Recommendation 15

We asked the Department if it thought there has been less focus on recruitment in further education than there should have been given the need to increase skills across the UK economy. For example, written evidence we received from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the Association of Colleges highlighted the £10,000 pay gap between teachers in schools and further education which they felt should be closed as a matter of priority.36 Also, in 2024–25, the majority of the £700 million (88%) budget for recruitment and retentions initiatives related to schools, with colleges feeling there has been limited additional funding despite the government’s positive messages.37