Tes head of FE Julia Belgutay talks to apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan about this year's level 2 and 3 results, the governments qualification reform plans, T level and the way ahead for further education

In this week's podcast, the FE team discuss the latest House of Lords debate, and the importance of teaching life skills, as well as the college staff giving up their summer holidays to provide Covid catch-up support to students. 

West Midlands mayor Andy Street also features: he remembers Jack Cook, the economics teacher who changed his life.

Tune in and enjoy.

In this week's FE podcast, Julia Belgutay and Kate Parker reflect on the first committee stage in the House of Lords of the new Skills and Post-16 Education Bill. They talk about Lord Baker's comments on the state of 11-16 education, and Lord Adonis' argument for the metro mayors to take control of the new local skills improvement plans.

Tim Jackson, winner of the FE lifetime achievement award, also shares his secrets to outstanding leadership.

Tune in and enjoy.

Join Julia Belgutay and Kate Parker as they reflect on the biggest stories in FE over the past two weeks.

They hear from Scotland's new minister for further education, and discuss research revealed exclusively by Tes, looking at the barriers young people from the most disadvantaged background face when considering apprenticeships. The also reflect on this week's House of Lords debate on the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill.

Join Julia Belgutay and Kate Parker as they reflect on the biggest stories in FE over the past two weeks.

They look ahead to the Tes FE Awards 2021, and ask: is mental fitness the answer to the mental health crisis in colleges?

They also discuss the new £1,000 incentive for employers to take on T level placements, and the Association of Colleges' chief executive David Hughes pops by to talk about who most inspired him throughout his career.

Tune in and enjoy. 

In this week's FE podcast, Kate Parker and Julia Belgutay talk about what the Queen's speech means for further education and the gap in pay between schools and FE.

They are joined by former skills minister Anne Milton and Pearson's vice president for Btecs and apprenticeships, as they talk about the launch a new forum which will tackle the widening inequalities gap caused by Covid-19. 

The director of skills and productivity at the West Midlands Combined Authority, Julie Nugent, also joins the team to talk about adult education funding, and explain why WMCA has decided against increasing the threshold to 90 per cent as the government has done.

They also discuss First Dates' Fred Sirieix comments on the skills crisis facing the hospitality industry. 

Tune in and enjoy. 

In this week's podcast, the Tes FE team – Julia Belgutay and Kate Parker – talk about the fortnight's biggest stories.

They listen back to an House of Commons exchange between skills and apprenticeships minister Gillian Keegan, and the shadow minister Toby Perkins on the adult education clawback, as well as discuss exclusive analysis on the colleges who have gone more than 10 years without an Ofsted inspection.

They are also joined by Ruth Silver, former college principal and former president of Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL), who reflects on leadership as FETL closes after eight years.

In this week's podcast, the Tes FE team Julia Belgutay and Kate Parker talk about the week's biggest stories.

They are joined by Association of Colleges' chief executive David Hughes to discuss the research on lost learning and student progress, and the new chief executive of the Prisoners' Education Trust Jon Collins talks about the need for prisoners to have access to digital learning.

They reflect on the success of the new FE heroes feature and hear from Sam Ross, a Down's syndrome campaigner on how to support students at college.