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

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Personal Problems7.20 Respondents were further asked what are the main problems they faceworking in the learning and skills sector (Table 7.5). Overall, the mostcommon reasons were organisational (57%), followed by pay andconditions (17%), morale (14%), personal reasons (7%), and careerdevelopment (4%). Too much bureaucracy (21%) and heavy workload(18%) were the most common specific responses given.Table 7.5: What are the main problems you personally face in the learning andskills sector?Personalreasons%Stress generated by workload 4Stress generated by initiative overload 1Other stress 2Limited scope for progress to work 2Careerdevelopment Inadequate professional training 2Organisational Initiative overload/too many changes made to the system 9reasons Too many inspections 2Lack of professional autonomy 2Target-driven culture 6Workload too heavy 18Too much bureaucracy 21Poor management 7Pay and Low pay 8conditions Poor facilities/resources 10Morale Learner behavioural/discipline 13OtherTime management issues 9Reasons Funding issues 9Lack of motivated students/learners 2Lack of communication/information 2Lack of staff – recruitment issues 2Calibre of students is low/low basic skills 2Lack of support isolation 2Other 9No problems 9Base: All 5492 respondentsSource: YCL/MORI quantitative survey of teaching/training staff, 20057.21 Managers were more likely to cite organisational reasons (63%), thanteachers and trainers (53%), assessors (54%) and learning supportworkers (39%).7.22 The main drawbacks of working in the post-16 learning and skills sectoridentified through the qualitative research are as follows:69
• organisational issues – linked to a perceived general lack offunding in the sector overall: “its really the lack of money in furthereducation which doesn’t allow the college to support the staff. It’svery hard to do your job properly or to the standard that you’d liketo do it because you have not got the time. So I think lack ofmoney is the basic underlying problem”. [Further Education];• low pay and insecure terms and conditions, in particular, inrelation to the school sector. Other related issues include localimplementation of nationally agreed pay scales and differences inpaying conditions between departments in the same institution;• poor infrastructure/equipment – this especially relates tosubjects with high equipment costs, such as, manufacturing andengineering: “my main problem is not being able to buy newteaching aids and new resources … you keep getting told to put abusiness case forward for it, you do that and nothing ever getsdone – we haven't got enough money”. [Work Based Learning];• changes in the sector – and the consequent change in clientgroups, in particular the increase in younger students involved infurther education colleges and work based learning providers linkedto 14-16 developments;• limited or unclear career pathways – there is concern that thecareer path for teachers/trainers is limited because the choice iseither to remain in teaching or to become part of the managementteam. With the latter option, teaching hours are reduced, whichsome respondents view as a drawback because of their enjoymentof the teaching aspects of their job: “I don’t think there is much, interms of, career development for a lecturer. If you're a lecturer youare a lecturer, otherwise you become a manager. There is nostructure for career development. If you're a dedicated lecturer, Ithink that the choice between being the lecturer and managementis a large step that not many of us wish to take because you losetouch with what you were originally signed up to do”. [Work BasedLearning];• excessive paperwork and bureaucracy. Many respondentsmentioned high levels of bureaucracy, in particular, staffdissatisfied with their job all mention this issue. Requests forinformation and paperwork are perceived to exist both externally(such as, the LSC, examination boards and OfSTED) and internally(in terms of, student progress and other management information).This leads to a perception that professionals in the sector aredistrusted by government and funding organisations: “we areemployed as professionals, with all of us who work in ourdepartment having been through higher education training andhave degrees … but we are not trusted to be doing a professionaljob, otherwise why would people come in and want to inspect us allthe time”. [Work Based Learning];70
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RESEARCHRecruitment and Retention i
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ContentsPage1 INTRODUCTION ........
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of respondents), closely followed b
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32. Key concerns where resources we
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52. The most common qualification h
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Definitions1.5 A number of terms ha
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• at what point in their career t
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1.16 Key question areas relevant to
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2 METHODOLOGY AND PROFILE OF RESPON
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2.13 Prior to the main survey, a fu
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Ethnic Background2.22 Nine out of t
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Types of Provision2.26 In addition
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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
Page 62 and 63: 6.9 Respondents working in further
Page 64 and 65: Figure 6.4: Respondents satisfied w
Page 66 and 67: Staff Who Have Considered Leaving6.
Page 68 and 69: Figure 6.7: Respondents who have ap
Page 70 and 71: • levels of satisfaction with the
Page 72 and 73: Figure 7.1: Respondents satisfied w
Page 74 and 75: Staff Attitudes7.8 Respondents were
Page 76 and 77: 7.14 Younger employees aged 18 to 3
Page 80 and 81: • lack of administrative support.
Page 82 and 83: 8 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT8.1 Succe
Page 84 and 85: 8.8 Issues relating to involvement
Page 86 and 87: • quality. A minority of responde
Page 88 and 89: Table 8.2: Which Teaching Qualifica
Page 90 and 91: 9 GOVERNMENT STRATEGY9.1 Research t
Page 92 and 93: Table 9.3: To what extent do you ag
Page 94 and 95: 10 CONCLUSIONS10.1 Recruitment and
Page 96 and 97: Main Benefits and Drawbacks of Work
Page 98 and 99: ANNEX AQUESTIONNAIRES
Page 100 and 101: Section A: Background informationAS
Page 102 and 103: 6) Have any teaching posts been fil
Page 104 and 105: CATI NOTE: routing from Q10 has bee
Page 106 and 107: Q16a) And what is the main reason,
Page 108 and 109: 22) In which subjects are teaching
Page 110 and 111: ASK IF YES AT Q25 A) OR C), OTHERS
Page 112 and 113: 33) To what extent do you agree or
Page 114 and 115: DfES Recruitment and Retention Surv
Page 116 and 117: 8. Are your standard weekly working
Page 118 and 119: • 5- less than 10• 10- less tha
Page 120 and 121: • Any other training (please spec
Page 122 and 123: 28. What motivates you personally t
Page 124 and 125: ASK ALL32. How satisfied or dissati
Page 126 and 127: ASK ALL CODES 1-7 AT Q41, OTHERS (N
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49. To which of the following group
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Recruitment and Retention in the Post-16 Learning and Skills Sector

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