The end of another year is fast approaching and what a year it’s been for the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and Society for Education and Training (SET), and for the further education (FE) and skills sector as a whole. Through the extensive listening exercise that we’ve been conducting across the sector over the past 18 months, we have heard about the challenges the sector faces and the important role the sector can play in addressing these.
We have heard about how staff recruitment and retention issues, continued funding challenges, the cost-of-living crisis and deepening concerns around student and staff mental health are all having an impact on the FE and skills sector. We have also heard your ideas on the valuable contribution that the sector can make in helping to meet the skills gap in this country, and how it can support learners to develop the skills needed for the future as artificial intelligence continues to impact the job market. It has also been interesting to learn your responses to the announcement of the proposed Advanced British Standard qualification.
With a General Election looming and the skills agenda featuring prominently across all three party conferences this Autumn, there is an opportunity to re-focus attention on the support needed to ensure a thriving FE and skills sector. At ETF we have renewed our commitment to supporting everyone working in the sector by championing the vital role of educators and leaders in transforming the lives of learners aged 14 and over. Our new strategy, Together we transform, has been inspired and informed by the sector and places sector voices at its heart.
