We need a cross-party commitment to a new National Carers Strategy
Former Care Minister and current Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Carers, Dame Caroline Dinenage DBE MP, calls on all parties to commit to developing a new National Carers Strategy...
Don’t roll the dice on rolling elections
Ensuring the public's desire for deputies to have an island-wide mandate while simultaneously reducing the number of candidates are not mutually exclusive ambitions, argues William Walter
Cash Crunch: The Local Authority Funding Crisis and its Implications for Adult Social Care
David Fothergill, deputy chairman of the Local Government Association, sets out his thoughts regarding the outlook for local authority funding of adult social care in 2024 given the rise of...
Don't stop at UCAS - the case for broader apprenticeship reform
The Director of Campaigns and Research at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, Shazia Ejaz, discusses the urgent need for comprehensive reform in the apprenticeship system, highlighting...
Social care can no longer be ignored or forgotten
Gavin Edwards, Head of Social Care at UNISON, discusses how the adult social care sector suffered during the pandemic and what lessons can be learnt from the experience.
Tackling dud degrees is only half the battle
MBKB's Chief Executive Mark Bremner proposes a series of reforms regarding wages and the flexibility in apprenticeship provision to overcome poor apprenticeship completion rates.
Navigating change in social care inspection
Ed Watkinson, residential care & inspection specialist and director of Watkinson Consulting, discusses the CQC's Single Assessment Framework and asks whether it's an...
Time for Change: Measuring quality in apprenticeship delivery
Simon Ashworth, Director of Policy for the AELP, outlines how the government could modernise the way success and quality is measured within apprenticeships.
The struggle of specialist FE colleges in government SEND plans
Natspec's senior policy manager Ruth Perry sets out how the specialist college estate has been degraded without adequate capital funding which is why, she argues, the sector needs a...
The Unfulfilled Potential of Scotland's National Care Service Vision
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour MSP and Spokesperson for Health, Social Care and Equalities sets out her thoughts regarding the SNP’s proposal for a National Care Service.
The apprenticeship quality assurance is not fit for purpose
EDSK researcher Eleanor Regan writes on why regulation of apprenticeship provision should be taken away from the Department for Education and focus more on the role of the employer.
Quick fixes no replacement for long term hospital discharge plans
Richard Humphries, Senior Advisor to The Health Foundation, sets out his thoughts on the effectiveness of the Government's hospital discharge programme.
Could T Levels reduce the ‘chronic’ skills shortage in manufacturing?
Make UK's director of policy Verity Davidge discusses how T Levels can benefit the manufacturing sector and what is holding employers back from fully engaging with them...
We should design the social care sector of the future now
Dr Ruth Allen, Chief Executive of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) sets out her thoughts on the delay.
Rishi Sunak’s maths to 18 plan does not add up
Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Geoff Barton discusses how a lack of teachers could undo maths to 18 and why there could be a better way of equipping young people...
Social care sector sticking plaster solutions are seldom sustainable
David Sinclair argues that short-term changes to immigration or NHS language rules might well be necessary, but such sticking plaster measures are seldom sustainable in the longer...
How reclassification could affect college governance
Fiona Chalk, experienced board member and chief executive of education consultancy Governance4FE, looks at how the Skills and Post-16 Education Act led the ONS decision and what we can learn...
EdTech: The Key to Customized Learning and Inclusion in the Future of Education
Chief executive of Cognassist, Chris Quickfall, explains how edtech can be used to spot learners' needs early on and allow educators to provide support based on evidence.