Last week’s PhD graduation ceremony at the University of Sunderland was a proud and inspiring moment: a testament to the power of research, resilience, and a shared commitment to advancing the Further Education and Skills sector.
Warmest congratulations to Mark Hyde, Oliver Cameron-Swan, Azmol Hussain, Kerry Scattergood, and Francine Warren on the successful completion of your doctorates. Your work contributes directly to strengthening the evidence base for policy and practice in FE & Skills, and we are all the better for it.
A heartfelt thank you to Dr Ben Middleton, Professor Maggie Gregson, Professor Gary Husband, and Dr Daniel Gregson for their invaluable supervision, guidance and belief in the potential of practitioner-led research. Your support and expertise have helped shape a new generation of FE scholars and thought leaders.
I am immensely grateful that the Education Training Foundation (ETF) sponsor and support of this important work. ETF’s investment in research, professionalism, and practitioner development is crucial in enabling our sector to grow, adapt, and lead.
As we celebrate this achievement, we also reaffirm our commitment to embedding research into the heart of the FE and skills system. It is through thoughtful inquiry, critical reflection, and collective learning that we can take our work forward, shape future policy, and drive sustained improvement for learners, staff and communities alike.
We are proud to support this agenda and to contribute to a sector that values rigour, curiosity and evidence-led practice.