FE workforce survey and longitudinal feasibility study
29 October 2026
NFER was commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to conduct a national survey of the further education (FE) workforce and explore the feasibility of a future longitudinal study.
The survey, undertaken between November 2025 and January 2026, gathered views from leaders, managers and teachers across FE providers in England on workforce issues including pay, workload, wellbeing, continuing professional development (CPD), recruitment and retention.
It provides evidence on staff experiences and career intentions that is not available through administrative workforce data.
Key Findings
- Pay, workload and career progression emerged as the most significant workforce challenges facing the FE sector. More than half of respondents (58%) disagreed that FE offered a good salary compared with alternative careers, while views on workload were divided (45% agreed their workload was acceptable and 40% disagreed). Only 28% agreed that they had opportunities to progress in their careers.
- Staff valued support from colleagues and managers, but were less positive about professional development opportunities. Among staff with teaching responsibilities, 83% agreed they received support from teaching colleagues and 72% from managers. In contrast, fewer than half of staff (41%) agreed that they had access to high-quality CPD.
- Access to flexible working is inconsistent, particularly for teaching staff. Just over half of respondents (55%) reported using at least one form of flexible working, with the most common forms being home or remote working (25%) and time off in lieu (24%). By contrast, 45% said that none of the listed arrangements applied to them.
- Despite these challenges, many FE staff are strongly motivated by the opportunity to make a difference to learners’ lives. Nearly three-quarters (74%) cited this as a key motivation for working in FE.
- The feasibility study concluded that a longitudinal survey of the FE workforce was viable. A mixed-mode survey, conducted during the spring term, was identified as the approach most likely to achieve strong response rates and high-quality data while taking account of providers’ workload and time pressures.