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How FE leaders are tackling AI, cyber threats and the health of digital infrastructure

27 May 2026

For a decade, Jisc’s annual leadership surveys have been serving as a barometer of the challenges facing the FE sector.

This year’s exercise identified as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and IT infrastructure as the sector's most serious challenges. These challenges are deeply interconnected, and financial pressures also play a role as institutions are under increasing strain to do more with less.

Against that background, here are some of the findings of the survey, and what they tell us about actions the sector can take to support resilience, security, and sustainability.

Support understanding of the appropriate use of AI

AI remains the FE sector’s dominant challenge and the strongest driver of future digital transformation, with 82% of participating leaders identifying it as a priority. To support colleges, Jisc has created a strategic framework called leading AI in colleges, which has three pillars: skills, knowledge and culture, technology and governance.

The fundamental principle is for institutions to understand how, why and where best to use AI, with guardrails in place to ensure it is used securely and ethically, using technology to enhance what humans do best. We’re supporting the FE sector to understand how roles can be augmented, the central role governance plays in identifying areas for AI transformation, and how to develop policies to ensure these are delivered strategically from the executive team through the organisation.

For effective assessment, policies are needed so learners know when they should and should not use AI, and lecturers also need to use it appropriately, particularly regarding GDPR and personal data.

Treat cyber resilience as a board priority

A significant 65% of FE leaders surveyed identified cyber security as a key challenge, and this remains a persistent risk, often intensified by shortages of specialist staff. Cyber security is intrinsically linked with AI as emerging technologies are used by bad actors to generate increasingly sophisticated ways to exploit vulnerabilities.

Jisc leaders have previously addressed the AoC on why cyber resilience is now a critical strategic responsibility for boards, rather than solely an IT issue, and it is encouraging to see FE leaders responding to this call to action.

More than 700 sector leaders attended our national security briefing for senior leaders in education and research, held in April. This momentum must continue – governors and executive leaders must ask the right questions about resilience, ensure it is a top priority, and embed it throughout their organisation.

Here, the launch of the Jisc security operations centre (SOC), and our work on licensing and procurement through collective negotiations, benefit the whole sector and strengthen its ability to defend as one.

Invest in infrastructure, data and digital skills

The health of digital infrastructure was a core concern for FE leaders, with 39% citing it as a priority. Digital capability and skills followed closely at 30%. These areas are closely linked, without the right infrastructure in place, skills development suffers, as does the ability to harness AI.

For AI to provide meaningful impact, good, structured, secure and accessible data is fundamental. At Jisc, we’re seeing increasing demand for support around data maturity, helping organisations build strong foundations before progressing with automation or AI.

Across all these areas, investment is essential – in physical equipment, in the organisation of data, in the skills and capabilities of staff, and in giving people the time and space to use these technologies and embed them into practice.

The role of Jisc and the AoC

As sector advocates, we understand the pressures experienced by FE institutions, alongside the need for strategic, coordinated action and investment.

We’re grateful for very positive feedback about Jisc’s support and services, including an overall customer satisfaction score of 95% and consistently high scores for familiarity, customer experience and relationship management.

These reflect strong trust and long-term confidence in Jisc – 89% describe us as an FE sector leader and 99% as a trusted partner. Our focus on sector-wide solutions is also recognised, with 90% agreeing that Jisc is delivering the right mix.

Our mission continues – Jisc and the Association of Colleges are working together to enable sector-wide digital transformation, as outlined in a recent joint Memorandum of Understanding. This collaborative framework brings together Jisc’s expertise in digital innovation and AoC’s sector-wide influence to support colleges at all stages of digital maturity.

Robin Ghurbhurun is the UK managing director, further education and skills, nations, advice and training, at Jisc.

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