Further education is full-time and part-time education, outside the higher education sector, for persons over compulsory school age (sixteen years), including vocational, academic, social, physical and recreational courses. It is often vocational or work based with emphasis on the needs of employers. Vocational education is very flexible and is constantly being revised and developed to meet these needs.

Further education also provides continued general education for people of all ages. People use further education to study academic subjects and explore recreational activities as well as to develop and upgrade work skills.

Further education colleges usually offer a range of full-time and part-time vocational courses, as well as more academic and higher education courses. Many of the courses provide qualifications which are accepted for entry into UK universities.

This page contains further education information on

			FE Colleges
			Curriculum and Qualifications
			Quality Assurance

FE Colleges                                                                                                                                   Back to top

The State Sector

Typical state sector FE colleges will have a number of key features in common:

• The large size and scope e.g. several thousand students ranging from school leavers to older people - in most colleges more than half are over the age of 21.
• The breadth of provision e.g. from basic literacy and numeracy up to technician level courses - and degree level work in some subjects.
• The variety of students e.g. from young full-time students to part-time adult learners working in industry, and those taking classes for leisure.
• Facilities for work-based learning e.g. simulated work environments such as restaurants, hair salons, travel agencies run by students, as well as classrooms, workshops and open learning centres with computer suites.
• The customer focus and links with the local community.
• Free education up to the age of 19 for all UK students and disadvantaged group.

Types of State Sector FE Colleges

Most FE colleges are in the state sector. These colleges differ in size and emphasis but basically all offer the same kind of curriculum and nationally recognised qualifications. They choose their own names e.g.:

• Colleges of Further Education
• Colleges of Technology
• Colleges known for specialist subjects
• Colleges of agriculture and/or horticulture
• Sixth Form Colleges
• Tertiary Colleges which combine the functions of a sixth form college and an FE College
• Colleges which also offer higher education courses

The Private Sector

There are many private FE Colleges which offer an alternative experience to the state colleges. They do not have to be government approved but about 100 are registered with the British Accreditation Council (BAC) for Independent Further and Higher Education.

Government Management of FE Colleges

In England, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has responsibility for the further education sector.

In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland the key government departments are the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED), the National Assembly Training and Education Department (NATED) and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland (DENI).

The Learning and Skills Council (England)

Since April 2001, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England.

Funding Methods

The Learning and Skills Council is also responsible for funding all types of state FE colleges, sixth forms in schools and other training providers.

Funding in the other countries in the United Kingdom is through the National Council for Education and Training for Wales, the Scottish Further Education Funding Council and the Department for Education in Northern Ireland (DENI).

Most state sector FE college funding comes from central government and is mainly based on student enrolments. UK students studying in state colleges do not pay fees up to age 19. After that age fees are subsidised, but companies often pay high fees for professional training provided by the colleges.

Private colleges charge much higher fees for all age groups as they rely on fee income and in some cases charitable trusts.

How College Budgets are Managed

• State funds are devolved to individual FE colleges which operate like private colleges. They manage their own budgets for resources, buildings, staff pay etc. They can also can earn income from training for industry or letting buildings.
• 'Incorporation of Colleges' describes the process of shifting power from the centre to individual colleges. They are effectively "corporations" managed by Principals (often called chief executives) and governing bodies made up of employers and other local people.
• Colleges have to submit business plans to government bodies but can mainly decide what sort of courses they offer.
• A percentage of government funding is output-related i.e. can only be claimed if students stay on courses, pass exams, and go on to certain accepted destinations.

Curriculum and Qualifications                                                                                               Back to top

A College Curriculum

There is no nationally prescribed curriculum for FE. Courses below degree level almost always have a curriculum based on one of the large number of nationally recognised qualifications - academic or vocational.

Students usually take 'programmes' not courses because there are options and choices within the qualifications and students can also take more than one qualification. This means that many students will be following a personal study programme, rather than taking the same course as others.

National Occupational Standards

National Occupational Standards define good practice in the performance of individuals in the workplace, based on the functions they perform - quality standards for people in other words. Often called competence standards, they form the basis of vocational qualifications in the UK, and are used by many companies for training and other human resources needs.

National Qualifications Framework (except Scotland)

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in England developed a National Qualifications Framework to clarify and rationalise the complexity of the range of qualifications. The National Qualifications Framework provides an agreed set of equivalencies between qualifications, based on five levels.

General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) and Vocational A levels

GNVQs, which started in 1993, cover broad occupational areas, rather than specific jobs. GNVQs at Advanced level were renamed Vocational A levels in September 2000 and are increasingly accepted for entrance to university.

Key Skills (Core Skills in Scotland)

These are the transferable skills required to work and learn effectively in all subject areas. Key skills are now mandatory in GNVQs and their Scottish equivalents, and in Modern Apprenticeship programmes. Key skills and Core Skills (Scotland) qualifications can now be taken alongside A Levels.

New Curriculum Developments

Curriculum 2000 (except Scotland) is a significant change in post-16 examinations introduced in September 2000. The intention is to provide greater coherence and breadth of study amongst post-16 students.

Scottish National Qualifications will gradually replace the existing qualifications in Scottish post-16 education.

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs)

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) are intended for people of all ages already in work who need additional skills, qualifications or training.

Other Popular Qualifications

• Higher National Diplomas and Higher National Certificates (HNDs and HNCs) are vocational courses taken at FE Colleges or universities. HNCs are often taken part-time by those in work, and HNDs are usually full-time courses. Two additional years of study usually lead to a degree.
• Access Courses are one year courses which prepare people over 21 who do not have A levels to enter university. FE colleges and universities offer them on a full or part-time basis and the content varies from institution to institution.
• National Open College Network (NOCN) qualifications are developed locally, and specially devised for adults in the local community with few or no previous qualifications. They can attend colleges or community centres and achieve qualifications in small units.
• Modern apprenticeships are work-based programmes with a training element for young people aged between 16 and 19. They are available at two levels - Foundation (NVQ level 2) and Advanced (NVQ 3) - and they exist in over 80 sectors of industry and commerce.

FE Initiatives

• Connexions is an integrated youth support service designed to give advice and support on career choices to young people aged between 13 and 19. It provides for a professional network of personal advisers and seeks to overcome individual difficulties and remove barriers to opportunity.
• Learndirect aims to stimulate demand for lifelong learning by enabling people to fit learning into their lives wherever they are. Learndirect provides access to high quality, flexible, innovative courses - 80% of them delivered via the internet. It covers Northern Ireland, Wales and England.
• Scottish University for Industry (SFUI) operates in Scotland.
• Lifelong learning is an over-arching term for learning which does not end at age 16, 18 or 21, but continues throughout life.
• The New Deal is a key part of the Government's Welfare to Work strategy for the unemployed. It enables jobseekers to gain skills and experience and helps them find work.

Quality Assurance                                                                                                                      Back to top

Quality Assurance Agencies

In England, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) regulates all external qualifications in England. QCA works with the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland regulatory bodies (see below) to ensure that the Vocational Qualifications remain aligned.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is responsible for accrediting and awarding qualifications in Scotland.

The regulatory authority in Northern Ireland is the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), which regulates external qualifications for students in full time education until age 19. NVQs are the responsibility of the QCA.

In Wales, the regulatory authority is the Qualifications and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) which regulates all external qualifications. NVQs remain the responsibility of the QCA.

Awarding Bodies

Independent awarding bodies administer and award the qualifications in colleges and training centres. QCA monitors and sets the ground rules but awarding bodies are responsible for the quality of the centres (FE colleges, training centres, companies) which offer their qualification and their implementation systems.

Awarding bodies are not-for-profit organisations run on a commercial basis. There is a wide range of awarding bodies in the UK:

• AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) is the largest, formed from a merger of Associated Examining Board, the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board and City and Guilds.
• Edexcel was formed by the merger of BTEC, a provider of vocational qualifications, and The University of London Examinations and Assessment Council (ULEAC), a GCSE and GCE examining body.
• OCR combines Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Examinations. OCR also provides qualifications offered by the WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee). The CCEA (Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) in Northern Ireland supply GCE awards, although the English and Welsh bodies also offer qualifications in Northern Ireland.
• the NOCN (National Open College Network) is a national awarding body which draws together a number of regional OCNs. Each regional network is licensed to accredit qualifications it has developed locally to meet the needs of people in its community.
• the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) combines the functions of QCA and awarding bodies.

Inspection of FE by OFSTED and the Adult Learning Inspectorate

• The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspects all state sector 16-19 education in sixth form, tertiary and Further Education colleges.
• The Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) has a remit to inspect all work-based training post-16, adult education in colleges plus Learndirect and prison education.

Raising standards

Colleges have to produce their own annual reports. These have to be available to the public and are published in the media and on the internet.

Some FE colleges have been identified as Beacon Colleges which are given additional funding to support them in sharing good practice; some colleges have been accorded accredited status allowing them to manage their own inspection regime.

Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO)

FENTO is the national leadership body responsible for the development, quality assurance and promotion of national standards for teachers in the FE sector.

Sector Skills Councils

A new network of UK wide Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) has been charged to lead the skills and productivity drive in industry or business sectors recognised by employers. They bring together employers, trade unions and professional bodies working with government to develop the skills that UK business needs.

The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) has been established to underpin the SSC network and promote effective working between sectors.