A new professional development programme (PD) to support the transition to the new post-16 education and training pathways will officially launch in September 2026, the Association of Colleges (AoC) has announced.

The Education Training Foundation (ETF), the professional body for the further education (FE) and skills workforce, has published its new report, Beyond the label: workforce, transition and the future of SEND reform.

Hundreds of young adults and individuals over the age of 50 are set to receive training in the care sector, as part of a new initiative aimed at boosting employment.

Three FE colleges have won a share of an £80 million government fund to increase defence-related education places and improved facilities.

The Treasury is “actively looking into” a controversial freeze to free meals funding for college students, while ministers are continuing to review FE’s long-running VAT dispute without committing to a decision timetable.

Applications have opened for organisations to deliver the government’s national jobs guarantee, with ministers expecting the scheme to support more than 90,000 long-term unemployed young people across Great Britain.