Further education undoubtedly transforms lives. It provides people of all ages and from all backgrounds with accessible pathways into fulfilling employment and careers.
Every year, colleges educate and train around 1.6 million people. Yet what is rarely recognised or captured is that many of the learners who progress into work and become economically successful have battled against disadvantage and a narrative of failure throughout their entire education.
Students in FE are more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds, with almost half (45%) in the two most disadvantaged quintiles[1] This is a huge over-representation. Coming from diverse backgrounds – including asylum-seeking children and refugees – many of these students will have been living in poverty, facing many social and economic challenges, for most of their lives.
