Just what is Further Education?
A short guide to the FE Market and the key FE statistics
The short answer is that Further Education constitutes all post-secondary education distinct from higher education i.e. that offered at universities and comparable institutions.
The reality is a little more complex and the UK’s Further Education system only gets more complex over time. For example, FE qualifications are increasingly offered to young people of secondary school age and many FE providers offer a selection of HE qualifications.
Furthermore, a number of previously local colleges have moved into the commercial FE sector and are now competing in the segment of the market previously dominated by Independent Training Providers.
Similarly, there is a wide degree of crossover between traditional FE and, for example, basic/functional/essential/core skills qualifications which enable progression onto FE courses and focus on developing skills like maths, English, ICT, communication, team working, and problem solving.
Colleges
A large and diverse category including various distinct types of institution including General FE and Tertiary colleges (what most people still think of as a “college”); Sixth-Form colleges; specialist colleges including Agriculture and Horticulture Colleges, Art, Design and Performing Arts colleges; and Specialist Designated Colleges.
These institutions offer a broad range of qualifications, including secondary qualifications like GCSEs; A-levels; vocational and technical qualifications like NVQs; Access to Higher Education; and Higher Education courses such as Foundation Degrees, Higher National Diplomas and Higher National Certificates.
In nearly every dimension colleges are the largest providers of FE in the UK and continue to form the backbone of the industry e.g. in staff employed, learners serviced, and turnover.
Independent training providers
The largest group of FE providers in terms of number of providers, the majority of ITPs are smaller organisations which specialize in a particular sector. However, during the past decade the ITP industry has undergone a large consolidation and is increasingly dominated by a handful of big players who consistently scoop up the lion’s share of contracts on offer.
In this vein, an expanding trend and ongoing point of contention for many ITPs is the presence of multinational public services companies, e.g. Serco, whose business models involve managing contracts for a percentage of the award and farming out subcontracts to smaller providers.
Other publicly funded providers
Another broad category, the largest of which is Local Authorities which specialize in delivering to local communities in their corresponding areas. This group also includes government branches and agencies such as the NHS, as well as numerous charities and trusts engaged by the government to deliver training, particularly to disadvantaged learners.
Further Education in the UK: The statistics
The FE industry in the UK over the past decades has been marked by a massive decline in terms of both investment and learner numbers. Both the 16-18 and adult FE budgets have seen spending reductions of £2 billion over the past decade, for a total spend of around £8.5 billion.
FE colleges, including Sixth Form colleges have seen large cuts between 2010 and 2019, when 16-18 colleges saw a decline in spending per student of 12% in real terms, while school sixth forms saw an even greater reduction in spending of 23%.
Meanwhile, combined apprenticeship and work-based learning spend between 2009 and 2019 fell by 25% in real terms between 2009 and 2019. However, overall apprenticeship spend rose by 36% during the same period.
Funding for other adult education (i.e. classroom and community-based) has seen a massive reduction in investment of nearly two thirds from a peak of £4.1 billion in 2003-2004, with a corresponding decline in learner numbers from 4.4 million to 1.5 million.
The drop in learner numbers has been in large part driven by a decreasing focus on short courses in favour of full qualifications and, in particular, apprenticeships: in 2003-2004, 21% of the £5.3 billion adult education budget was spent on apprenticeships, while in 2018-19, apprenticeship learners accounted for 54% of adult education spending, for a total apprenticeship spend of around £1.7billion.
The increasing complexity of the FE system alongside the effects of a decade of cuts will continue to be a bone of contention among many in the industry, which has understandably become increasingly cut-throat during the time period as colleges, ITPs, and other providers fight over an ever-smaller pot of available funding.
If you’re looking for advice on how to remain competitive in this challenging landscape, I specialize in consultation on FE funding, and I’d be happy to go over your options; just give me a call or connect with me on LinkedIn.
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You can find more Further Education content in the Articles section.
Also, check out the latest Funding Opportunities and Funding Updates on our partner site, FEfunding.co.uk
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