Shane Chowen
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ukshane.bsky.social
Shane Chowen
@ukshane.bsky.social
Editor at FE Week - reporting on further education, skills and apprenticeships. Story tips: shane.chowen@feweek.co.uk
Good evening! Coming up in this week’s FE Week:

💻 Revealed: Two IoTs ditch the brand as ministers pivot to TECs
🚧 College waiting lists soar in priority subjects
🔍 Will this NEET review be any different?

PROFILE: Karen Redhead, West London College

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November 13, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Good evening! Coming up in this week’s @feweek.bsky.social:

🏷️ A white paper, the CAR, and a quals consultation have landed
💡Brand damage, units register, transparency promise - what we learned at AELP’s autumn conference
🔍 Andrea Jenkyns vs ESOL
🧑‍⚖️ Why the judge threw out the Marples vs DfE case
November 6, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Flanked by the science secretary Liz Kendall and DWP secretary (who is in charge of skills now) Pat McFadden, Bridget Phillipson has begun her statement on the post-16 education and skills white paper
October 20, 2025 at 4:38 PM
First appearance for shadow education minister Saqib Bhatti too
October 20, 2025 at 1:56 PM
And Georgia Gould, responding on SEND
October 20, 2025 at 1:45 PM
First outing at education questions for new ministers Josh MacAlister and Liv Bailey

MacAlister first up answering questions about the IB
October 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Good evening! Coming up in this week’s @feweek.bsky.social:

🫖T Levels Week: Clawback investigated, ambassador chair interviewed, a student writes in
🏷️City and Guilds sold in ‘landmark’ deal
🎯Whitehall misses its own apprenticeships target

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#TomorrowsPapersToday
October 16, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Good evening! Coming up in this week’s FE Week:

🚛 Nearly £3m in backpay after HGV apprenticeship funding blunder
🔍 Could regional improvement team proposals work for colleges?
📋 Weston out of intervention, but investigations continue

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#TomorrowsPapersToday
October 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Good evening! Coming up in @feweek.bsky.social edition 509

🍨SCOOP: V Levels are about to enter the chat

🌹Full dissection of Labour's conference promises

🪑FEATURE: Does paying your college chair make a difference?

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#TomorrowsPapersToday
October 2, 2025 at 10:21 PM
"By making apprenticeships a gold standard option for ambitious young people, we are sending a message that technical excellence is as highly valued as academic prowess."

Prime Minister David Cameron, 2012
October 1, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Skills minister Jacqui Smith tells a Make UK fringe we’ll be hearing “in the next few hours and weeks” about ways the government will “incentivise and support employers” to invest more in training.
September 30, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Good evening! Coming up in this week’s @feweek.bsky.social:

😱 Raise pay by 10% or face dispute, principals told
💰 Multiverse becomes highest-earning apprenticeship provider
🎙️ Inspection Q&A with Ofsted’s Lee Owston
+ @jessjanehill.bsky.social previews Tom Bewick's upcoming skills policy book
September 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Should apprentices be able to track their learning and access support through an app - yes, probably

This £1.2m one from *the government* is not going well

@sw1politics.bsky.social for @feweek.bsky.social

(meme h/t @fcdwhittaker.bsky.social)
September 19, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Coming up in this week’s FE Week:

✍️Pat McFadden sets out his skills stall

💰College pay proposal ‘maintains’ gap with schools

🏅Returning from Herning: What happened in Denmark

FEATURE: The King’s royal rescue of endangered trades

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#TomorrowsPapersToday
September 18, 2025 at 7:20 PM
The face of @joshuareynoldssl6.bsky.social discovering, via @feweek.bsky.social, that Skills England has been moved to DWP while quizzing a Skills England CEO during a select committee
September 16, 2025 at 2:47 PM
WE GOT A BRONZE

Southern Regional College’s Caolan McCartan and Patrick Sheerin take the EuroSkills 2025 Industry 4.0 bronze medal for Team UK
September 13, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Greetings from day 2 of Reform UK conference, where a signed Farage tshirt will set you back £100 and a 'Britain is lawless' session kicks off the day
September 6, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Extraordinary scenes at Reform UK conference as Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns arrives on stage singing her rock song 'Insomnia'
September 5, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Hello from Reform Party Conference where main stage activities are due to begin in around 20 minutes
September 5, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Good evening! Kicking off the new year with edition 505:

👎 Transparency vacuum as half of colleges fail to publish any board minutes in 2025
🇬🇧 Team UK dash to Denmark for EuroSkills 2025
✅ College leaders have a wishlist for the new FE Commissioner

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September 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Is Triple H now Secretary of State?
July 31, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Coming up in @feweek.bsky.social:

🤝We investigate the battles colleges are fighting against surging divisions since last year’s riots
🧑‍⚖️Closing arguments are put to the judge in the Marples v DfE trial
🇬🇧WorldSkills UK reveals the 400+ students and apprentices competing at this year’s national finals
July 9, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Queues already for Sir Lenny Henry’s closing session at @educationfest.bsky.social
July 4, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Good evening! Coming up in @feweek.bsky.social edition 503

‼️Ofsted slams achievement rate data fudge at Burnley College
💻 Why Prevent referrals in FE are down
🧑‍🏫 Labour’s 6.5k new teachers pledge under scrutiny

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#TomorrowsPapersToday
July 3, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Excellent job @tom-richmond.com 👏
June 27, 2025 at 10:45 AM