Click here to read the transcript of a speech given by John Blake at an event organised by the Social Mobility Foundation

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Excellent news, congratulations to our colleagues at Blackpool and The Fylde College who have become the third FE college in the country to be granted bachelor’s degree-awarding powers.

The college said on Thursday it was the first in the north west and only the third general FE college in England to secure the prestigious powers of awarding bachelor’s degrees independently, which will give it “greater flexibility” to meet the needs of local employers. To read the article click here

Proposals for a map of skills provision to determine shortages across England have progressed, with plans for the first phase of work beginning in November.

The Department for Education last year revealed ambitions for a ‘skills taxonomy’. This would act as an algorithm to identify and map skills shortages for jobs and occupations, and develop future college courses.

Education chiefs predicted the taxonomy could play a role in developing local skills improvement plans (LSIPs). These documents would outline priority post-16 skills needed in regions or counties developed by business-led boards. To read the article click here

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has launched a major review of transport and logistics skills training and wants feedback on what is working and what needs to change. It is the first ever opportunity of its kind to strategically review the occupational map for the route and have a say in what it looks like in the future. To read the article click here