The Education Training Foundation’s (ETF’s) Teaching and Learning Conference, held in March this year, was a timely gathering of educators, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to discuss emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities within the further education (FE) and skills sector. Collectively, we sought to explore how teaching and learning can drive excellence and inclusion across the FE and skills sector.  

The conference took place at a pivotal moment in policy terms, following the General Election and the Government’s renewed focus on national missions for opportunity and growth. Coinciding with the interim findings from the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the release of the Further Education Commissioner’s Powerful Pedagogy report, the event offered a timely space to reflect on the evolution of learning needs and the role of teaching professionals in responding to them.  

Dr Sam Parrett CBE, Group Principal and CEO of the London & South East Education Group, was our host and delivered her opening speech with a passionate call for collective responsibility, leadership, and trust. Recurrent themes throughout the day’s discussions were the importance of professional standards and quality, the potential of technology, the embedding of inclusion across practice and pedagogy, and the role of FE and skills providers in meeting national workforce demands.  

Striving for the highest standards and quality 

ETF's Paul Smith talks to two female delegates at the conference.
ETF’s Paul Smith with delegates at the conference.

A central theme of the day was the critical role of professional standards and statuses, ongoing development, and sector-led improvement in advancing teaching quality. Ben Ramm, Assistant Director for the Further Education Workforce at the Department for Education (DfE), delivered a keynote that articulated the Government’s renewed focus on coherence, quality, and accountability within post-16, including the introduction of the new Diploma in Teaching and the Learning and Skills Teacher occupational standard. In later sessions, we heard from practitioners about how Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) had increased their confidence and deepened their commitment to reflective practice, leading to improved learner outcomes.   

From high-quality ITE to the value of professional statuses and other professional development opportunities, there was recognition of the need for teachers and trainers to have access to the right support throughout their careers so they are empowered to improve outcomes and life chances for their learners.  

Technology as an enabler of the future of teaching 

Another major focus was the role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools, in shaping the future of teaching and learning. Sessions explored both the potential and the risks of technological innovation. There was optimism about how AI could help personalise learning, support neurodiverse learners, and extend reach to isolated communities. However, there was also a strong call for caution and ethical governance. 

The conference highlighted the need for a national framework for the ethical use of AI in education, ensuring that innovation supports upskilling and does not undermine professional judgement. The consensus was clear: with the right guidelines, technology can be an enabler of inclusive, excellent teaching that responds to the diverse needs of learners.  

Inclusion and social equity for all 

Three female delegates sit around a round black table looking at a colourful paper resource in front of them. Other delegates sit around similar tables in the background.
Delegates collaborating during a breakout session at the conference.

In recognition of the FE and skills sector’s crucial role in driving social mobility and breaking down barriers to opportunity, inclusion was woven throughout discussions at the conference. A number of sessions shared practical ways to foreground inclusion and belonging in practice and pedagogy. A session on cultural competence gave delegates strategies for integrating cultural awareness into teaching and leadership, with a focus on the hidden curriculum and giving learners space to interrogate identity and belonging. In a session on tackling socio-economic inequalities in education, Lynette Leith OBE, Vice Principal Curriculum & Skills at Hull College, highlighted the need for creative approaches to reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners. Across the day, the key message that inclusion and excellence in teaching are mutually reinforcing came through clearly.  

‘Talking up’ the sector  

Across the conference sessions, one key idea resonated strongly: teaching in FE and skills is a transformative act. It is not just a job role or a means of delivering qualifications, it is a commitment to empowering individuals, communities, and driving forward the nation as a whole. 

ETF remains committed to empowering teachers, trainers, leaders and governors through robust professional standards, sector-led improvement, and a deep commitment to both quality and equity. The conference demonstrated that sector improvement is already happening, but that systemic change requires structural support. Policies must align with practice. Reforms must be co-designed with those delivering them. Funding must reflect ambition.  

In the context of the Government’s five missions – particularly the focus on opportunity and economic growth – this conference reaffirmed the FE and skills sector’s indispensable role. But to realise the sector’s full potential, government and regulators must work in genuine partnership with educators, trusting the sector’s insight and resourcing its ambitions accordingly. If the FE and skills sector is to be the engine of national opportunity, then high-quality teaching must be at its heart – valued, visible, and vocally supported.  

Thank you to all our speakers and panellists: 

  • Dr. Sam Parrett (host): Group Principal and CEO, London & Southeast Education Group.  
  • Simon Ashworth: Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Policy, AELP.  
  • Samantha Ainsley: Head of Apprenticeship Operations and Standards, Newcastle College.  
  • Mozz Baker: Advanced Practitioner in the Department of Construction, Walsall College. 
  • Professor David Brown: Director of the Computing and Informatics Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University.  
  • Simon Brown: Director of SEND and ALS, Chichester College Group. 
  • Kieran Gilmurray: CEO, Kieran Gilmurray and Company. 
  • Jane Houston: BPP Education.  
  • Yusuf Ibrahim: Assistant Principal, Cardiff and Vale College.  
  • Paul Joyce: Deputy Director for Further Education & Skills, Ofsted.  
  • Catherine Large OBE: Executive Director of Vocational and Technical Qualifications, Ofqual.  
  • Lynette Leith OBE: Vice Principal for Curriculum & Skills, Hull College.  
  • Ben Ramm: Assistant Director for Further Education Workforce, Department for Education.  
  • Andrea Shepherd: Senior His Majesty’s Inspector for Teacher Development, Ofsted. 
  • Paul Smith: Head of Quality and Standards, ETF.  
  • Jo Swindells: Executive Director of Development and Delivery, ETF.

ETF’s Further Forward for Leaders conference also took place in March 2025. To read Dr Vikki Smith’s reflective article on the Leaders conference, visit FE News.