FE Guild launched with £18.8m annual funding

The government has launched the new FE Guild with £18.8m of funding for each of the next two years.

The industry body comprises well-known leaders in FE such as the Association of Colleges and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, which will work together to boost professionalism in the sector and develop its workforce.

David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and independent chair of the steering group guiding the Guild’s development, explained: “As a sector, we have had a unique opportunity to shape the Guild as we want it to be. Our implementation plan reflects what people have told us from across the whole sector, recognises the past successes and looks forward to the ambitions we all share for professional staff and organisations delivering great learning.

“Our proposal best fits what is needed to deliver the professionalism and ongoing improvement of the entire workforce that will continually improve learner outcomes and experience.  We are delighted to have received Ministerial support and funding. This now allows us to move forward to recruit a CEO for the Guild and to put the basic structure of the organisation in place.

“We will now establish the new organisation, agree its priorities, design new arrangements to ensure it engages with, listens to and meets the needs of providers, practitioners, learners and employers as customers, and then deliver what the sector needs.”

Although the FE Guild’s initial focus will be on teaching and learning staff and those directly supporting learner outcomes and experience, it aims to expand to one day encompass everyone working in the sector.

Natalie Thornhill