One year in, Labour’s skills revolution is feeling hollow

The Labour government has used up a fifth of its parliamentary mandate. Realistically, it has only 36 months left to demonstrate that it can deliver on its core mission to return growth to the British economy.

A key part of that mission is to raise living standards by fixing the nation’s skills. Labour MPs are banking on a “decade of national renewal”.

Of course, it would be churlish to write off policymakers just yet. Whitehall still has the chance to prove its critics wrong. If they fail, the opinion polls suggest that Sir Keir Starmer will be a one-term prime minister.

If a week is a long time in politics, then a year is a good metric to measure what the government has achieved in skills policy.

In practical terms, the skills mission of this government has only really got going in the past few weeks. We’ve seen a slew of announcements focused on its industrial strategy, including the investment in skills required to deliver Labour’s house building and net zero commitments.

What is still not clear is a detailed roadmap of how the Department for Education and Skills England will shift the dial on the economic doom-loop the country finds itself in: high taxes, poor workforce productivity and low growth.

This blueprint is promised in the post-16 skills white paper, yet ministers are coy about when it will appear, never mind what detail we can expect to see in it.

Over the past year, the government has struggled to communicate a coherent narrative on skills. It came into office after 14 years in the political wilderness with a series of vague proposals built around a single institutional change: creating Skills England.

Strangely, that body is nothing like what Lord Blunkett laid out in October 2022 at the launch of his “council of skills advisers” report – a launch attended by the then shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson.

Skills England was supposed to be an independent, cross-government statutory body. Blunkett took a decidedly anti-Whitehall-knows-best approach, calling for a decentralised system to “rapidly restore a sustainable upward trajectory in growth and productivity”.

Newly minted ministers, advised by civil servants, had other ideas.

Not only has Whitehall doubled down on the failed bureaucratic market centralisation model of the past 40 years, senior DfE officials made sure Skills England was placed under the thumb of a permanent secretary and a director-general for skills who advised the last Conservative government. And therein lies the real missed opportunity of Labour’s first year in office.

It started well. Starmer made the point in his August 2024 Downing Street speech, saying: “When there is deep rot in the heart of a structure, you can’t just cover it up. You can’t tinker with it or rely on quick fixes.”

Yet that is precisely how the skills minister, Baroness Jacqui Smith, has marked her first year in office. The veteran Blairite has made technocratic tweaks to apprenticeship assessments, funding and duration, while rebranding other initiatives in a manner that is reminiscent of what the Institute for Government calls “the tendency to abolish and recreate organisations as a proxy for demonstrating progress”.

This performative approach to policy is how Skills England has behaved. Management buzzwords of “partnership” and “simplification” abound, while avoiding any hard metrics of how parliament can hold it to account for raising skills levels.

Maybe that will be revealed in the expected white paper?

In an echo of the cruel disability cuts debacle, DfE ministers have made some very un-Labour choices, such as the 6 per cent cut to adult and community education.

Job updates from officials on LinkedIn felt Kafkaesque

But this is what happens when you rely on the same people who advised the Conservatives. You get poverty of ambition. Take the number of those not in education, employment or training (NEETs). All Smith could tell the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) conference was that she would “stall” the shocking rise.

It has felt Kafkaesque to observe the job updates from officials on LinkedIn, telling the world that they will be doing the same role for Skills England as they were for the abolished Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. 

Hundreds of hours of wasted parliamentary time to arrive back at square one.

Meanwhile, the real incomes of working people have increased by only 0.1 per cent since this government came to office. The same workers that Labour will need to win over to secure a second term.

AI Is rewriting tech careers – Can educators keep up?

Despite the global technology market’s sluggish recovery following widespread layoffs, recent data shows bright spots in the UK tech market that educators can help their students take advantage of. But that is only true if they successfully pivot to new growth areas.  

AI rewriting roles

AI has transformed tech jobs in just two years, changing demands on both bootcamps and computer science degrees.

Roles such as prompt engineer, highly sought after in 2022, are almost nonexistent today.  Conversely solutions architects, once considered “tech-adjacent”, now command a higher salary than full-stack developers.

Tech educators are struggling to keep pace. Computer science degrees still emphasise programming theory fundamentals, while coding bootcamps that focus on drilling static languages are closing down.

Both approaches risk irrelevance in a market where skill demands are evolving rapidly.

AI trainer, AI data specialist, and AI security specialist are now the top roles companies plan to add in 2025, according to Microsoft’s survey of 31,000 employers.

Only the tech sector is experiencing such relentless, AI-driven turnover in required skills. AI-related roles are expanding 3.6 times faster than the average UK job, with skill requirements evolving 25 per cent faster than other sectors.

Today’s skills are yesterday’s news, meaning an educational shift to instilling students with the capacity to teach themselves new frameworks – according to market demands – is now more valuable to students than teaching transient skill sets.

Surging salaries

While the picture appears disheartening, for aspiring technologists and tech educators there are enormous opportunities in pivoting to this new capacities-based learning approach with AI – both in increased recruitment and higher salaries.

Demand for AI specialists has tripled in the UK. The average UK salary in AI-based roles stands at £77,781 a year – 64 per cent higher than the UK average. AI-skilled candidates command salaries up to 40 per cent higher than their peers.

This is due to all industries looking to incorporate AI alongside a lack of AI-skilled workers in the UK, with 78 per cent of tech employers struggling to find qualified talent.

This provides an open goal for those tech educators who can help learners fill that gap.

Pivot fast but think long-term

Alternative education programmes and universities are already shifting, but at different speeds. Bootcamps are moving from a Javascript-heavy focus to Python and other AI-relevant languages, benefiting from shorter iteration cycles to help them adapt to industry shifts.

Some have introduced AI and machine learning which sits within a wider approach to teaching under-the-hood mental models creating autonomous engineers.

In contrast, universities have been slower to adapt, although some are making the leap.

The University of York now offers a BSc in computer science with AI, with modules on machine learning, robotics and deep learning. And the Universities of Kent and Bristol are introducing AI degrees this year. However, after three years of study, it’s impossible to say what will be relevant in the field upon graduation with the increasing pace of tech innovation.

But the real opportunity is teaching students deep mental models that allow them to master any new framework or tech stack that arises, without needing to go back into education to upskill when the landscape changes again.

Data from 2025 shows that 70.1 per cent of full-time Codesmith graduates landed jobs within a year, with total compensation equivalent to £82,372.

With more relaxed attitudes to employees without degrees, bootcamps have the edge; 38 per cent of hiring professionals now say degrees aren’t important at all versus 19 per cent who said they are very important.

A new frontier

The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report states that while AI is a disruptive force leading to an overall decline in jobs, technology-related roles are the fastest-growing jobs.

With the government’s drive to boost AI capabilities, appetite for AI-skilled technologists is soaring. Given the nation’s stagnant wages across most industries, tech educators who can bring students into this growing market offer a career and job security that exists almost nowhere else in the UK.

Plan for change funding to drive green construction skills

Chancellor, Rachel Reeves said: “We are determined to get Britain building again, that’s why we are taking on the blockers to build 1.5 million new homes and rebuild our roads, railways and energy infrastructure”.

Nevertheless, the construction sector continues to face a significant skills gap, challenges in recruitment, and a training system that is not adequately designed to meet the needs of the 95% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that dominate the construction sector.

The construction industry accounts for 11% of global emissions. It is estimated that there are 29 million buildings in the UK that require enhancements in energy efficiency through retrofitting, and a large-scale transition from gas to energy-efficient heat pumps.

The UK green construction market is projected to reach £6 billion annually.  The UK needs to develop a workforce with the necessary skills and capacity to deliver on this.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said: “Skills are crucial to this Government’s mission to grow the economy under our Plan for Change, and nowhere is that clearer than in the construction industry.”

The Plan for Change funding is designated for the following initiatives;

  • £100 million allocated for establishing 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges.
  • £165 million directed towards colleges for the expansion of construction courses.
  • £100 million reserved for 40,000 industry placements each year for Level 2 and Level 3 learners.
  • £80 million allocated to support employers in providing customized training.

Tim Balcon, CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted with the support the Government is giving the construction sector with increased investment.  This package will provide vital support where it is needed most… I genuinely believe this is a once-in-a-generation chance for us to recruit and train our workforce, equipping more people with the skills they urgently need now and in the future.”

Much of the proposed initiatives build upon the progressive efforts already undertaken in the Further Education sector. For instance, Yeovil College created a new green construction curriculum. They delivered training focused on in-demand practical skills by using “kit” from Sabre Rigs. The construction team at Yeovil College said: “This has resulted in training sessions that are hands-on, engaging, and focused on the green construction skills that employers demand.”

Similarly, the Bedford College Group has utilised Green Skills Solutions training programmes and equipment from Sabre Rigs Ltd as part of their Local Improvement Fund (LSIF) projects. The plumbing team remarked: “It is an excellent piece of equipment that can effectively demonstrate theoretical principles in a manner that students can comprehend.”

In order to fulfil commitments regarding housing, net zero, and growth, the Government’s Plan for Change has allocated funding to improve and fix training in construction. Success depends on revolutionising construction skills training, which includes enhancing access to contemporary green construction methods and technologies. The process of establishing a pipeline for a modern, skilled construction workforce with well-compensated green jobs has genuinely commenced.

Sabre Rigs Website

orders@sabre-rigs.co.uk

Telephone: 07468 759 512

Green Skills Solutions Website

hello@green-skills-solutions.co.uk

Telephone: 07468 759 512

Ensure that you do not fall behind and that your learners have access to the most up-to-date training equipment and practical green skills resources.

‘Judge me on what happens in September’ says Ofsted chief

Sir Martyn Oliver has said he should be judged on updated Ofsted reforms due to be released in September, admitting he only put out “foundations” of a plan originally because the sector demanded “urgent” reform.

The chief inspector has been widely criticised for the rushed nature of plans for new report cards and a new inspection framework.

It also emerged recently Ofsted won’t respond to its own consultation until September, giving leaders just weeks to digest the proposals before inspections resume in November – despite a previous pledge from the inspectorate that providers would get a full term’s notice.

Speaking at the Festival of Education this morning, Oliver was asked how his aim of rebuilding trust with the sector was going.

He said it had “gone to a certain level”, but added that “until we publish the document, there is nothing anyone else can do. And that is a difficult, difficult state.”

On the report card plans, Oliver said Ofsted “could have taken another one or two more years, but that wasn’t what the system was saying.

“The system was saying Ofsted needed urgent and quick reform. And so I chose to put something out that I knew would be just the beginnings, just the foundations.”

‘People will understand better in September’

He pointed to the watchdog’s testing of the proposals.

“I think we’ve done something like 234 test visits in the period between publishing that document and where we are today, and the amount of work that we’ve done to listen to teachers, to shape and to change. We’re taking that time to just get it absolutely right.

“And I think in September, some of the things that I originally set out to achieve, when I get a chance to explain them, I think people will understand better, and hopefully it will begin to rebuild that trust.”

Ofsted had originally pledged to give education settings a notice period “equivalent to one term between the publication of our post-consultation response and inspection materials and the start of education inspections”.

But with its firm plans now not coming until September, leaders have warned they will have just weeks to prepare for the new regime. Angry education union leaders wrote to education secretary Bridget Phillipson last week calling for new-style inspections to be introduced at the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

Oliver said he was “sorry” for the lack of notice, but said Ofsted had “never ever” paused inspection during development of a new framework before, as it will between September and November.

Would he as a leader be happy with just a few weeks’ notice?

“Well, it depends on what you see, what comes out from what I’m about to produce in September, which…I’m still at the state of finalising. And I can’t really go into until that point, but I think in September, judge me by what comes out and what you read then at that point.”

Combined authority pauses adult skills contracts after legal challenge

A new combined authority has paused the awarding of procured adult skills funding contracts after a provider launched a legal challenge over an alleged botched tender, FE Week understands.

The East Midlands County Combined Authority (EMCCA) has taken control of adult education for its region for the first time this year, with delivery set to start next month.

It put £7.8 million – down from an expected £10 million – out to tender in March. Winners were notified on June 13, but only £6.5 million was allocated.

One of the losing bidders – CT Skills Ltd – has now lawyered up to challenge the outcome.

A message from EMCCA sent to bidders, seen by FE Week, said: “We would like to inform you that EMCCA has received notification that a claim form has been submitted in relation to this procurement process. 

“As a result, we are currently unable to proceed with the award at this time. We will provide further updates as soon as more information becomes available.”

The grounds of the legal claim are not yet known. CT Skills said it could not comment as legal proceedings are ongoing.

FE Week understands multiple providers complained that feedback from markers did not match their bids.

An East Midlands Combined County Authority spokesperson, said: “The total value of the adult skills fund contract is £4.36 million, and the free courses for jobs contract is valued at £2.14 million.

“We are currently in the process of awarding contracts for the adult skills fund through the crown commercial service dynamic purchasing system. As this process is ongoing, we are unable to comment on individual applications at this time.”

EMCCA’s tender first put £5.56 million of ASF up for grabs, with maximum contracts of £650,000, plus £2.15 million for free courses for jobs.

It is unclear why the combined authority did not allocate the full amount.

EMCCA also grant funds ASF to 16 providers – mostly colleges and councils – to the tune of £45 million. Grant funded contracts are not affected by the tender pause.

This isn’t the first controversial adult education tender from a new combined authority. Last year, West Yorkshire cancelled its procurement for 2024/25, 22 days after contracts were due to start.

This was due to “substantial challenges” over the “validity” procurement scoring that led to a re-evaluation of bids earlier in the year.

Burnley College inflated achievement rates, Ofsted reveals

A college that boasted to be the “number one” in the country for achievement rates “misled” students and parents by inflating their data, a critical Ofsted report has revealed, a day after the long-serving principal quit.

Inspectors slammed leaders and governors for “too long” not questioning “exceptionally high” achievement rates, after finding that Burnley college had submitted inaccurate individualised learner records (ILRs).

This deceived the local community about how well learners achieved.

The report, which downgraded the college to a ‘requires improvement’ rating, comes just a day after FE Week revealed that principal Karen Buchanan officially resigned from her post.

Buchanan mysteriously disappeared from the college for “personal reasons” just before Ofsted came knocking back in March. Inspectors revisited the college in June.

Karen Buchanan resigned as principal yesterday

The college later suspended Buchanan pending an investigation, but refused to reveal the nature of the probe.

Burnley College claimed on its website that it is the “number one” college in England for 16 to 18 achievement rates on the government’s most recently published achievement rates table in March 2024, and claimed to have held the position since 2018.

In an extraordinarily worded report by the watchdog today, Burnley College was rated ‘good’ in five out of eight areas, ‘outstanding’ in two areas and ‘requires improvement’ for its leadership and management, triggering an overall grade three rating. The college achieved a grade two rating at its last full inspection in 2021.

Inspectors noted that some leaders and governors had very recently “proactively” reported concerns of inaccurate data to the Department for Education and the FE Commissioner.

The report said: “Inaccurate individualised learner records were submitted by the provider which inflated the qualification achievement rates for young learners on level 3 vocational and A-level courses. This misled key stakeholders, such as learners, parents and the local community about how well learners achieved.”

Although governors have “extensive” professional expertise, the watchdog criticised them for having limited FE experience.

Ofsted also said governors and leaders did not have “robust enough” internal policies and processes to manage the risk of inaccurate achievement data.

“For too long, those responsible for leading and governing Burnley College did not question exceptionally high achievement rates”, the report stated.

Inspectors recommended the college “strengthen” the governing board with people with FE experience.

At the time of Buchanan’s suspension, the college appointed deputy principal Kate Wallace as interim principal.

Buchanan began working at Burnley College in 1986 as a part-time lecturer and became deputy principal in 2011 before leading the college in 2018. 

DfE told FE Week it is working closely with the college chair of governors and are in ongoing dialogue with the college as its investigation progresses.

The FE Commissioner is also providing the college with National Leader of FE support for the interim principal. DfE will review the position once the investigation has concluded.

A Burnley college spokesperson said: “The college acknowledges Ofsted’s findings and has already been reviewing its practices to ensure that anomalies are identified and investigated as quickly and effectively as possible and welcomes Ofsted’s input on such steps.”

Strong skills contributions and curriculum

Ofsted inspected the college between March 11 and 14 and then again between June 4 to 5.

With nearly 6,400 students enrolled at the time of inspection, inspectors praised learners’ diligent attitude to their education and teachers’ high expectations of learners.

The report said that most learners and apprentices have good attendance, bar a few courses where attendance remains “too low”.

Ofsted said most young learners achieve their qualifications and move on to higher education or employment.

Adult learners achieve “very well” and most apprentices achieve their apprenticeship, but only a “small” proportion achieve merit or distinction grades.

The inspection team also rated the college for making a “strong” contribution to meeting local skills needs.

The report also applauded the college for planning ambitious curriculums but pointed out that the level three curriculum for young learners has not been ambitious enough.

But inspectors said in previous years, “too many” young learners were “incorrectly dropped down to one-year courses when they did not complete their two-year course. They did not gain the qualifications they set out to achieve”.

They added that leaders have recently reorganised and planned the curriculums to mitigate this and get more learners to complete their full two-year level 3 course.

Burnley College’s spokesperson said: “Ofsted’s inspection has found that the college has improved or maintained its ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ performance in almost all areas.

“We are particularly proud that Ofsted has rated the college ‘outstanding’ for personal development of learners, and ‘outstanding’ for adult learning programmes as well.”

They added: “The college continues to be committed to all learners and stakeholders in achieving their goals.”

Oliver Ryan, the local MP said the report was “really concerning” and was supporting Burnley College through its “journey of change”.

He told FE Week: “Clearly, what’s happened is really concerning and worrying, for students, staff, parents and for me. I’m in regular contact with the college’s leadership, and I’m reassured that following this episode, and learning from the ongoing investigation, the leadership team have implemented the most robust of processes and plans to make Burnley College the best, most transparent, most effective, most reputable, community-focused place it can be.

“Burnley College and their staff do a lot of good, for students and our local community.”

The Great British skills mismatch

Britain now boasts the most educated workforce in its history, with 33.8 per cent of individuals aged 16 or older holding a level 4 certificate or higher according to the 2021 Census, up from 27.2 per cent in 2011. This educational improvement, however, hides regional imbalances and a skills mismatch. London leads with 46.7 per cent of its population holding higher qualifications, while the North-East lags behind at 28.6 per cent – an 18.1 percentage point difference. This contrast highlights the uneven distribution of education and opportunity across the country, giving the impression of two nations with divergent prospects for productivity, employment and social mobility.

The expansion of higher education has revealed inefficiencies in the labour market, particularly regarding over-qualification and skills mismatches. While firms struggle with shortages in technical and vocational skills, a growing number of young people are entering occupations that do not require a degree. A 2024 OECD study found that 37 per cent of UK graduates are over-qualified, the highest proportion among member countries. This paradox reflects inefficiencies in the allocation of education and skills resources, raising a crucial question: how can the UK better align education with real-world job demands?

The consequences of this misalignment are considerable. Workers in mismatched occupations often experience wage penalties, lower job satisfaction and higher turnover. Young people are especially vulnerable, frequently accepting non-graduate jobs to avoid unemployment. More troubling, this misalignment may be why young people cannot find a job in the first place, leading to prolonged job searches and potential disengagement from the labour market. 

Over-qualification reflects not only lost individual potential but also a broader economic inefficiency. Higher education loses value if graduates cannot apply their skills, ultimately harming productivity and innovation. Regionally, this problem is amplified. In places such as Newcastle, for example, universities produce many graduates, yet the region has the lowest proportion of high-skill jobs in the UK. The result: talent leaves, deepening inequality.

The Productivity Agenda rightly challenges the assumption that more degrees mean greater productivity. This supply-side ignores the skills employers are looking for, particularly given regional variations and accelerating technological change. A balanced system is required, one where academic and vocational pathways receive equal investment and recognition. As technology reshapes work, apprenticeships and technical education can better respond to changing employer demands, especially when traditional education struggles to adapt.

Britain must also embrace continuous upskilling. Short courses and flexible education programmes are viable alternatives for retraining without full-time study. Simultaneously, the government should incentivise firms to invest in training, perhaps through tax benefits, since companies often hesitate if employees might leave. Reducing training costs increases the chance firms will invest in, and retain, skilled staff.

Any effective strategy must account for place. Decades of underinvestment in regional education and infrastructure have deepened inequalities in employment, skills and opportunities. Addressing these disparities requires sustained investment in transport networks, digital connectivity and local development to connect people with opportunity in underserved areas.

Investment must also go beyond traditional universities. FE colleges, technical institutes, and adult learning centres in areas with low educational attainment and high economic inactivity, such as Blackpool, Grimsby or Southend can serve as crucial hubs, especially if they collaborate with local employers to tailor programmes to regional needs.

Economic regeneration and educational reform must proceed in tandem. Encouraging firms to locate outside London and the South-East can stimulate local demand for skilled workers. When young people observe thriving industries at home, they are more likely to remain local rather than feeling compelled to migrate for economic opportunities.

Finally, devolving more education planning to local authorities would allow for more responsive and targeted approaches. Local leaders, working with regional bodies and employers, often have a better understanding of their area’s economic dynamics than central government.

The economics of skills is not just about supply and demand in abstract markets; it is about the institutions that shape human potential and national prosperity. Perhaps the most urgent skill Britain needs is the ability to rethink our approach to skills altogether. Only then can it address its skills paradox and build an economy that works better for everyone.

From blind hiring to flexible work: How FE can fix workplace exclusion

Workplace culture has changed almost beyond recognition in the past decade. However, for a significant chunk of the population the workplace still remains inaccessible. Research from London Metropolitan University’s Met Lab in partnership with Haringey Council has revealed that some communities in Haringey have an employment rate 30 per cent lower than average.

The existence of such a gaping disparity in 2025 is alarming and highlights the need to close employment gaps between communities.

FE providers have an integral role in this process. As the link which joins employers with their future employees, they’re perfectly placed to connect the dots between the two. Institutions can ensure they’re equipping students with the skills their future employers are looking for and encourage firms to make workplaces as accessible as possible, by hiring people with diverse skillsets and backgrounds.

Structural changes are the most effective way to close the gap long term. Here are some of the most effective and straightforward changes FE providers and employers can implement.

Implement blind recruitment processes

Removing identifying information during the initial stages of recruitment and selection processes can increase interview rates for underrepresented groups by up to 30 per cent. By implementing blind recruitment, HE providers and employers can directly address unconscious bias in the early stages of recruitment.

This approach ensures that candidate evaluation is based purely on skills, qualifications and potential, and creates a more equitable screening process from the beginning of the recruitment process.

Develop robust flexible working arrangements

The research highlights the challenges disproportionately faced by diverse communities, including caregiving responsibilities, cultural considerations, and economic constraints. Implementing robust flexible working and studying arrangements such as flexible hours, job sharing, part-time opportunities, and supportive policies that recognise the differing requirements of diverse communities can make upskilling and working feasible for people with other responsibilities. These people would otherwise be unable to obtain the skills they need to enter the workforce.

Diversity auditing

There are huge representation gaps at all levels of the workforce evidenced in the research, but they’re by far the worst at the most senior levels, with leadership roles remaining predominantly white and male.

Organisations should undertake comprehensive diversity audits which go beyond simple headcounts; they should analyse recruitment processes and workplace culture too. Employers and education providers should set specific, measurable targets, with regular progress reporting in order to close the representation gaps.

Investing in inclusive leadership training

The report demonstrates that unconscious bias remains a significant barrier to employment equity in Haringey and more widely, with managers lacking the tools to recognise and mitigate their own biases. Employers should look to implement mandatory comprehensive leadership training focusing on cultural competency, understanding systemic barriers and developing active strategies for inclusive management. They should also provide practical tools to create supportive, equitable work environments that recognise and value diverse talents.

Closing the employment gap and making the workforce more diverse are a net positive for FE providers, employers and their future employees. By making the workplace more inclusive and upskilling workers, we get more people into high skilled work, a more dynamic FE system and a strong pipeline of skilled workers with fresh perspectives and ideas for employers to make the most of.

There’s so much untapped potential among people who want to be in work – creating a more inclusive workplace and closing the employment gap is the way to unlock it.

We need to learn lessons from Weston debacle before we move on

Is Weston old news? Lots of people in the sector hope that the governance failures at Weston College, which allowed the “concealment” of £2.5 million in undeclared payments to England’s highest-paid former principal Sir Paul Phillips, have been put to rest, but it may not be the case.

There are likely to be more details about the specific case and a renewed focus on the health of colleges in this country.

While Weston undoubtedly damaged the sector’s reputation, it has also prompted a lot of constructive reflection and sector conversations about good governance.

So here are four lessons that I think follow on from Weston.

Weston has driven a new focus on compliance

Conversations around compliance will never be as interesting as conversations around, for example, culture. However, as a board, you should be checking that you are compliant with (not exhaustively) the Association of Colleges’ (AoC’s) FE code of good governance; what the FE Commissioner has recently issued on this subject as well as the Treasury’s guidance on senior pay. All this is reasonably straightforward and incredibly important. Post-Weston you should be getting alongside your director of governance and assuring yourself and your board that you are compliant.

Weston is an outlier. Probably…

A second lesson from Weston is how well I think government worked swiftly with colleges and organisations such as the AoC to calibrate a response. It feels helpful and proportionate… so far. I wrote earlier this year about how I believe FE could, in fact, be a model for good governance practice in other sectors such as schools and universities. I stand by that, despite Weston.  However, the uncomfortable truth remains that we can’t be sure.

I find that anyone well connected in FE is always able to talk about an organisation, maybe even two, that they think are in trouble in some way. Yes, it’s often gossip. Not harder edged evidence like audit, Ofsted or perhaps an external governance review, or even a diagnostic conducted by the Further Education Commissioner (FEC) team. It doesn’t mean the gossip is always wrong though. Who might have known what was going on in Burnley?

This feels very uncomfortable and I suspect it will be exercising the Department for Education (DfE).

For ten years now, children’s social care intervention and improvement out of DfE has focused on the challenge of getting upstream of failure. Officials have tried to systematically gather together their relationships with directors of children’s services to get a fix on those local authority children’s social care services that are “wobbling” and might fail.  They then seek ways of approaching those local authorities to broker in improvement support.

I wonder whether DfE policy and delivery around FE intervention will head in a similar direction.

Weston will drive the further professionalisation of governance. Probably…

On its most narrow reading you could describe Weston as a failure of governance related to senior post holder (SPH) remuneration. It’s right, however, that government and representative organisations have followed up with an emphasis on effective practice beyond just compliance related to senior pay.

For example, I completely support the FEC focus on the importance of the “triumvirate” group of chair, chief executive and director of governance, which I am promoting in a free Rockborn webinar on 9 July – as well as the focus on effective appraisal processes for SPHs, both of which I’ve introduced at Croydon College across the past 18 months.

However, whereas previously government was all over sector operational governance and our (chief) executives, with ever more complex funding regimes and their associated regulatory oversight, you can now feel that government is really beginning to focus on corporate governance as well.

In one sense that’s good for the profile of governance in FE. And it could mean positive change. But it might also entail a lot of new guidance and government activism coming down the line.

This could be a significant undertaking for chairs to get their heads around. I can see that it could begin to stretch the goodwill and credulity of a cadre of largely unpaid volunteers when the reputational and other consequences for failure are so obviously high.

I therefore think the case for the further and continued professionalisation of FE governance post-Weston, including the payment of chairs, has become irresistible.

A wake-up call

I do understand why many people in our sector want Weston in the rearview mirror. It is pretty shocking.

I think the better way to approach Weston, however, is to sit up and really take notice of it on your boards and use it to drive future improvement. To the credit of government and the FEC I think that is exactly how it has been approached on behalf of the sector.

So while Weston may not be old news, surprisingly it may still turn out to be good news!