FE Governance

The FE Environment

The FE Environment Further Education (FE) colleges operate within a broad and complex post-compulsory learning and skills sector or 'system'. This sector/system includes work-based learning (WBL), adult and community learning and sixth form provision.

Colleges themselves are diverse institutions, operating within different local environments and offering a wide range of courses and services.

College governors are not expected to have a detailed knowledge of the institution's provision, but they are expected to set the overall educational character and direction of the college to approve the quality, strategy and annual estimates of income and expenditure of the institution, to ensure the effective and efficient use of resources and solvency of the corporation, to set the terms of employment of senior post holders and the clerk and to set a framework for the pay and conditions of service of other staff.