Claire Green, Post-16 and Skills Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which state that FE teachers earn an average of 20 per cent less than their secondary school peers.
“Today’s research from NFER confirms what college leaders and staff have been experiencing for years: FE teachers are being asked to deliver ever more for significantly less. A 20 per cent pay gap is not only unjust, it is unsustainable.
“Despite the professionalism, dedication and expertise of FE staff, continued underfunding means colleges simply cannot offer pay that competes with schools or with industry. This places the sector at a disadvantage, and it is learners who ultimately lose out.
“Colleges cannot be expected to deliver high-quality vocational and technical education, apprenticeships and T levels without the workforce needed to teach them. If the government is serious about boosting growth, addressing regional inequalities and meeting skills shortages, it must reverse the real-terms decline in FE funding and give colleges the resources to pay their teachers competitively.
“Today’s report makes clear that one-off injections of money are not enough. What is needed is a long-term, multi-year funding settlement that enables colleges to pay their staff fairly and recruit the specialist teachers required to meet national skills needs.
“After 15 years of cuts, it is time for a truly fair deal for Further Education.”