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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. 

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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EduSkills blog: Apprenticeship Research

12th March 2018
Last week Grant Thornton and City & Guilds published “Generation apprentice”. Their findings suggest that apprenticeships are viewed as successful career pathway by many parents, young people and employers. Also more than three quarters of parents and young people think that apprenticeships offer good career prospects.
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Beth Wheaton

EduSkills blog: Data collection in apprenticeships

5th March 2018

Apprenticeship start data is the hot topic of conversation in the apprenticeship sector at the moment. How many starts are there? What effect is the levy having? Will we reach the 3 million target? Is the target putting quantity ahead of quality?  In the obsession over the figures, it’s important not to forget the individuals behind the numbers.

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