College staff should receive a 3.5 per cent pay rise this year where members can afford it, the Association of Colleges has said. The recommendation, published after talks with five trade unions representing the further education workforce, also encouraged college employers in a favourable financial position to “go beyond” the pay offer. The recommendation is lower than the joint pay claim submitted by unions in March, which asked for a 10 per cent pay rise, or £3,000, whichever is greater, to reverse real-terms cuts over the last 15 years. They also called for a binding national bargaining agreement and pay parity with school teachers. The AoC has matched the 3.5 per cent rise confirmed for school teachers from September, though the Department for Education expects schools to fund 1 per cent from their existing budgets. Unlike schools, the Association of Colleges’ (AoC) recommendation is non-binding, meaning college employers can offer their staff a pay award above or below the AoC proposal. University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady said the non-binding offer falls “way short” of its asks and does not recognise the contribution of FE staff. “Colleges will only be able to fix the recruitment and retention crisis by closing the pay gap between further education staff and their counterparts in schools,” she told FE Week. She added: “A pay recommendation of 3.5 per cent does not make up for years of below-inflation awards or come close to remedying the £9,000 pay gap between school and college teachers. Workloads are at record high levels, staff need a proper pay rise, and we need a workforce and investment strategy and a new national bargaining framework for further education.” Gerry McDonald, group principal & CEO of New City College and chair of the AoC’s employment policy group, said the recommendation was possible after the government’s July announcement of an extra £485 million for college recruitment and retention. He said: “The AoC is recommending a 3.5 per cent pay increase for all college staff for the 2026-27 academic year, where colleges’ financial circumstances and funding allocations allow. Where colleges are able to go beyond this recommendation because of their financial position and funding allocations, AoC encourages them to do so.” The funding is split into £120 million for the 2026-27 financial year and £365 million for 2027-28. McDonald said the cash boost reflected the “sustained” campaigning by colleges, the AoC and unions for funded staff pay rises. “We acknowledge the role played by all those involved in securing this investment and will continue to work together to make the case for further funding for the sector,” he said. The National Joint Forum brings together the AoC and five trade unions: GMB, NEU, Unison, Unite, and UCU. At the first NJF meeting in June, the AoC told unions it risked making a very low, possibly zero per cent, pay award. Both sides then wrote a joint letter to then-education secretary Bridget Phillipson urging of the risk of a real-terms pay cut without significant funding. After the funding announcement, the forum agreed to reconvene in September. Following the recommendation, Unison’s head of education Mike Short told FE Week: “The offer will be considered by Unison’s further education committee later this week to determine the next steps.” NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede added: “In the context of this year’s increased funding settlement for further education, and the significant pay disparity between FE staff and schoolteachers, the AoC’s offer of a 3.5 per cent pay award falls well short of expectations. We will be consulting members on the offer to determine our next steps.”