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Each week I’ll be sharing my summary of what’s been reported in the education media (looking at publications such as FE Week and the TES). Would very much welcome your thoughts and comments on any of the news stories mentioned! Traineeship figures ‘deeply disappointing’

Talking to the British Chambers of Commerce Conference in April this year, Education Secretary Michael Gove said that the UK should regard the battle against illiteracy in the UK in the same way as a developing country may treat malaria. Mr Gove stated that “we need to ensure we eliminate illiteracy and innumeracy in Britain in the same way as developing nations know they need to secure clean drinking water and eliminate malaria if their children are to flourish.”

It’s been reported that A-levels and GCSEs in arts subjects in England, including music, drama, art and dance, are set to be made more "rigorous and demanding". The tougher exams will come into play from September 2016 as part of the Government's programme of exam reform. GCSEs in history, geography, sciences and modern languages are also being revised to bring them into line with English literature, English language and maths.

As we continue to update you on the latest developments with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the new funding rules for 2014-15, I have further news to share. Over 5,000 adult vocational courses are set to be cut in order to simplify and streamline the adult skills system in England; with approximately £200m of the department’s adult skills budget now be re-directed towards what the Government considers to be the `most relevant` qualifications.

When I first entered Q6, I had no idea what to expect of my week here at NCFE. Thoughts of the best possible scenario alongside the worst made me a bag of nerves sitting at the reception. I’ve never had an in-depth experience of marketing and PR, so I was really entering the unknown in quite a few aspects. I tried to find out whatever I could about the organisation beforehand. However, I knew that however much I researched, nothing could prepare me for stepping into the world of work. I can happily say that my best case scenario thoughts were right; friendly and approachable staff and tasks that challenged me but wouldn’t give me a migraine. As the week went on, I gained more and more knowledge of the marketing world and I felt more confident and comfortable within the workplace.

Welcome to the first ‘English and maths Made Easy' column by Bolton College! Over the next few months, Pat Harrison, Director of 14 – 19 and Strategic Lead for English and Maths, and Catherine Langstreth, Advanced Practitioner and English and maths Tutor, will be dispelling myths about the two subjects, providing hints and tips to help you in everyday life, as well as telling some inspirational stories about how developing maths and English skills has transformed the lives of people in Lancashire – at home, at work and when out and about in their home town. Most of the time we don't think about maths and English – but the funny thing is, they're everywhere we go. At home: paying for bills, reading letters, reading instructions on how to cook something. At work: communicating with colleagues, customers, calculating our wages, booking holidays. In our social life: reading road signs, paying for shopping/petrol, sharing a bill in a restaurant, reading a menu. Sometimes, it's the simplest things that stump us, but it doesn't have to be that way. The two subjects combined can open up a whole host of opportunities – promotions at work, new interests in life and jobs we thought that weren't possible.

3 in 10 senior members of staff in schools are planning to leave according to recent workload figures. The official figures show that head teachers are working on average 63 hours a week with 82% of staff claiming their workload has increased since last year.

Looking to the future, the landscape of educational delivery is far from clear, particularly with regards to the use of technology in education – a hot topic on everyone’s lips at the moment. This month, a report was published by the Further Education Learning Technology Action Group (FELTAG), making a number of interesting recommendations to Skills Minister Matthew Hancock regarding their vision of a digital future.

The start of 2014 showed some promise with unemployment figures decreasing in the UK. The number of people out of work in the UK fell by 63,000 to 2.33 million which is definitely a positive sign, however 17.9% of young people aged 16-24 who aren’t in full time education are still unemployed. The figures show there are more opportunities for employment, however it may be difficult for young people to capitalise on them and secure a job if they aren’t fully prepared for what’s ahead of them.

The Welsh government have suggested that parents need to change their negative attitude towards mathematics in order to encourage their children to not only pursue the subject, but to realise its true value and ensure they excel in it. A poll commissioned by the Welsh government showed that 29% of parents admitted to making negative comments about maths in front of their children, such as “don’t ask me to do maths, I’m rubbish at it.”