The Future Of Skills Starts With FE; So Why Are We Undervaluing It?

FE (Further Education) Colleges have long operated under the shadow of Higher Education. Under-recognised, under-funded and often misunderstood, FE colleges have often been cast as the Plan B for students who “didn’t quite make the cut’ for university. But this narrative is outdated, incorrect and dangerous. 

In a post-pandemic economy faced with a widespread skills shortage, regional inequality and low productivity, FE colleges are not just relevant, they are essential. The real question is not whether we need them, but what more we can be doing to support them.

Why FE’s role in the economy has never been more important

There are currently over 1.7 million learners in the UK; a direct pipeline of talent to local labour markets. FE colleges are uniquely placed to drive the kind of upskilling and reskilling our economy desperately needs.

From healthcare to engineering, green jobs and digital skills, colleges are already bridging the gap between education and employment in ways that universities can’t. The fact is, they work faster, more responsively and more locally; often with infinitely fewer resources. Yet policy still fails to match rhetoric when it comes to strategic support or funding. 

Our government's own levelling up agenda depends on a reduction of regional inequality, and FE is one of the few levers with tangible impact - so why is it not being pulled harder?

“Co-opetition” is more than a buzzword, it’s a survival strategy

An increasingly resource constrained environment has forced competition between colleges; historically undermining the sector's collective strength in a zero sum game; battling for students, funding and employer relationships. But that is starting to change.

A growing number of FE leaders are leaning into the premise of co-opetition, or the idea that colleges can maintain autonomy while pooling their collective resources, working together on large-scale employer engagement and co-designing programmes. Such partnerships are already yielding impressive results; regional recruitment, shared teaching models, and collaborative bids for funding. This isn't just efficient, it's effective.

That these efforts are happening despite the current system, not because of it is no cause for celebration, though. Policy frameworks and funding structures still incentivise competition over collaboration and until that changes, co-opetition will remain a powerful yet grossly underused resource adopted by the few rather than set as a standard for the many.

If the sector remains expected to deliver more with significantly less, it’s about time the system stopped fighting against its own best interests.

Student recruitment is STILL playing catch-up

While FE’s value proposition remains strong, its visibility is anything but. Most colleges still rely on outdated, transactional marketing strategies in an ever evolving world where digital first communication, storytelling and user experience are what matter most.

FE colleges that are truly succeeding are changing the game and doing a few things differently:

• Investment in brand storytelling that reflects the reality of student outcomes in 2025, not just generic course lists
• Deploying automation, and utilising data to simplify enrollment and track user engagement
• Developing multichannel campaigns that create opportunities beyond open days and prospectuses

This is no longer just about slick marketing, it’s about clarity, relevance and trust. Without them, FE will continue to lose potential learners to routes that feel more aspirational, even though less aligned to real job markets.

The employer-colleges gap needs a hard reset

One of the greatest strengths of FE is its proximity to potential employers. Too often, these relationships are transactional or ad-hoc in nature; built around placements or apprenticeships but not deeply embedded in curriculum or strategy.

In an effort to remain relevant and attract future learners, FE colleges must strengthen these partnerships. What does that mean?

• Co-creation of course content and delivery with employers
• Providing students with live briefs and access to real workplaces and resources
• Building long term workforce development planning with anchor businesses and SMEs alike

This tailored approach doesn’t just future proof your curriculum, it boosts progression rates, widens talent pipelines and builds a stronger use case for sustained investment.

Perception isn’t just a PR problem; it’s a policy barrier

Perhaps one of the most pressing issues is that FE still sits outside the mainstream narrative of educational success. Universities remain the gold standard. Apprenticeships make the headlines. Yet FE sits between the cracks, trying to do both, and often getting credit for neither. That has real consequences. Funding is unstable and short term. Talent recruitment into the sector is lagging and strategic alignment with national economic priorities is sporadic at best. Rebranding FE as a first choice destination for world class education is not about style over function, nor is it about glossy campaigns. It will start and end with changing how the government, employers and even schools measure success. This shift won’t happen overnight but it should start now.

Conclusion: invest or remain behind

FE colleges can ill afford to remain an afterthought when they are the infrastructure of skill building, resilience and opportunity. If the UK is serious about solving its dwindling labour market, it must stop treating FE as a secondary tier and start funding it like the frontline resource that it is.

That means moving beyond short term strategies and fragmented funding opportunities. It means embedding FE into long term national policies on economic growth, social mobility and skills development; ensuring the sector has both a seat at the table and remains central to the conversation.

In the end, the question shouldn't be ‘What role should FE play?’, but ‘Why are we acting like it is still optional?’

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