Recruitment and Retention in the Post-16 Learning and Skills Sector

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• Skills for Life and basic skills targets;• the 14-19 agenda, which is starting to blur the boundaries betweenpost-16 learning and skills and mainstream schooling;• the Skills Strategy, which embraces the need for employerengagement and a more commercial approach to delivery of post-16 learning and skills provision;• new curriculum materials under development as part of teachingand learning reforms under “Success for All”;• the ten-year investment framework for science and innovationpledging “a supply of science, technology, engineering andmathematics skills more responsive to the needs of the economy,and greater flexibility within schools and universities to attract theskills they need”;• the Smith Inquiry focusing on the improvement in post-14 mathsprovision to address the issues of a shortage of specialist mathsteachers, the failure of current curriculum to meet needs and lack ofsustained continuing professional development to support teachersof maths;• in the adult and community learning sector the ‘First Steps’consultation 1 has outlined proposals for developing the fundingmodel for non-accredited provision and aligned the policy for thisarea of learning with wider post-16 skills policy, notably the SkillsStrategy;• the LSC’s ‘Agenda for Change’ running alongside the FosterReview, is addressing issues under the following themes:skills/employers, quality, funding (including bureaucracy), businessexcellence, data and reputation.Research Objectives1.10 The main aims of this study are as follows:• what motivates those who teach to join the sector;• the main barriers to entering the sector;• the main benefits of teaching in the sector and general levels ofsatisfaction;1 Investing in Skills: Taking Forward the Skills Strategy. An LSC Consultation Paper onReforming the Funding and Planning Arrangements for First Steps and Personal andCommunity Development Learning for Adults. LSC, 2004.3
• at what point in their career teachers join the sector (and theirprevious occupation) and at what point they leave the sector;• reasons for leaving the sector and subsequent destinations.Research Design and Delivery1.11 There is little known about the learning and skills sector workforce as awhole, thus in order to inform and meet current objectives the DfEScommissioned this large-scale study of the teaching workforce.1.12 There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that there are recruitment andretention difficulties in the post-16 learning and skills sector. These areoften cited as being related to a combination of issues such as:• pay – it is purported by some that there is a disparity between staffpay in schools as opposed to the learning and skills sector andindustry;• ageing workforce – with a perceived increasingly ageingworkforce there is a need to attract and recruit new staff in to theprofession;• workload – survey evidence from NATFE suggests that staffworking in the Further Education sector were dissatisfied withconditions of service, increased levels of paperwork, working hoursand requirements for other duties that are a substantial part of therole such as material preparation and counselling students.1.13 The Foster Review of Further Education includes as one of its corequestions, “What are the most important aspects of college workforceneeds that must be attended to?” and also seeks to review issuesrelating to bureaucracy, sector investment, poor public image andconflicting priorities.1.14 Desk research indicated recent studies and data in related subjectareas:• Research into the Qualifications of Staff in LSC-funded Provision,DfES, 2004 (conducted by HOST Policy Research). This studyinvolved a self completion questionnaire completed by 6,279respondents;• Staff Individualised Record (SIR) undertaken by the Learning andSkills Council;• Association of Colleges (AoC) recruitment and retention survey.4
Page 1 and 2: RESEARCHRecruitment and Retention i
Page 3 and 4: ContentsPage1 INTRODUCTION ........
Page 5 and 6: of respondents), closely followed b
Page 7 and 8: 32. Key concerns where resources we
Page 9 and 10: 52. The most common qualification h
Page 11: Definitions1.5 A number of terms ha
Page 15 and 16: 1.16 Key question areas relevant to
Page 17 and 18: 2 METHODOLOGY AND PROFILE OF RESPON
Page 19 and 20: 2.13 Prior to the main survey, a fu
Page 21 and 22: Ethnic Background2.22 Nine out of t
Page 23 and 24: Types of Provision2.26 In addition
Page 25 and 26: Table 2.10: What are the main subje
Page 27 and 28: • HR Managers views on the reason
Page 29 and 30: Table 2.15: Total StaffStatus ‘Oc
Page 31 and 32: 2.44 A total of 113 in-depth interv
Page 33 and 34: 3 MOTIVATION TO JOIN THE SECTOR3.1
Page 35 and 36: Entrants from Teaching3.13 Responde
Page 37 and 38: Vocational Reasons3.21 This is the
Page 39 and 40: • “I met one of the managers at
Page 41 and 42: Perceptions of Entry Routes4.6 A ma
Page 43 and 44: 4.13 In terms of finding suitable c
Page 45 and 46: 5 TURNOVER, VACANCIES AND HARD TO F
Page 47 and 48: 5.11 The major reason given for vac
Page 49 and 50: 5.16 Generally HR Managers did not
Page 51 and 52: Maths and Science• “there are i
Page 53 and 54: 5.27 Teacher/trainer respondents we
Page 55 and 56: Table 5.7: What could your organisa
Page 57 and 58: • “there is a shortage of maths
Page 59 and 60: 6 WORKING IN THE SECTOR6.1 This sec
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6.9 Respondents working in further
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Figure 6.4: Respondents satisfied w
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Staff Who Have Considered Leaving6.
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Figure 6.7: Respondents who have ap
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• levels of satisfaction with the
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Figure 7.1: Respondents satisfied w
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Staff Attitudes7.8 Respondents were
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7.14 Younger employees aged 18 to 3
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Personal Problems7.20 Respondents w
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• lack of administrative support.
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8 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT8.1 Succe
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8.8 Issues relating to involvement
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• quality. A minority of responde
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Table 8.2: Which Teaching Qualifica
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9 GOVERNMENT STRATEGY9.1 Research t
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Table 9.3: To what extent do you ag
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10 CONCLUSIONS10.1 Recruitment and
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Main Benefits and Drawbacks of Work
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ANNEX AQUESTIONNAIRES
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Section A: Background informationAS
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6) Have any teaching posts been fil
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CATI NOTE: routing from Q10 has bee
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Q16a) And what is the main reason,
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22) In which subjects are teaching
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ASK IF YES AT Q25 A) OR C), OTHERS
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33) To what extent do you agree or
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DfES Recruitment and Retention Surv
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8. Are your standard weekly working
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• 5- less than 10• 10- less tha
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• Any other training (please spec
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28. What motivates you personally t
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ASK ALL32. How satisfied or dissati
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ASK ALL CODES 1-7 AT Q41, OTHERS (N
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49. To which of the following group
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