Press releases

Not just other people’s children: what the public thinks about vocational education – April 2021

More people would prefer their children to learn a trade than go to university – poll More people (48%) would prefer their child to get a vocational qualification after leaving school instead of attending university (37%) or starting work (8%), a think-tank has found.

Related publication: Not just other people’s children: what the public thinks about vocational education

Building an FE Research Community of Practice – April 2021

A new report from the Further Education Trust for Leadership gives an example of how further education practitioner-researchers can work together to build FE’s community of knowledge and ideas

Related publication: Building an FE Research Community of Practice

Missing the Story: the UK media’s neglect of Further Education – March 2021

A new paper supported by the Further Education Trust for Leadership highlights the UK media’s failure to understand or engage with further education

Related publication: Missing the Story: the UK media’s neglect of Further Education

FE White Paper 2021: Ideas to Action – March 2021

From ideas to action: making the most of the FE White Paper

Related publication: FE White Paper 2021: Ideas to Action

Study buddies? Competition and collaboration between higher education and further education – March 2021

Universities and FE colleges fear “Hunger Games” battle for students after pandemic

Related publication: Study buddies? Competition and collaboration between higher education and further education

Voices from the tightrope: the role of distress – March 2021

A new FETL report considers the drivers of distress among FE leaders and asks what leaders can do to cope

Related publication: Voices from the tightrope: the role of distress

Skills for Life: A new strategy for English, Maths, ESOL and Digital – March 2021

A new FETL report asks what we can learn from the successes of Skills for Life and urges FE policymakers to build on the lessons of the past

Related publication: Skills for Life: A new strategy for English, Maths, ESOL and Digital – March 2021

Levelling Up Adult Community Education – February 2021

A new FETL report shows what adult community education can contribute to the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda

Related publication: Levelling Up Adult Community Education – February 2021

Learning from lockdown – January 2021

A new report from FETL uses ‘listening post’ methodology to draw key lessons from the response of further education staff and leaders to the COVID-19 lockdown

Related publication: Learning from lockdown – January 2021

Letting the Light in

A new FETL report reflects on the personal and institutional impact of shame, and how leaders and organisations can begin the process of recovery and repair

Related publication: Letting the Light in – January 2021

Leadership and Careers Provision

Leaders have a key role to play in creating career pathways for young people and adults trying to negotiate the complexity and unpredictability of the new world of work, according to a new report from FETL

Related publication: Leadership and Careers Provision- January 2021

A Framework for Leading in FE and Skills: 2021 & Honourable Histories – January 2021

Two new reports from FETL attempt to understand the current state of play in further education in England and the factors that have shaped
the sector we know today

Related publications: A Framework for Leading in FE and Skills: 2021 – January 2021, Honourable Histories – January 2021

Collaboration, partnership and purpose: Further education after Augar

FE colleges should be required to break their different functions into separate institutions that have their own distinctive brand and identity, according to a new report from EDSK and FETL

Related publication: Further consideration: The role of FE colleges in the post-Augar education system

The unseen strategic leader: The role of the governance professional in FE – July 2020

A new paper from FETL considers the nature of governance in FE and asks how governance professionals can be supported in ensuring more effective governance

Related publication: The Unseen Strategic Leader: The governance professionals’ place and their resource needs in facilitating effective governance

Blame or betterment: Improving regulation and oversight in the FE system – July 2020

A new paper from FETL reviews the impact of the regulatory system in further education, and asks how it can improve

Related publication: Blame or betterment? Regulation and intervention in further education

Voices of the shamed: The impact of shame on leaders and leadership – June 2020

A new paper from FETL considers the impact of shame on organisational life and highlights FE leaders’ own experiences of being shamed

Related publication: Voices of the shamed: The personal toll of shame and shaming in further education

Leadership, learning and lockdown – May 2020

A new paper from FETL reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on education leadership and considers what lessons can be learned as we look towards an uncertain and, almost certainly, very different future

Related publication: Leadership, learning and lockdown: First thoughts on lessons for leadership from the coronavirus crisis

Shame in organisational life: An issue we can no longer afford to ignore – May 2020

A new paper from FETL examines organisational shame and explores further education leaders’ own experiences of being shamed

Related resource: FE and Skills and Shame in Organisational Life

Hearts as well as Minds – May 2020

Filmed reflections from participants on the FETL commissioned Working Well Programme ‘How can psychoanalysis and systems theory contribute to the leadership of thinking in the Further Education and Skills Sector?’

Related resource: Hearts as well as Minds

A skills system fit for the future – February 2020

New report from FETL and IPPR asks how Wales can develop a skills system equal to the challenges and opportunities posed by disruptive global and national trends

Related publication: Shaping the Future: A 21^st Century Skills System for Wales – Challenges and Opportunities

Education in prisons: Realising the potential – February 2020

A new report from FETL examines prison education and asks how leadership can maximise its contribution

Related publication: Leadership in Prison Education: Meeting the challenges of the new system

Putting social justice at the heart of our mission February 2020

New FETL report considers how further education leadership can promote social justice

Related publication: Leadership, Further Education and Social Justice

What do FE staff and students really think? February 2020

New research published by FETL offers a snapshot of further education based on the views of the people who work and study in the sector

Related publication: Leading by listening: Reflective learning

Shifting the paradigm on skills: January 2020

Reverse decades of under-investment in FE workforce, says new FETL report.

Related publication: A World-class Workforce for World-class Skills

FETL publications

Not just other people’s children: what the public thinks about vocational education

Building an FE Research Community of Practice

Missing the Story: the UK media's neglect of Further Education

FE White Paper 2021: Ideas to Action

Study buddies? Competition and collaboration between higher education and further education

Voices from the tightrope: the role of distress

Skills for Life: A new strategy for English, Maths, ESOL and Digital

Levelling Up Adult Community Education

Learning from Lockdown

Letting the Light in

Leadership and Careers Provision

A Framework for Leading in FE and Skills: 2021

Honourable Histories

No Strings Attached - How community-led devolution would transform England's skills sector

The English College of the Future - A nations-specific final report

The Way We Work

Further consideration - Creating a new role, purpose and direction for the FE sector

The Unseen Strategic Leader: The governance professionals’ place and their resource needs in facilitating effective governance

Blame or betterment? Regulation and intervention in further education

The Further Education Governance Maturity Matrix

Voices of the shamed: The personal toll of shame and shaming in further education

Leadership, learning and lockdown: First thoughts on lessons for leadership from the coronavirus crisis

FE and Skills and shame in organisational life

England’s Skills Puzzle: Piecing together further education, training and employment

Shaping the Future: A 21st Century Skills System for Wales – Challenges and Opportunities

Leadership in Prison Education: Meeting the challenges of the new system

Leading by Listening: Reflective Learning

Leadership, Further Education and Social Justice

Leadership, Learning and Demographics: The Changing Shape of the Lifecourse and its Implications for Education

A World-class Workforce for World-class Skills: The case for a national institute for technical teaching and regional knowledge centres

A Permanent National Necessity...

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise: implications for workforce development

A 21st Century Skills System for Wales: Challenges and Opportunities

Rethinking Place and Purpose: Provocations on the Future of FE

Leading Skill: Paper 2 Policies for strong leadership in Further Education colleges

Crossing Boundaries 2: The FE Sector and Permeable Spaces

Burden of Proof: Is evidence really the key to good policy design?

Adult Community Education: Supporting place and people: Characteristics of success

Colleges as Anchors in Their Spaces: A Study in college leadership of place

Learning at Life Transitions: Supporting learners returning to work or preparing to retire

Adopting global skills innovation for the UK

The role of leadership in prioritising and improving the quality of teaching and learning in further education

Leading skills: Exploring leadership in Further Education colleges – Paper 1

Shame, Learning and Repair: Fostering compassion in organisational life

Employers in the Driving Seat?

An independent voice for the sector: the Further Education 'Elders'

Beating the odds, and the system

Marvellous Regiment: 100 Years of Women in Further Education and Skills

The future is coming: ready or not?

Recognising Excellence In The Governance of Independent Training Providers

Finding the glass slipper – The impact of leadership on innovation in further education

Collaboration and Leadership for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing

The Skills System in Northern Ireland

Scripting the future – exploring potential strategic leadership responses to the marketization of English FE and vocational provision

Reimagining Lifelong Learning: A brief history of an idea

Thinking For A Change

Higher Education in Further Education: Leading the Challenge

Employers in the driving seat?

Cities of Learning In The UK

Hidden leadership: exploring the Assumptions that define further Education leadership 2018

Crossing boundaries

Leverage Leadership: Lessons from further education

Leverage Leadership: A new paradigm for further education

Rising to the Challenge

Leaders' Voices

Equipping Scotland for the future

Possibility thinking: Reimagining the future of further education and skills

Remembered thinking...

A Compendium of Thinking on Innovative Governance in the FE and Skills Sector

Leadership And Ethics in Further Education

How can Psychoanalysis and systems theory contribute to the leadership of thinking in the further education and skills sector?

The long-term implications of devolution and localism for FE in England

Tim Ward: Fellow 2015

Leaders or Leadership

Using Systems Theory in Leadership

Ruth Allen: Fellow 2015

Ann Creed: Fellow 2015

Alex Day: Fellow 2015

Informing the future

The Changing Face of FE Leadership in Wales

Possibility Thinking: Creative Conversations On The Future of FE and Skills

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Email: enquiries@fetl.org.uk