It was my first week as an eager young(ish) reporter at TES. I’d just been told I would be covering something called FE (little could I have imagined that these two letters would become seared into my consciousness for years to come). And, I was advised, I really should go to the AoC conference in Birmingham.

A couple of days later, I’d found out that AoC stood for Association of Colleges and was on my way to the Midlands. In 2016, the event remains one of the big draws in the FE calendar - and this year’s conference holds more intrigue than most.

Delegates will get their first glimpse of two recently appointed ministers: education secretary Justine Greening and apprenticeships and skills minister Robert Halfon. Both have acquitted themselves well thus far, appearing to demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for FE and skills; many questions remain to be answered, however.

But it may well be that two education old-timers have just as much of an impact on the FE agenda in the coming weeks. The end of the year will mark the departure from Ofsted of Sir Michael Wilshaw, a chief inspector who has never shied away from delivering tough messages to the sector. While the prospect of a thoughtful appraisal of the challenges posed by English and maths GCSE resits in Ofsted’s annual report will be most welcome, the inspection performance of GFE colleges suggests there’s little chance of a parting gift in the form of warm words for colleges.

And the influence of another divisive figure in FE circles also appears to be on the rise. Lord Baker’s crusade for university technical colleges (UTCs) has raised eyebrows, given the resources lavished on them in comparison to existing providers - not to mention the high-profile problems encountered by several of them.

Lord Baker may have turned 82 this week, but there appears to be no sign of his influence waning. In contrast to the somewhat prickly relationship between the Tory grandee and Michael Gove, Ms Greening is reportedly far more warmly disposed to the UTC cause.

So while it may appear to be all change on the ministerial front, don’t forget about a couple of more familiar faces who will also have plenty of say in the near future.

@stephenexley