The Centre for Vocational Educational Research had its mid-term review at the beginning of this year. After an initial £3 million grant from the Department for Education in May 2015, and there had been speculation about its long term prospects. It has now been given an extra £2 million to continue until the end of the decade, and has some stirring projects up its sleeve. These include evaluations on FE’s role in increasing social mobility, and the impact of university technical colleges. Its work on the apprenticeship levy, however, is likely to bring the most interest. After gaining recent approval from its steering group, CVER has started planning a major evaluation of the policy, which came into effect last April. “The focus of the work on the apprenticeship levy will be on its effect on training outcomes, overall and by sector,” said Dr Sandra McNally, who leads the centre.

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