Listen to this story Members can listen to an AI-generated audio version of this article. 1.0x Audio narration uses an AI-generated voice. 0:00 0:00 Become a member to listen to this article Subscribe Two million pounds has been pumped into the test phase of a scheme to recruit construction workers as part-time FE college teachers. Thirteen combined authorities are participating in a pilot for the government’s FE Teacher Industry Exchange Programme (TIE) ahead of its full £20 million rollout set to take place over the next three years. A “test and learn” phase that runs until July is being staged in devolved areas such as London, York and North Yorkshire, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Combined authorities are expected to broker partnerships between colleges and construction employers and facilitate up to 90 teaching days from industry experts. The project seeks to tackle FE’s worsening recruitment crisis, particularly in high-demand subjects such as construction, and support the delivery of the government’s 1.5 million homes. Nearly one in 10 construction teaching positions were vacant in 2022-23. College pay was at least 3 per cent lower than that of construction industry professionals in 2021, and has probably fallen further behind since then. Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed £20 million last March to “form partnerships between colleges and construction companies” as part of the government’s wider £600 million construction skills package. Ministers also pumped £100 million into 10 FE colleges with construction ‘technical excellence college’ status to train 40,000 workers by 2029. The TIE pilot marks the first launch of the two-way exchange between industry and FE, which was first floated in the skills for jobs white paper in 2021 but never materialised. The idea resurfaced in last year’s skills white paper. The Department for Education issued £2 million to the 13 combined authorities to test the programme. Ministers will then distribute £6 million annually over the next three years via several funding streams. Seven combined authorities have been awarded allocations until the 2028-29 through integrated settlements, totalling an annual £1.4 million. DfE is set to confirm funding for non-integrated settlement mayoral and strategic authorities in due course. Construction technical excellence colleges in non-devolved areas will also be allocated money to act as brokers in their areas. DfE did not provide a published breakdown of the non-devolved funding. Pilot takes off The Greater London Authority received £223,212 for the test pilot. A “significant” proportion of this will be spent on mobilising relationships to support getting construction workers into FE settings. The authority also awarded an additional £80,000 to New City College, the city’s construction technical excellence college, to coordinate employer brokerage across the region, and £40,000 to a careers hub to scale up its existing FE teacher industry placements. It will also pay employers around £275 per day to “reflect local wage differentials” and engage businesses to release employees for training. The London pilot is aiming for 90 teaching days to be delivered by July. York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority accepted £186,881 from the DfE while Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) was handed £137,907. CPCA said it would use the pilot to link the TIE scheme with its own construction industry placement programme, which takes on interns for six weeks at building sites. The combined authority said it would also “embed industry expertise” by seconding a construction expert. CPCA has targeted 72 teaching days for construction professionals to receive teaching masterclasses and mentoring sessions. The “exchange” part of the pilot will coordinate construction site visits and industry update sessions for existing FE construction teachers in the district. The DfE has not yet published a full grant determination letter or programme guidance document.