Blog

A positive and thriving FE work culture does not happen overnight. Investing time in getting to know your colleagues is guaranteed to reap benefits including enhanced productivity. It is widely recognized that relationships with colleagues are hugely important as they contribute to a more positive and dynamic FE climate. Here are some tips which will…>

Employee happiness has become an interesting topic in recent times. The reason for this is due to the expanding research evidence indicating that when employees are happy, organisations thrive. Most of us seek happiness in all areas of our lives. Since we spend approximately one-third of our lives working, happiness in the workplace is greatly…>

Further Education (FE) leaders face a growing amount of pressure as a result of funding restrictions, structural changes, technological developments and constant reforms. Many FE Colleges provide structured learning and development opportunities such as coaching, mentoring, and training courses. However, many leaders are not able to take the time out of their busy schedules to participate in…>

The UK’s Health and Safety Executive study found that education professionals suffer from the highest rates of work-related stress and anxiety in the country. A recent Ofsted study confirmed that many FE professionals struggle with lack of work-life balance, a challenging workload and lack of support from seniors. Despite the above findings, most FE teachers report that they enjoy their teaching and making a positive difference in the…>

Technology has primarily been the fall-back solution to face-to-face teaching until now. Some institutions have integrated technology into course content more than others, realising its potential for differentiation and enhanced learning through flipped classrooms. However, a lot of teachers have had little or no training in teaching online, so they are now learning as they…>

Teaching Assistant (TA) jobs in Further Education (FE) are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. The TA’s main role is to work closely with teachers in the planning and preparation of lessons in order to maximize effective learning opportunities for students. TAs carefully monitor how students complete set tasks and liaise with teachers in adapting…>

In 2017, the government will push ahead with the new Apprenticeship Levy (AL). This will place more responsibility on larger UK employers to meet the needs of their workforce through modern apprenticeships. It’s hoped the new scheme will encourage more 16-18 year olds into jobs, while giving employers more control over how their apprentices are…>

At times, working in College Based Higher Education can feel like an uphill struggle. Trying to maintain academic credibility and a professional perspective can be difficult in the often chaotic nature of CBHE, where many smaller-scale HE providers rely on a minimal number of teaching staff to cover both FE and HE delivery. The pressure…>

The purpose of this article is both to highlight barriers to the learning process and to share some techniques and strategies teachers can use to help overcome them. Barriers to adult learning The key barriers identified through research are: lack of time and energy negative perceptions of education from their own experiences lack of available…>

A classroom can be a scary place. Walking into a new classroom, with a new teacher and a new group of peers can be daunting for even a confident individual. Equally, I always get butterflies before meeting a new group of students. Preparing the space Before the students arrive, think about the room layout. I generally…>