Evaluation of the Golden Hello Initiative - York Consulting

• focusing only on recruitment of teachers new to FE with no priorteaching experience and linking this to the FE ITT TrainingBursaries pilot to encourage these individuals to undertake a fulltimeteaching qualification. The initiative could be marketed atindividuals external to the sector e.g. in industry or undergraduatestudents with delivery following an approach similar to that for schools.Higher Education Institutions involved in the FE ITT Bursaries pilotcould complete the application form for students on full-time ITT indesignated subject areas when they commence their teacher training.Once ITT is completed, the form could then be passed onto theteacher’s employing FE institution for approval on commencement oftheir first teaching post;• focus on retaining more experienced staff that have been in FEsome time by rewarding long term commitment to the sector.Option Three: Increase flexibility for colleges to use as a tool7.29 Rather than being generic and targeted at individuals, the initiative could bemore flexibly designed as a tool for colleges. This could be developed in avariety of ways for example:• distributing funding to colleges by operating a quota-type system.However the merits of such an approach require detailed considerationin terms of determining how any future system should operate and thelevels of bureaucracy associated and thereby costs and resources(time) implied. Issues to consider include whether monies should bedistributed to LLSCs to allocate via a bidding situation and the need toidentify areas of greatest need;• following an approach similar to that suggested by NATFHE in theirresponse to the consultation for Golden Hellos in HE, wherebyflexibility is given to colleges to distribute Golden Hellosaccording to need but within clear National guidelines. Institutionscould apply for a number of Golden Hellos in subject areas for whichthey can evidence a need as determined by national guidelines.Institutions could be held accountable for spending their allocation andfor planning purposes should indicate in advance the number of staffthey plan to recruit, choice of shortage subject area and the proportionof recruits new to FE teaching 35 .7.30 In considering these options it is important that key stakeholders (e.g.Association of Colleges, HEIs, FE Colleges, Unions) are consulted and thatthe approach taken contributes towards a unified strategy to tacklerecruitment and retention issues within FE and other institutions. It is clearthat the initiative cannot address the needs of all within a single initiative.35 See NATFHE ‘Response to the consultation on “Golden Hellos”’, April 2003.