As 2026 unfolds, AI is no longer just a topic in Further Education – it’s reshaping curriculum, assessment, and learner support. Alongside evolving inspection expectations and a focus on personal development, providers are balancing innovation with responsibility and impact.
This month, Liam Sammon, Executive Director for Innovation & Education Services, reflects on two years of AI-led transformation. We also launch AI Literacy short courses for 16-19 learners, showcase Independent Living courses in action, highlight updates to the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Creating a Business Start-Up, and invite you to join us at the Educationscape Inclusion and Belonging Summit.
At The Skills Network, our goal remains the same: to give providers the tools, insight, and confidence to embed change that works for learners, tutors, and leaders alike.
As Artificial Intelligence continues to reshape the education landscape, few areas have evolved as rapidly, or as significantly, as product development, assessment, and organisational transformation. At The Skills Network, AI is not just a topic of conversation; it has become a practical driver of innovation, influencing how we design resources, support learners, and empower our teams.
To mark two years of leading AI product development and, more recently, business-wide AI transformation, Liam Sammon, Executive Director for Innovation & Education Services, reflects on the journey so far. In the new blog series, AI Reflections, he shares candid insights into what has worked, what has challenged us, and what education leaders need to consider as AI continues to redefine the sector…
Artificial intelligence is already embedded in learner behaviour, but not yet consistently embedded in curriculum design. As government policy accelerates toward an AI-enabled economy, education providers face an urgent question: how do we move from AI awareness to responsible, confident application? The answer lies not in technical specialism alone, but in practical AI literacy, building judgement, critical thinking, ethical awareness and integrity.
The Skills Network is introducing a new suite of modular, online AI short courses designed specifically for 16–19 learners. With two clear pathways – AI for Your Learning Journey and AI Skills for Employment – these courses help young people use AI as an augmentation tool, not a substitute. Fully aligned with emerging DfE guidance and designed to in line with your AI policy, not shape or enact it, they enable providers to embed responsible AI use with confidence, preparing learners for progression, employability and an AI-enabled future.
We’ll be sharing more details soon. In the meantime, keep an eye on your inbox for updates on the launch of our AI Literacy Short Courses for 16–19 learners and how your organisation can get involved.
As we recognise Love Colleges Week, we want to take the opportunity to thank you for the important work you do to support learners and your wider community. Whether we already work together or not, we truly value the dedication, expertise and impact you bring to education.
We are proud to support colleges with high quality online learning that offers flexible opportunities for students and staff. Our aim is always to make it easier for you to strengthen your curriculum, increase engagement and provide accessible routes for learners.
To support your goals, we offer a selection of funded online courses and resources, including:
✔️ Short courses for adult learners, supporting career changers and lifelong learning
✔️ 16-19 short courses, helping young people build skills and confidence
✔️ Resources to support apprenticeships, ideal for developing workplace skills
✔️ Level 2 and 3 qualifications, forming pathways into higher level study
✔️ Good for Me, Good for FE, promoting community engagement and partnership working
If you would like to find out more about how we can support your provision and future plans, our team is always here to help.
Inclusion isn’t just a policy priority, it’s a lived experience that shapes attendance, achievement and progression. As the 2025 Ofsted framework sharpens its focus on personal development, safeguarding and equality, the sector conversation is rightly shifting from compliance to culture. That’s why The Skills Network will be attending the Educationscape Inclusion and Belonging Summit in March 2026, and we’d love you to join the discussion.
Taking place 17th March 2026 (see event website for confirmed dates and ticket details), the Summit brings together sector leaders, curriculum specialists and quality professionals to explore how inclusion can be embedded consistently and confidently across post-16 provision. If you’re looking to strengthen personal development, enhance tutorial delivery or build independent living skills into your study programme, come and be part of the conversation.
Alongside sector discussions on inclusion and belonging, providers are increasingly looking at practical curriculum approaches that support learner independence and personal development. The article below explores how our Independent Living 16–19 short courses can help bring this into practice.
Following our recent update on strengthening learner readiness for 2026, we’re inviting providers to experience one of our new Independent Living 16–19 short courses available on the EQUAL platform, first-hand.
Rather than simply talking about how our courses support inspection expectations and personal development, we’re giving you the opportunity to see exactly how they work in practice.
Discover how the course can:
✔️ Fit seamlessly into tutorials, enrichment or SEND pathways
✔️ Engage learners through structured, interactive content
✔️ Provide provision that is coherent, easy to implement and simple to evidence
With inspection expectations evolving from November 2025, many providers are reviewing their curriculum to ensure it is structured and inspection-ready. Seeing the course live makes its practical application clear and tangible.
Alternatively, you can book a short walkthrough to explore our EQUAL Learner Management System, featuring over 250 learner resources, and see how it could support your 2026 planning. We’d be delighted to show you more.
Following valuable feedback from our partners delivering the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Creating a Business Start-Up (603/3632/8), we have developed an additional version of the qualification featuring more ‘traditional’ assessment methods.
The original version (Course ID: 6416) was designed with a portfolio-based assessment model, requiring learners to build a business plan alongside unit activities and tutor-marked assessments. However, partners advised that learners and assessors found it challenging to move between the project portfolio and the standard question types within EQUAL. In response, we have now created a revised version that contains fully ‘traditional’ assessment formats, offering a more familiar and streamlined experience for both learners and assessors.
The new fully online version is now live on EQUAL.
Thank you again for the continued work you do to support learners and strengthen the wider skills community. As we recognise efforts across the sector this Colleges Week, we want to acknowledge the difference you make every day.
If you would like to stay connected and in the loop with the latest updates, insights and opportunities from across the sector, make sure to follow us on our social media channels.
To find out more about any of the updates in this newsletter, please get in touch with your Account Manager if you have one, or click the button below to submit an enquiry.
