Minister talks about focus of FE reforms

John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, spoke at a Fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham in October 2010, held by the Conservative Education Society in conjunction with City & Guilds and unionlearn. Robert Pettigrew, Chairman of the Conservative Education Society, welcomed John Hayes; and Andrew [...]

The first Apprentice to an MP

Robert Halfon, Member of Parliament for Harlow, has started something new in Parliament.   He has an apprentice working for him.   The first apprentice to be working for an MP in the House of Commons.   John Hayes MP, Skills Minister, presented Andy Huckle with his new Parliamentary Pass.   Here’s the story where you can read all [...]

Harlow leading the way with Engineering Apprenticeships

Our friend, Robert Halfon, the newly-elected Member of Parliament for Harlow, has drawn our attention to an article in today’s Guardian about Essex County Council’s Engineering Apprenticeship Scheme, where Harlow College is one of the providing institutions, along with Colchester Institute and the Basildon campus of the South Essex College.   Here is the link to [...]

Michael Gove says government’s children’s department made catastrophic mistake on number of pupils

David Willetts has already slammed the government over the college funding shortfall.    Now Michael Gove, the Shadow Children’s Secretary, has joined in, demanding immediate clarification, and saying that schools are extremely concerned as this will affect their Sixth Forms’ budgets.   He said that Ed Balls’s department had made “a catastrophic mistake” on the numbers of pupils [...]

David Willetts slams the government over college funding crisis

David Willetts has criticised the Government for not taking responsibility for the college funding crisis, following the resignation of the Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom has stepped down following problems with the LSC’s further education capital programme. David, the Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, highlighted [...]

Conservative Conference Fringe Meetings

The Conservative National Education Society will have two Fringe Meetings at Blackpool, thanks to the sponsorship of Cambridge Assessment and the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education. The first meeting will be on Monday 1st October 5.45 to 7.00 pm    in Arena 2 at the Winter Gardens. (The Arena is the refreshment area alongside and on [...]