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The APGSE publishes a weekly email Parliamentary Skills Bulletin, highlighting news and recent developments from across the political and education landscape. These bulletins are only available to the group's parliamentarians and member organisations. The APGSE also publishes news stories here, with information on the group's new and upcoming work. 

Worth the Wait? Policy Connect’s Response to the Augar Review

30th May 2019

“Any rumours on the launch date?”

For months, in conversations among members of FE and HE, often over warm orange juice and cold croissants at sector conferences and panels, the launch of the Government’s Post-18 review has been anticipated. For those who are tired of hearing themselves quip – “let’s see what Augar recommends…” – the report has finally landed.

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Skills Commission Policy Win

29th April 2019

 Lords Committee cites investing in FE and lifelong learning as crucial for securing intergenerational fairness

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Simon Kelleher Chris Skidmore Universities Minister

Localisation in FE

22nd February 2019

It’s been a busy fortnight here at Policy Connect, with highlights being meetings with the Universities Minister Chris Skidmore to discuss the findings from our report on international students, and attending a roundtable with Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England and Chair of the Industrial Strategy Council. 

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Brexit and Skills

16th January 2019

I'm extremely conscious that a great deal of the our output relating to Brexit has simply been to point out how much time it has been taking up in the parliamentary calendar. As the nation's eyes are drawn towards Westminster, it is important to assess the impact Brexit is likely to have on FE.

There has been plenty of discussion as to what Brexit could mean for HE, as we have written extensively about, but comparatively little discussion in relation to FE, which perhaps somewhat mirrors the under-prioritisation of FE in political discourse more generally. 

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APGSE hosts roundtable with APMG on Women in Engineering and Manufacturing

22nd November 2018
The event brought together women engineers, leading manufacturers, skills providers and policy makers to discuss the how business and government can collaborate to increase the number of women working in engineering and manufacturing.
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Brief Budget Comment

13th November 2018

In Summary 

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Education Questions, Anne Milton MP

Education Questions: Ministers promise a focus of Social Mobility

12th November 2018

Education Questions in the House of Commons yesterday brought up many issues that our members might find interesting. While any mention of degree apprenticeships was disappointingly left out, the issues discussed included ensuring quality in apprenticeship standards, social mobility and higher education fees, funding for further education and T-levels progress. 

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All-Party Parliamentary Group for Skills and Employment Roundtable

23rd October 2018

In Conversation with Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP

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Time to embrace the future with a Minister for Lifelong Learning

11th October 2018

Appearing before the Lord’s Intergenerational Committee, Policy Connect’s Head of Education and Skills – Simon Kelleher – calls for a joint minister to lead a cultural shift in our approach to education and training

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Policy Connect Chief Executive Jonathan Shaw

Private schools should provide more boarding places for looked-after children

13th August 2018
Policy Connect CEO Jonathan Shaw was a children’s social worker for over a decade before his 13 years in Parliament. Here he reflects on the Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi’s call for private schools to provide boarding places for thousands of looked-after children as a way of resisting pressure to strip them of their charitable status.
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