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College workforce surveys

Incentives, initiatives and supplements supporting recruitment and retention, October 2025

AoC conducted a survey to gather evidence on the sector’s use of financial incentives, initiatives and supplements to inform its discussions with government departments, including the Department for Education (DfE) and HM Treasury, and other stakeholders.

The purpose was to highlight the breadth of strategies colleges are having to adopt to address recruitment and retention challenges. While these issues are particularly acute in priority subject areas such as maths, construction, and engineering, they are increasingly affecting a wider range of roles, including professional business support staff.

In addition to exploring the range of actions colleges are taking to attract and retain staff the survey also captured the impact of incentives offered by the DfE (a copy of the survey questions can be seen at Appendix A).

By capturing this information, we aim to build a clearer picture of what’s working in practice and strengthen the case for further support and investment in the sector.

Incentives, initiatives and supplements supporting recruitment and retention, October 2025

School Teacher Review Board (STRB) Submissions

AoC was again asked by the STRB to submit evidence as a part of their review for 2025 and the 2026/27 financial year. The review letter makes a specific reference regarding the impact of the STRB’s recommendation on the further education workforce. We surveyed member colleges to gather data and examples of the recruitment and retention issues faced by further education colleges to inform our response.

School Teacher Review Body (STRB) 36th report - 2026-7 recommendations

AoC was asked by the STRB to submit evidence as a part of their review for 2025 and the 2025/26 financial year. The review letter makes, for the first time ever, a specific reference regarding the impact of the STRB’s recommendation on the further education workforce. A survey of member colleges informed our response.

School Teacher Review Body (STRB) 35th report - 2025-6 recommendations

AoC College Workforce Survey

This annual AoC survey focuses primarily on the key headline performance indicators and benchmarks that HR departments in colleges frequently report on and keep under review:

  • staff composition, headcount and FTE
  • staff turnover
  • difficulties with recruitment
  • key terms and conditions
  • workforce development budget
  • sickness absence
  • trade union recognition
  • HR system

AoC College Workforce Survey 2020/21

For 2020/21, we have again collected additional data such as contact teaching hours and salaries, due to the 'data gap' created by the conclusion of the ETF SIR survey in 2018/19 and the DfE Workforce Data collection process which commenced by collecting data for 2020/21, but will not be publishing results.

      AoC College Workforce Survey 2020/21 Report (published 2022) AoC College Workforce Survey 2020/21 Benchmarking Tool

      Previous years' workforce survey reports and benchmarking tools:

      Workforce Shortages in Construction, Planning, and the Built Environment, Spring 2022

      (Association of Colleges (AoC), British Association of Construction Heads (BACH), Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Construction Leadership Council (CLC))

      Read the report

      AoC College Staff Recruitment Survey 2021 and AoC report on college staffing challenges, spring 2022

      Read the survey report Read the college staffing challenges report