About colleges

General further education colleges offer high-quality academic, technical and vocational education to people of all ages. There are 157 further education colleges in England, educating hundreds of thousands of students each year.

The colleges offer a broad suite of qualifications and courses in levels 1 to 6, including higher national certificates (HNCs), higher national diplomas (HNDs), A levels, apprenticeships, T levels, GCSEs, BTECs, Cambridge technicals, post-graduate degrees and many more. There’s also a huge range of choices in skills to study: from engineering and hospitality, to IT and construction. You can often also study A levels at a general further education college.

Lecturers have often come to teaching after a successful career in their respective industries, which means that students are taught to demonstrate industry-level skills, behaviours and attitudes. Further education colleges take pride in their facilities too, and inside many buildings, you’ll find high specification, industry-standard facilities.

Sixth form colleges offer general academic and technical education, mainly for 16-to 18-year-olds. There are currently 40 sixth form colleges in England, educating thousands of students.

Sixth form colleges tend to focus on level 3 provision and to be highly focused on preparing students for progression to higher education. They also offer technical and vocational courses, including T levels and applied general qualifications, and often offer students a combination of A levels and applied generals.

Some FE colleges have dedicated sixth form centres or campuses and some Sixth Form Colleges have merged with General FE Colleges. Others have chosen to converted to academy status, becoming a type of 16-19 Academy.

Land-based colleges specialise in excellent education and training in agriculture, land and animal sciences: the skills needed for rural economies. There are currently 10 land-based colleges in England.

Land-based colleges are a hive of technical and vocational skills, and students have access to a wide range of courses including agriculture, crops and livestock, animal care, farriery, game and wildlife management, floristry, land-based engineering and viticulture. Courses range from entry level 1 to degree-level 6.

They prepare students for a future in rural economies, and many go straight into industry from the college. Students get real life, hands-on experience in their chosen course, with many land-based colleges operating on working farms, as well as benefiting from educators who are experts in their fields, with many still working in their respective industries.

Institutes of Technology specialise in higher technical education, and often are run in partnership between further education providers, universities and employers. IoTs are driven by employer demand, and therefore businesses have a major say in curriculum development and delivery.

Ultimately, the goal of an IoT is to create a skilled workforce for employers, and to ensure local people are able to upskill, and gain higher-paid careers. Currently, there are 12 IoTs in England.

They offer a range of qualifications, including higher apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications, degrees, and T levels. Qualifications are at level 3, 4 and 5, are delivered flexibly, and across advanced manufacturing, engineering and construction sectors.

A specialist college provides post-16 education to young people with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities. Most students at specialist colleges have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), with their needs unable to be met at a general further education college.

There are currently around 99 specialist colleges across England and Wales. As well as both independent and state specialist colleges, some offer residential accommodation for students, with around-the-clock care.

The colleges have a holistic approach, providing physical and mental care as well as further education and training for their students. Some students do work towards formal qualifications, including GCSEs and BTECs, but their approach tends to focus on life and employment skills, as well as general wellbeing and good mental health.