FE colleges offer education and training to people over the age of 16 on a full-time or a part-time basis. In terms of the education system in the UK, FE colleges provide a crucial link between secondary schools and higher education.

Colleges are funded by the government and are designed to equip students with job-specific, transferrable skills that boost future employability. They help prepare students for independent study and learning, thus providing an important stepping stone for those that choose to progress to university. FE colleges are located across the UK, from big, metropolitan cities, to small towns and rural areas.

These colleges offer a broad range of qualifications and courses from levels 1 to 6, including higher national certificates (HNCs), higher national diplomas (HNDs), A levels, apprenticeships, T levels, GCSEs, BTECs, Cambridge technicals, post-graduate degrees and more.

Apprenticeships have also become an increasingly popular area of study at colleges — according to the AoC College Key Facts 2022/23, 166,00 people were studying an apprenticeship, of whom 47,000 are aged under 19.

There are 161 FE colleges in England as of September 2022 and a further 26 in Scotland, 13 in Wales and 6 in Northern Ireland. They educate 1.6 million students each year, of which more than a third are 16-18 year olds (611,000), while 913,000 adults study or train in FE colleges. The average age of college students is 27. In England, 82% of all HNCs, 58% of HNDs and 63% of foundation degrees are delivered by FE colleges.

FE colleges employ 103,000 full-time equivalent members of staff with almost half (49,000) of these being teaching staff. The average age of college employees is 46. In terms of the gender makeup of college principals, it is a fairly even split with 52% male and 48% female.

Demand for skills-based knowledge, technical skills and employability skills will only increase among employers over the coming years. Therefore, a significant number of highly skilled FE teachers are needed to deliver work-relevant skills training in the UK.

Good candidates for roles at FE colleges need to display a range of skills and knowledge, such as excellent verbal and written communication skills; flexibility and openness to change; and the ability to create optimal conditions for learning or teaching students new things.

There are multiple pathways to becoming a teacher at an FE college. A degree is preferred in some cases but not essential. You can gain a teaching qualification on the job (such as a Certificate in Education (Cert Ed), a Postgraduate Certificate in Post Compulsory Education and Training or a Postgraduate Certificate in Further Education and Training), depending on the role and the institution. For those wishing for a change in career, FE can present a viable opportunity to use and share much of the knowledge gained in your career thus far in a completely different and rewarding role.

Lack of teaching qualifications need not be a barrier to teaching in the FE sector. Since 2013, the requirement for newly-appointed teachers in the FE sector to have undergone formal teacher training before becoming an FE teacher has been lifted. Showing passion for the subject to would-be employers is an important factor in their decision making when offering a job. As Jon Downing, HR Systems and Development Manager for Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, explains: “We’ve had plenty of people come from industry and they’re just really enthusiastic, energetic, they love the subject, whatever they’re involved in, you can see they live and breathe it, and it makes a huge difference.”

Sources:
https://www.aoc.co.uk/about/list-of-colleges-in-the-uk
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/20/the-guardian-view-on-college-strikes-a-25-pay-rise-isnt-enough
https://d4hfzltwt4wv7.cloudfront.net/uploads/files/AoC-College-Key-Facts-2022-Web.pdf
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/further-education-lecturer
https://www.aoc.co.uk/about/general-further-education-colleges#:~:text=There%20are%20163%20further%20education,thousands%20of%20students%20each%20year