Recommendation 27

Further education colleges have higher vacancy rates than schools, with challenges across certain subjects, particularly those that are more specialist.82 We asked the Department why further education colleges find it difficult to keep specialist teachers. The Department said it sees more recruitment challenges where there are shortages in the labour market, for example in construction, where 9.6% of teaching positions were vacant in 2022–23. Given a competitive wider labour market, in-demand jobs, like construction, are well-paid and offer salaries which colleges struggle to compete with to recruit the teachers they need.83 76 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.4-1.5 77 C&AG’s Report, para 1.12 78 Qq 38, 41 79 C&AG’s Report, para 1.12 80 Teacher shortages deny nearly a third of poorer pupils’ access to computer science A-level | Teach First 81 Q 41 82 C&AG’s Report, paras 6, 1.13 83 Q 6; C&AG’s Report, para 1.13 20