Coming up in @FEweek edition 457:

🪜Exclusive exit interview with Robert Halfon MP ➡️Working Hard for Harlow⬅️
✂️When an MCA can't keep up with adult ed funding rates
🤫Secret EPA rule changes called out
🎙️Brooklands boss on bringing the college back from the brink

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📚 Draft apprenticeship funding rules for 2024/25 have been published!

They reveal a series of proposed changes including for additional learning support, subcontracting, SEND functional skills and active learning

Here's what you need to know feweek.co.uk/apprenticeship…

BREAKING: Robert Halfon MP ➡️Working Hard for Harlow⬅️ has resigned as minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education and plans to stand down as an MP at the next election feweek.co.uk/robert-halfon-…

Breaking: The proportion of apprentices who successfully completed their training and assessment grew marginally to 54.3% in 2022/23

The slight increase from 51.4% leaves the sector way off the government's 67% target, which it hopes to achieve by 2025 buff.ly/3vnvLf7

🚨 PM Rishi Sunak is set to announce an apprenticeship reform package this morning

✂️ Scrap SME 5% co-investment payments for apprentices under 22
🤝 Increase levy transfers from 25% up to 50%
🗓️ Changes to come into force from April 1

buff.ly/3IEnFSz

I've crunched the numbers on this week's apprenticeships growth pilot announcement.

Just 15 independent training providers would be eligible based on current trends.

feweek.co.uk/apprenticeship…

After 2+ years, February was my last month as Local Democracy Reporter covering Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Havering. I’ve now joined FE Week as senior reporter and will be covering all things adult education, training, skills and apprenticeships.

Eye eye

Great to see Anviksha Patel’s prisoner apprenticeship investigation referenced in latest Private Eye

Despite today's announcement only mentioning schools, Ofsted has confirmed to the press (2 hours after the statement) that the approach also applies to colleges with RAAC

The battle for clear communication from government bodies rages on...

Great to see SMEs no longer being artificially limited in being able to take on additional apprentices to support their growing business needs. Credit to Robert Halfon MP ➡️Working Hard for Harlow⬅️ in scrapping the non-level cap of ten starts in April 2023 to support this step change AELP #NAW2024

Accused of hiding bundling in plain sight, multiple professional bodies changed the wording on their websites after being approached by FE Week…

Spent a lot of this week talking to hair industry employers and training bodies.

They spilled the beans on the red flags they raised on hairdressing T Level early doors.

Yet the government acted just months before courses due to start.

feweek.co.uk/government-war…

💡New research has found training providers are still making a loss on functional skills qualifications, even after this month's funding increase

feweek.co.uk/functional-ski…

There's only a couple of days left to apply to join Team FE Week as our new senior reporter.

You'll join a busy news team investigating apprenticeships, technical education, colleges and private training companies.

Details below - DM's open for chats 😊

#JournoJobs

So proud that Schools Week have won at the British Journalism Awards. #BJA2023
Jessica Hill won Built Environment Journalism cat for our leading coverage of the RAAC scandal.
Samantha Booth received a highly commended for their coverage of SEND Crisis in our schools.

Interesting after FE Week pre-autumn statement story that Alison Wolf has tabled questions on breakdown of degree apprenticeships (L6-7) by age, sector, levy payer funded and region. Answers here: theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2023…

And so the gap between employer receipts generated from the levy and what is distributed for public spending on apprenticeship training becomes a ‘gaping chasm’ (hat tip Simon Ashworth)

OBR’s figs come weeks after we reported on how the levy was becoming a Treasury cash cow…

Great to see Billy Camden set out the correct history of the levy here instead of the opportunistic nonsense we heard about underspends. Labour face a dilemma with their current plans.

Shane Chowen The pandemic just basically bought more time from what was going to happen previously as per this FE Week story by Billy Camden from 2019 - with a cliff edge coming more investment in the Department for Education programme budget is desperately needed.

feweek.co.uk/pre-apprentice…

Big move tabled by Hunt ahead of next week's Autumn statement

DfE resisting while those (albeit with vested interests) say it is 'political posturing'

Interesting to see whether chancellor follows through on long-held concerns about levy sustainability