Responding to the data, NFER Senior Economist, Michael Scott, said:
“We welcome the publication of this new data on further education (FE) teachers, particularly the data on teacher exit rates. We called for this in March in our report on FE teachers.
“It is encouraging to see that exit rates for FE teachers have fallen since 2018/19, the last point covered by the previous data. This suggests that some progress has been made in improving retention across the sector. However, exit rates remain stubbornly high, and it is clear that much more needs to be done. In General FE colleges, exit rates have consistently been at 15 per cent or above for 15 years.
“The new breakdown of exit rates by age is particularly concerning. It highlights that the sector continues to struggle to retain younger FE teachers, with those aged under 29 leaving at persistently higher rates than their counterparts.
“Our research shows pay, workload and a lack of progression are key factors in FE teacher exits and highlights the growing pay gap between teachers in FE and secondary schools.
“The Government should provide more funding so providers can pay their teachers more. This, along with action on workload and progression, can help the sector build a sustainable workforce for the future."