Empowering FE: enhancing skills with technology

From January 2025, AoC and Ufi VocTech Trust have entered a multi-year partnership working together to increase the use of vocational technology (VocTech) in further education (FE) colleges to provide greater access to learning and skills and improve outcomes for post-16 vocational students. We aim to build capacity and confidence to use VocTech across FE colleges by embedding behaviours and strategies that can support innovation in how tech is used to enhance teaching, learning and business support with a clear focus on improving student outcomes.

Phase one

During the first phase of the strategic partnership, AoC has conducted research with 220 FE professionals and in-depth interviews, to capture a baseline of the current use of digital technologies across college teaching, learning and business support teams.

This has provided an opportunity to understand what the challenges are in VocTech adoption in colleges, and understand ways that colleges are addressing these. Further information can be found below. including the actions AoC and Ufi are taking to support these recommendations.

Read the report: Digital baseline: exploring the use of technology in FE

Phase two

Phase two delivery will take place from January 2026 onwards. This will include:

• Establishing a digital charter of minimum standards
• Host a digital summit to bring together key stakeholders to discuss how best to support staff digital literacy and the student minimum standards
• Utilise the mechanism provided by the AoC Technology Reference Group (and AoC comms opportunities) to encourage college collaboration and consider more widely what a whole sector vision could look like
• Pilot programme: Digital Insight Hubs to provide peer mentoring and share effective practice in VocTech adoption
• Utilise communities of practice to evaluate existing and new tools and share good practice
• Work with partners to establish a clear CPD offer.

Opportunities that are available to AoC member colleges to get involved with will be added to this webpage.

Digital Insight Hubs

We are currently recruiting colleges to be involved in the Digital Insight Hub pilot programme. This is an exclusive opportunity for three colleges to help the sector accelerate digital adoption, drive innovation and address digital inequality.

Find out more about Digital Insight Hubs

Partnership introduction video

The video below is a discussion between Ufi, AoC and Jisc. It was recorded in March 2025 to introduce the partnership.

If you have any questions about the project, please contact Projects@aoc.co.uk.