Budget 2026: What the Chancellor Announced for Skills, Apprenticeships and Young People

The Budget 2026 confirms £100 million to take apprenticeship brokerage to every mayor in England, a 3.9% rise in the National Living Wage and new…

Will the Budget Back Employers To Create the Vacancies Young People Need? FE Soundbite Edition 870

Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 870: 24th October 2026. Will the Budget Back Employers to Create the Vacancies Young People Need? This is the weekly…

ONS Labour Market Data October 2026: Vacancies Fall to Lowest Level Since 2014

The latest ONS Labour Market data has been released today (20th October 2026). This is the latest estimate of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other…

OECD Skills Dashboard: Where Do UK Jobs Differ? FE Soundbite 869

Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 869: 17th October 2026. OECD Skills Dashboard: which jobs are in shortage across the OECD but in surplus in the…

Medr's First Year: One Tertiary System, a Lifetime of Opportunities 

More than £1 billion invested in tertiary education and research, supporting over 320,000 learners across Wales. Medr’s first full-year Annual Report demonstrates the scale of…

Keep Britain Working: What the new Workplace Health System Means for Employers and Young People

The Keep Britain Working update, published on 23 September by DWP, DBT and DHSC, sets out plans for a Workplace Health System built on employer…

Labour Party Conference 2026: Burnham Promises Pathways from 14 and Apprenticeships at 18

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set out plans to rebuild comprehensive education with parity between academic and technical routes, alongside a guaranteed youth offer running…

Chancellor Announces £100m Local Apprenticeship Service led by Mayors

Chancellor John Healey has announced an extra £100 million to expand a local apprenticeship service, with all 14 mayoral strategic authorities now given the chance…

ONS September 2026 Labour Market: Education leads fall as UK Vacancies hit 702,000

The number of job vacancies in the UK has fallen to 702,000, the lowest figure recorded outside the coronavirus pandemic period since 2014, with education…

DWP Research: Only 17% of Employers Say a Wage Subsidy Would Get Them Hiring Young People

Five DWP research reports published today feed the Milburn review, which reports in September. In the employer survey, 72% of employers who had used a…

August 2026 ONS: NEETs Fall Back Below One Million, but the Year on Year Trend Still Points Up

The latest ONS figures show 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were NEET in April to June 2026, down 30,000 on the quarter but…

Grant scheme for innovation and technology opens for Welsh organisations

Applications are now open for the latest round of SMART funding to help organisations across Wales invest in new equipment and technology. The funding round…

Results Day 2026: GCSE, VTQ and Entry Level results with Post-16 pass rates falling again

Students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving more than 6.5 million Level 1 and 2 results today, as JCQ data shows GCSE outcomes…

Four in ten Pupils don't feel like they Belong at School

Pupils who strongly disagreed that they belonged at school scored 7.72 points lower on Attainment 8 than those who strongly agreed, almost a full GCSE…

Milburn Polling: Public Split on NEET rise, with a Third Blaming Young People's Motivation

New polling for the Milburn review finds half of UK adults believe young people have fewer opportunities than previous generations, with apprenticeships the clear public…

August 2026 ONS Labour Market Data: Education Records Steepest Vacancy Fall as Hiring Hits Decade low

The Office for National Statistics published its August 2026 labour market figures this morning, covering April to June 2026 for the Labour Force Survey and…

Results Day and Talking Therapies. Will the Data Help Shape Qualification Reform and Employability Support? | FE Soundbite 860

Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 860: 15th August 2026. Results Day and Talking Therapies… Will the Data Help Shape Qualification Reform and Employability Support? This…

Results Day 2026: A level, VTQ and T Level results as Top Grades Slightly Increase

Students across England, Northern Ireland and Wales are today receiving results spanning the full range of Level 3 qualifications, with the Joint Council for Qualifications…

NEET at 16 or 17 brings a 71% chance of being NEET again by 21

Young people who are not in education, employment or training at 16 or 17 have a 71% chance of being NEET again in at least…

More Students Aged 16-18 To Benefit From Half Price Rail Fares From This September

More students aged 16-18 to benefit from half price rail fares from this September, helping them on their commutes to school, college or training. The…

Burnham's Big Week Of Announcements… But Is There the Local Infrastructure to Deliver It? FE Soundbite 858

Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 858: 1st August 2026. Burnham’s Big Week Of Announcements… But Is There the Local Infrastructure to Deliver It? This is…

Burnham Launches New "Local First" Principle, With Plans To Devolve 16-19 Funding and Employment Support

The Prime Minister will today launch the biggest transfer of power from Westminster in a generation, giving communities greater control over the decisions that shape…

Britain Can't Afford to Lose Another Generation: Breaking Barriers Action Plan

The Report from the Breaking Barriers Collective sets out six recommendations, from a national transition framework to a Youth Opportunity Strategy across government, as more…

New PM Andy Burnham Promises Education Change to get Young People into Work

Andy Burnham used his first speech as Prime Minister to promise that more young people will be helped into work by changing the education system,…

DfE Publishes Revised Essential Digital Skills Standards

The Department for Education has published revised essential digital skills standards, setting out the digital skills adults need to participate fully in life, undertake most…

MOD launches Defence Universities Alliance as Part of £182m Skills Investment

Students will gain greater access to exciting defence careers, while 35 leading universities across the UK will help drive cutting-edge research through the new Defence Universities Alliance (DUA). Launched today by…

Timms Interim Review say any PIP Reform must deal with Rising Claims Among Young People

The first full review of Personal Independence Payment since its 2013 introduction has found the benefit is “not fit for purpose,” with its interim report…

White Working Class Young People Deserve Better: Landmark Inquiry Demands Overhaul of Apprenticeships, Careers Advice and Post-16 Pathways

The Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes was commissioned by Star Academies, funded by The Christopher and Henry Oldfield Trust, and authored by…

Why the Netherlands Builds Bridges Instead of Cliffs for Young People at Risk of Becoming NEET

Across Europe we share a common concern: how do we prevent young people from disappearing from education, employment and training? In England, the term NEET…

Skills England Changes how it Recommends Funding for Apprenticeships

Skills England is changing how it recommends funding for apprenticeships, dropping the quote-based model it has used since 2022 for a data-led interim approach. Guidance…

Learning for a Changing World: Ep 3 AI, Automation and the Skills Reset

Artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping the world of work faster than the systems built to prepare people for it can respond. The latest episode…

Breaking Barriers | Baz Ramaiah: More Good Jobs, Better Employers and Tailored Support. That's How We Fix the NEET Crisis

We catch up with Baz Ramaiah, Director of Policy and Research at Youth Employment UK, at the recent Breaking Barriers collective, a collective intelligence event…