Why work in Further Education?
To quote the Association of Colleges, “Colleges are brilliant”.
Serving 1.6 million people, England’s 218 colleges represent the most diverse subsector of our wider education system. From specialist land-based and creative colleges, to sixth form colleges and general Further Education, colleges provide for learners ranging from 14-16-year-olds outside the school system, to Higher Education (HE) students, and everyone in between.
‘Colleges’ and Further Education are not directly interchangeable. Broadly, Further Education refers to post-16 education delivered by colleges or training providers (as opposed to schools or universities), between Entry Level 1 (i.e. English as a Second Language qualifications, or qualifications for learners with High Needs), and Level 3 (i.e. A-Levels, BTEC National Diplomas, T-Levels, or Access to HE Diplomas). The vast majority of Further Education is delivered to 16–18-year-olds as an alternative to school sixth form, or to adults (19+) in a range of contexts.
The aspiration and pathways to become a teacher in Primary or Secondary Education are relatively well trodden (and comparatively well remunerated). Typically, when someone aspires to become ‘a teacher’, they generally mean within Primary or Secondary, as opposed to Further Education. Similarly, when someone catches the bug for academia or research, it’s generally safe to assume that their aspiration is to work at a university.
Indeed, after getting a taste for HE lecturing to support my industry income, it was by fortunate mistake that I landed in my first Further Education role, as an Hourly Paid Lecturer. Fresh out of academia and industry active, I was (snobbishly) cautious of having to water anything down. It took me no time at all to recognise that Further Education was the right environment for me, and I’ve worked I the sector ever since. Here’s why:
Flexible career entry points
I didn’t have a teaching qualification, nor a PhD. I did have a degree and industry experience. Colleges thrive upon the experience of industry specialists moving into teaching, for example through the national Taking Teaching Further programme. That said, people enter careers in Further Education through all routes mentioned above and more, including through entry level positions, such as Learning Support. Typically, colleges will specify that new teachers work towards a Level 5 teaching Diploma on-the-job. These are often delivered in-house as Initial Teacher Education, epitomising colleges’ vocational ethos. DET courses offer career development and are widely accepted currency across the sector.
Making a difference
I vividly recall, during my first ever Further Education lesson, thinking, “these are my people.” The learners before me were not institutionalised, nor arbitrarily following a ‘conventional’ educational journey. They walked and talked like me. They were grounded, authentic, transparent, and honest in their intentions to learn and progress – sometimes too much so! Learners were immeasurably diverse, overcoming challenges and barriers to their learning on a daily basis. They remained resourceful, driven, aspirational, pragmatic, passionate, creative, innovative… This wasn’t a one off. Working in Further Education is invariably rewarding in the opportunities it offers to make tangible differences to people’s lives.
Staff communities
This sense of authenticity and community is reflected in staff communities. Staff are not necessarily lifelong ‘career-teachers’, nor academics or researchers (though some absolutely are). Flexible routes into Further Education breed rich diversity amongst staff. Often, staff are industry-active dual-professionals, immersed in the very industries and networks for which they are preparing learners.
Resources and opportunities
Colleges are equipped with facilities, resources, and partnerships to prepare learners for industry. This encourages up-to-date, vocational knowledge and practice, providing opportunities and outcomes that have a tangible impact. For example, Mechanical/Automotive Engineering learners learn to conduct MOTs by servicing the cars of college staff; Hair and Beauty learners practice on live models in public salons; Catering learners run college cafes and canteens – the list could go on!
Feeling valued
I have always felt incredibly valued in Further Education. Not swamped by prescriptive career pathways or the confines of national curriculum. Not pressurised for research output. Instead, celebrated for industry experience and a commitment to share this as part of a community, with learners at its centre.
Job security
Historically, Further Education has faced volatility and scrutiny in relation to funding and quality across the sector. More recently, in the context of colleges’ reclassification as Public Sector Bodies, national skills agenda, and curriculum and apprenticeships reform, Further Education is at the centre of political narrative. Whilst funding is still not conducive to the ambitions of the sector, reclassification has relieved some commercial pressures, and 86% of colleges are judged Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. This amounts to a much stabler sector than the turbulent Further Education of old. The same cannot be said for universities, nor necessarily for schools, making Further Education an increasingly attractive choice.
It is a compliment that, having entered by mistake, I am now such a devoted Further Education advocate. In fact, I have come a whole circle, arriving at college HE leadership as my expertise. College HE is a powerfully impactful microcosm within college education. It is the ideal breeding ground and echo-chamber for Further Education advocacy, and has allowed me to bring together my academic background, industry experience, and sense of belonging, community, and purpose, in a way that would not have been achievable through a career in any other sector, but Further Education.
Leave a Reply