An article in today’s Guardian by Christopher Birchall recommends that : “To boost social mobility, universities need to start speaking to children from disadvantaged backgrounds at a younger age” https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/oct/18/we-need-to-reach-children-before-they-decide-university-isnt-for-them Traditionally, universities looking to widen access have focused on secondary aged children preparing to take their next step in education. This is certainly an important…
Read more

“What does gender equality mean in childhood?” The Mayor wants to tackle gender stereotyping early so every child can reach their full potential. As part of his flagship #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, City Hall is hosting an Equal Play event on 29 October 2018 from 9.00 – 17.00 at City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA   View Map…
Read more

OECD Forum 2018: Reskilling: How difficult is it? The Forum Network, hosted by the OECD “Become who you are. Reskill and find your next job!” Such is the promise of a reskilling company. With increasing automation, “60 million to 375 million individuals around the world may need to transition to new occupational categories by 2030.…
Read more

  I read a great article in The Observer (14.10.18) written by Kenan Malik (Twiitter: @kenanmalik) who explains “Amazon has apparently abandoned an AI system aimed at automating its recruitment process. The system gave job candidates scores ranging from one to five stars, a bit like the Amazon website.” Guess what happened? “The trouble was,…
Read more

Today the DfE published updated versions of the statutory guidance for schools on careers guidance and access for education and training providers and guidance for further education colleges and sixth form colleges on careers guidance. The updates include: More information on new requirements/expectations that were introduced in September 2018: for schools and colleges to publish information about their…
Read more

  Robert Halfon MP, Chair of the Education Committee, has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to highlight the stark disparity between funding for pre- and post-16 education and urge the Government to ‘look very carefully’ at the core level of funding for FE ahead of the Budget and Spending Review. In the letter  181015 –…
Read more

Despite years of gender equality legislation, men outnumber women in management positions by two to one. While structural barriers continue to impede women’s career advancement, women themselves may be deterred from becoming managers if they perceive that it would have a negative impact on their working and personal lives. What is the experience of women in…
Read more

Andy Cotgreave, Technical Evangelist and Senior Director, Tableau https://www.fenews.co.uk/featured-article/20724-ai-is-a-door-to-productivity-gains-but-data-literacy-holds-the-keys The report below by Andy Cotgrave for FE News warns of a potential skills shortage and also highlights the growing call for data literacy. Productivity is a very British problem. According to the latest figures from the OECD, us Brits are among the hardest workers in Europe,…
Read more

  https://feweek.co.uk/2018/10/12/colleges-to-march-on-parliament-in-funding-protest/ Up to 3,000 people are expected to march on parliament on Wednesday 15th October  to demand more funding for colleges. The march for FE, organised by the University and College Union in partnership with the National Union of Students and the Association of Colleges, is the main event taking place during Colleges Week,…
Read more