Labour calls for better teaching standards in FE Colleges

Labour calls for better teaching standards in Further Education Colleges in England.

Advisors to Labour are demanding that teaching staff in Further Education should have at least good GCSE grades in English and Maths, and there is a call for all teachers of vocational subjects to spend time each year in industry.

Figures from the Association of Colleges show there are many more 16 to 18 year-olds studying in FE colleges than in state school sixth forms. The report, set out by Labour shadow ministers Stephen Twigg and Chuka Umunna, argues that Further Education colleges are important for providing skills, but there is a need for higher standards of teaching.

Unions however, have warned that these changes cannot be done cheaply and Labour would need to commit funds to make these kinds of improvements. 

Record numbers of young people are not working or in education and politicians are right to be looking to improve education to solve this problem. Union representatives have said FE colleges should have the "significant investment" that has supported teaching in schools, which would allow college staff to spend more time on secondments to industry.

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Image: univers beeldbank, Flickr