22 NOV 2023
Trust us to shape FE and Skills for the future, urge sector leaders in new report
The UK’s FE and Skills sector will deliver the workforce this country needs if given greater autonomy, a clearer funding framework and better guidance on emerging technologies, according to a new report written by leaders in further education.
FE colleges are being held back by a ‘parent-child relationship’ of Government micro-management and a complex, convoluted system of investment that makes it nearly impossible to plan for the future, says the FE Collective Report.
A collaboration of some of the leading professionals, thinkers and academics in the field, the FE Collective examined three critical areas for the future of FE and Skills – Artificial Intelligence (AI), investing in the sector and future routes for progression. Key findings include:
Complicated, scarce and lagged public funding of FE and Skills must be replaced with a more agile, localised and modular system of investment and provision
The Government’s ‘parent-child’ micro-management of FE and Skills should be scrapped in favour of greater autonomy and trust in the sector’s knowledge, understanding and vision for its futureFE and Skills can become more ‘investment ready’ for public and private investors with a long-term strategic plan that gives clarity on skills needs for the jobs of the future
AI can revolutionise learning for the better – but more investment is vital alongside better guidance on safeguarding and ownership of data
Professionalisation of the sector is key to its progress, with educators, leaders and governance given better guidance on progression routes and continuing professional development
Founded by FE News, the FE Collective is an innovative new initiative in which industry reports are written collectively at in-person events that examine key issues in the sector.
This FE Collective Report pulls together insights and commentary from scene-setting, panel discussions and working groups at a FE Collective conference in Birmingham on 17 October 2023, sponsored by awarding organisation NCFE and attended by more than 100 educators and other specialists in the field of FE and Skills.
The results-focused report will be shared and discussed with FE and Skills policy makers, investors and other decision-makers with influence on the future of the sector.