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

Maths and Science• “there are issues with science teachers in the college. I think thereis just a big shortage of physics teachers, and to be honest weended up with someone who I suspect doesn’t want to go intoteaching”. (Further Education)• “we have problems in maths and science recruitment becausegraduates go into schools, and there are less people qualified inmaths and science anyway”. (Further Education)Languages• “Recruitment in Modern Foreign languages is a problem....languages such as Spanish and Italian are very popular at themoment. We have to keep on advertising for Spanish and Italianteachers, but we are not getting the ‘school-teacher’ type applying.We tend to get lots of Spanish and Italian foreign nationalsapplying, but these are the people who haven’t got a teachingqualification” (Adult and Community Learning)Skilled Trades• “Getting tutors in plumbing/plastering/joinery is really hard. Thepeople you get are great as trades people, but have limitedteaching experience. We are therefore trying to develop them asteachers on the job, which is very difficult when you are competingwith sector wages and a huge demand for good people in thesector” (Work Based Learning)Skills for Life• “We have had difficulty in filling ESOL/Basic Skills tutor vacanciesin terms of recruiting the right people. But, we are aware that this isa national issue too” (Adult and Community Learning)Care SectorIT• “The Early Years course is very difficult to get candidates for. Itmay be because there is so much of an expansion in this area thatthere is too much competition for individuals” (Adult andCommunity Learning)• “IT is always a problem, because people with IT skills can get jobsin industry that pays a lot more than in education” (FurtherEducation )42