I really enjoyed contributing to Westminster Insight’s Post-16 Education and Skills Reform conference, representing the Education Training Foundation (ETF) and taking part in the workforce panel discussion. It was a privilege to share the stage with Jenifer Burden (Gatsby) and Neil Corker (Barnet & Southgate College), and to explore what the reform agenda will mean in practice for the FE and skills workforce.
The day offered a strong policy context, but what made it especially valuable was the consistent focus on implementation: not just what the system is asking providers to do, but what it will take for staff to deliver it well. One message came through clearly: if reform is going to succeed, the workforce cannot be treated as a downstream consideration. It is the enabling condition for everything else.
Recruitment and retention
That is why the conversation about recruitment and retention quickly became a conversation about professional development. You cannot build a sustainable workforce strategy without a coherent CPD strategy sitting underneath it – one that supports staff at different career stages, in different roles, and in different curriculum contexts. We discussed the importance of moving beyond generic, centralised CPD models and instead building professional learning that is situational and practice-led: shaped by the programme being taught, the occupational requirements of the curriculum, and the needs of the learners in front of you.
Delivering effective CPD
The most effective CPD is connected directly to teaching, learning, assessment, and to the realities of technical and vocational education. This becomes even more critical when we consider the growing need for dual-professional staff across T Levels, Higher technical qualifications (HTQs) and wider technical education provision. Recruiting industry specialists is only the start. The real challenge is supporting them to become confident educators through structured mentoring, coaching, communities of practice, and clear progression routes that value both occupational expertise and pedagogical skill.
And of course, none of this is possible without leadership capacity and organisational resilience. Providers need strong governance, confident curriculum leadership, and a leadership pipeline capable of navigating complexity, managing risk, and sustaining improvement over time.
Supporting the people behind the policy
A huge thank you to Lewis Cooper (AoC) as Chair and everyone involved in convening such a thoughtful and reflective day. It was a timely reminder that the reforms ahead can be a catalyst for positive change, but only if we match policy ambition with serious investment in the people who will deliver it.