BIS guidance …
Apprenticeship funding: too generous, but off-putting to small firms Read more »
The Policy Consortium is very pleased to provide its full report Taking the pulse of Further Education [700 kB 65 page PDF], with analysis of the responses received from over 1000 people across the FE sector to our recent survey, …
Taking the pulse of FE – full report from survey Read more »
Mick Fletcher comments. The latest EFA funding letter for 16-19 year old students covering the 2014/15 academic year can be found here [PDF]. Those with the time and energy might want to compare it with the equivalent letter for last …