Gatsby Education
@gatsbyed.bsky.social
We focus on four key areas: supporting technical education reform; promoting greater recognition of technicians; good career guidance; and STEM in schools
Valuing technical education alongside academic education is the right ambition. The challenge now is to increase participation without compromising quality. That means rigorous qualifications, clear progression into T-levels, apprenticeships and other routes into skilled employment, and...
FE News@fenews.bsky.social · last wk.“A new Prime Minister will inherit many difficult choices. But in #technicaleducation, the most important choice is not whether to start again. It is whether to finish the job.” Nigel Thomas, Executive Director, Gatsby Education on the five priorities for reform. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Building a technical education system that supports growth and opportunity
As a new Prime Minister takes office, Nigel Thomas argues that England should build on a decade of technical education reform to create a coherent system that supports growth, opportunity & workforce
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How do we better tap into industry expertise to strengthen #FE teaching? Skills Minister Jacqui Smith made the case clearly: technical education is strongest when it draws on real-world experience. #IndustryAssociates provides a supported pathway for people to discover teaching as a vocation #Skills
🏫 Recent analysis of the #FE workforce, funded by @gatsbyed.bsky.social, found significant variety and variability in the job roles and sub-roles reported across colleges. Our latest blog post, suggests that a more streamlined approach could support recruitment and retention. 👇 bit.ly/41Az0MC
Could clear workforce roles help attract and retain more FE teachers?
The government wants 6,500 more teachers in schools and colleges, but the FE workforce is a patchwork of roles and titles that may be complicating recruitment, progression and retention. Our Research ...
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There’s growing demand for Level 4–5 technical skills in advanced manufacturing, and industry is ready to work with education providers and government to ensure employers can invest in the talent they need. Jamie Cater, Make UK writing in @feweek.bsky.social feweek.co.uk/britains-gro...
Britain’s growth plan will fail without level 4 and 5 skills
If the industrial strategy is serious about advanced manufacturing, it must finally fix the 'missing middle'
feweek.co.uk
"A clearer understanding of FE roles will improve our analysis of shortages across the sector. It can also help shape both initial and continuous teacher education, and the support put in place to help individuals who are moving between roles" New Gatsby-commissioned research on the FE workforce
National Foundation for Educational Research@thenfer.bsky.social · 5mo agoFollowing the publication of our Further Education (FE) Workforce report last week, we've published further new research today, funded by @gatsbyed.bsky.social, which explores the range of job roles and characteristics in the FE workforce. Find out more 👉 www.nfer.ac.uk/publications...
How can government close construction's skills gap? 🔧 L&W's Corin Egglestone and Mags Bexon explore this in a new article for Construction Management Magazine. The article draws on our research for @gatsbyed.bsky.social on how employers are responding to the need to upskill and retrain.
Making £600m count: how government can close construction’s skills gap - Construction Management
The government's latest fiscal update may have been light on construction announcements but its £600m plan to train more workers could still prove important for employers
constructionmanagement.co.uk
Good to see Jacqui Smith in @feweek.bsky.social launching the government’s response to the post-16 pathways consultation. A welcome step after a decade of reform to strengthen technical education. well.https://feweek.co.uk/three-pathways-one-goal-getting-young-people-back-on-track/
Three pathways, one goal: Getting young people back on track
Our phased transition to new qualifications pathways provides the certainty providers need
feweek.co.uk
In some of the occupations with the most persistent skills shortages, <5% of workers are #women. If we want to strengthen the UK’s skills base & deliver long-term economic growth, we cannot ignore that large parts of the workforce are effectively missing. #IWD2026 www.gatsby.org.uk/education/up...
Women: the missing half of the technician workforce | Gatsby Education
The gender gap in STEM is well known, but the imbalance in technical careers is far greater. Why increasing women in technician roles is vital for UK growth.
gatsby.org.uk
The Gatsby Benchmarks: building futures, reducing NEET Find out how senior leaders in secondary schools & colleges use the #GatsbyBenchmarks to reduce NEET. Watch the film clip and let us know what you think here: bit.ly/4tTCXcl #NEET #SLT #CareersGuidance
#careersguidance #gatsbybenchmarks #careers #neet #slt #ceiag | Gatsby Charitable Foundation
“I used to absolutely despise school...now I’m excited to get a job that I enjoy,” Kelsey, Year 10 student. The Gatsby Benchmarks are a powerful tool senior leaders are using to help ensure young...
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The new research, funded by @gatsbyed.bsky.social, provides new quantitative evidence into the factors associated with apprenticeship withdrawal. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4qc6BGJ [2/2]
Securing success from start to finish – investigating factors associated with apprenticeship withdrawal
This report, funded by The Gatsby Foundation, provides new quantitative evidence into the factors associated with apprenticeship withdrawal.
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Physics teacher trainee numbers rose by 36% in 2025, but continue to be below target. So how can it be further improved? In a new blog post, funded by @gatsbyed.bsky.social, our Education Workforce Lead, @jackworth.bsky.social, looks at a number of policy scenarios. Read the post 👉 bit.ly/4qQIb6o
Many congratulations to all the people working in further education, skills and apprenticeships who have been recognised in this year's New Year's Honours. Very well deserved!
FE Week@feweek.bsky.social · 7mo ago🆕 Nearly a dozen college principals awarded gongs in the new year honours list alongside a WorldSkiills UK gold medallist feweek.co.uk/new-year-hon...
Skills England’s target to grow #apprenticeships is welcome but scaling beyond 50k means tackling the cost-benefit to employers. Evidence suggests costs are higher in England than in countries like Germany and Austria, where better data helps shape #skillspolicy 🔗 www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/th...
The Employer Costs of Apprenticeship Training in England, Germany, and Austria: Results from a matched employer study | FE News
| The Employer Costs of Apprenticeship Training in England, Germany, and Austria: Results from a matched employer study
fenews.co.uk
Governors can make a crucial difference to the quality and consistency of careers education. We partnered with GovernorHub and our Gatsby Benchmarks Champion Ross Doohan to explore what governors need to know and practical steps to support provision. Read more here: thehoot.news/topics/how-g...
How governors can strengthen careers education
Careers education plays an important part in preparing pupils for their next steps, and the Gatsby benchmarks give boards a clear framework for overseeing
thehoot.news
Stronger support for parents & carers is a key theme in the updated #GatsbyBenchmarks. In this article, Leighton Collins shares how Meadowhead School Academy Trust have made some considered changes to an annual event to more actively support all families. www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/case-studies...
Tackling misconceptions and stereotypical thinking with parents and carers | Gatsby Benchmarks
gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk
AI now shapes almost every conversation about the future of education & work. Yet despite the sector’s agility & deep connections w/ employers & communities, further education is often left on the margins of national #AI policy & investment. What needs to change? #FE www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/a-...
A Moment of Opportunity for FE and AI | FE News
| A Moment of Opportunity for FE and AI
fenews.co.uk
Scotland’s economy is undergoing a significant transformation. Skills-First #Scotland offers a bold vision: a unified, responsive system that centres meaningful work in #skills policy and sets out reforms which can deliver early impact and long-term transformation: www.gatsby.org.uk/app/uploads/...
'Across the North East, T-levels are already powering the industries of the future' @samrushworthmp.bsky.social , chair of the government's APPG on T Levels
feweek.co.uk
"Teaching is incredibly meaningful, but meaning alone won’t fix shortages. Evidence like this can help government design policies that genuinely attract the graduates our schools need." The @cepeo-ucl.bsky.social team present essential insights on why people choose, or rule out, a career in teaching
UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities@cepeo-ucl.bsky.social · 8mo agoWhy do people choose to become teachers? Rigorous new evidence on this vital question for our education system in a new CEPEO working paper out today by @drsamsims.bsky.social & @clareroutledge.bsky.social econpapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucl:ce...
We need a lot of people to skill up for retrofitting homes in the UK. My new 3rd report for @gatsbyed.bsky.social looks at the role *councils* can play in boosting these skills. (The previous 2 reports look at national policy and education systems). www.gatsby.org.uk/education/up...
How councils are tackling the retrofit skills gap | Gatsby Education
A new report provides guidance for councils on how to play their part in tackling the retrofit skills gap. This report is the third in a series by author Charlotte Ravenscroft looking at the retrofit ...
gatsby.org.uk
📣 NEW research from L&W supported by @gatsbyed.bsky.social explores employer and employee decision making about training and the development of higher technical skills. Discover the full report, including responses from @makeuk.bsky.social, @tuc.org.uk & British Chambers of Commerce ⤵️
Responding to higher technical skills needs - Learning and Work Institute
learningandwork.org.uk
'Towards a Skills-First Scotland: Pathways to Prosperity', report from @gatsbyed.bsky.social www.gatsby.org.uk/education/up...
Towards a Skills-First Scotland: Pathways to Prosperity | Gatsby Education
Scotland’s economy is changing fast. This landmark report outlines how a unified, modern skills system can unlock potential, strengthen productivity and support meaningful work for all. Scotland stand...
gatsby.org.uk
💬 “Hartlepool has high levels of unemployment, poverty and deprivation - the risk of young people becoming NEET is big, making a strong careers programme all the more important." Learn more from our benchmarks champion, Lisa Greig, CEO of Hartlepool Aspire Trust 📄➡️: bit.ly/4rcpUBg
“In 2018 the Gatsby Benchmarks provided the launchpad for our careers strategy. The framework continues to be our bedrock, simply because the benchmarks work – our young people are benefitting greatly from them.” - Anna Dawe, Wigan & Leigh College: www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/thought-leadership/how-
How picturing my students in their 40s helped me shape a careers programme that delivers | Gatsby Benchmarks
Anna Dawe, CEO and Principal at Wigan & Leigh College, shares her perspective on shaping a careers programme that delivers effective careers guidance.
gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk
A year ago we launched the updated #GatsbyBenchmarks. Today we celebrate their impact so far: more schools/colleges reporting on progress + more benchmarks being achieved = new evidence showing good careers guidance is helping prevent ~6,000 young people becoming NEET each year 🎉
Using the updated #GatsbyBenchmarks The Duston School & South Midlands Career Hub have created new, lasting connections between teachers and local employers, increasing the presence of #CareersGuidance in the curriculum and boosting teachers’ labour market understanding 👏 @strickomaster.bsky.social
Creating lasting connections between teachers and employers | Gatsby Benchmarks
gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk
