By Nicola Perkins, Founder of FE HR Hub | July 2026
In a challenging FE labour market, colleges cannot afford to treat retention as something HR owns alone. The everyday behaviours of managers may be one of the most powerful retention tools we have.
Recruitment understandably gets a lot of attention in further education. When vacancies are hard to fill, agency costs rise, curriculum areas are under pressure, and colleges are competing for talent in a challenging labour market, the focus naturally turns to attracting people in.
But attracting people into the sector is only part of the story. The bigger question is: what makes them want to stay?
The latest Department for Education workforce statistics estimate that there were around 209,500 staff working in the FE sector in England in 2024/25. They also show that, by the end of the academic year, 3.5 teaching positions per 100 were vacant, alongside 1.9 management and leadership vacancies per 100 positions. These figures underline what many colleges already feel day to day: workforce stability remains a strategic issue for the sector. (Explore Education Statistics)
Research from NFER and Gatsby on building a stronger FE college workforce also highlights the interaction between workload, morale, pay and retention. In particular,
the report describes how recruitment and retention challenges can feed a “vicious circle” of high workload and low morale. (Gatsby). So yes, pay matters. Workload matters. Flexibility, career development, wellbeing and organisational reputation all matter too.
But there is another factor that is sometimes less visible in workforce strategies, yet hugely influential in the lived experience of staff: the quality of day-to-day management.
People experience culture through their manager
We often talk about “the organisation” as though employees experience it as one neat, consistent thing. In reality, most people experience their college through the immediate environment around them: their team, their workload, their relationships, the way decisions are communicated, and the way their manager behaves.
A college may have a strong people strategy, a clear set of values, a wellbeing offer, a flexible working policy and a commitment to inclusion. But if someone’s day-to-day experience is characterised by poor communication, inconsistent expectations, lack of recognition, unresolved conflict or a manager who avoids difficult conversations, those organisational commitments can quickly feel distant.
This is why retention cannot sit neatly inside an HR strategy alone.
Retention is strengthened through hundreds of leadership moments that build trust, belonging and confidence
Retention is shaped in ordinary moments: the return-to-work conversation after absence, the way workload concerns are heard, the quality of feedback, the handling of flexible working requests, the way change is explained, the willingness to address poor behaviour, and the extent to which people feel trusted and respected.
These moments may not always appear on a workforce dashboard, but they are often the moments that influence whether someone feels they belong, whether they feel valued, and whether they can see a future in the organisation.
The research points us back to management
The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2025 found that employees with more positive perceptions of their line managers are more likely to report that they perform effectively, less likely to say work has a negative effect on their health and have a lower intention to quit. (CIPD)
Gallup’s research also points to the significance of managers, finding that 70% of the variance in a team’s engagement is related to management. (Gallup.com)
For FE, this matters enormously.
Colleges are complex organisations. Managers are often leading teams through funding pressure, curriculum reform, learner need, inspection readiness, industrial relations, safeguarding complexity, performance expectations and constant change. Many managers are themselves under pressure. Many have been promoted because of their technical or professional expertise, rather than because they have had structured development in people management.
So this is not about blaming managers. It is about recognising that management capability is not a “nice to have”. It is a core part of workforce resilience.
Retention is built through everyday leadership behaviour
The managers who help people stay are not necessarily the most charismatic. They are often the ones who do the basics consistently well.
They create clarity. They explain expectations. They notice when someone is struggling. They follow through on commitments. They give feedback in a way that is honest and respectful. They deal with issues early, rather than allowing frustration to build. They understand the difference between being supportive and avoiding accountability. They make people feel seen.
In leadership terms, these are the small daily deposits that build trust.
When managers listen, act fairly, communicate honestly and keep their commitments, they create a reserve of trust. When they are dismissive, inconsistent, unavailable, reactive or avoidant, that trust is gradually depleted. Over time, those withdrawals have consequences.
People may not leave immediately. But they may disengage. They may stop contributing ideas. They may withdraw discretionary effort. They may start looking elsewhere. Or they may stay, but with reduced energy and commitment.
That is why retention is not only about whether someone resigns. It is also about whether they remain engaged, healthy, motivated and able to do good work.
HR cannot compensate indefinitely for weak management practice
HR has a vital role to play in retention. Good workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, policy, employee relations, wellbeing support, learning and development, and organisational design all matter.
But HR cannot compensate indefinitely for weak or inconsistent management practice.
In many colleges, HR teams are already carrying significant operational pressure. They are supporting complex casework, restructures, absence, conduct issues, grievances, policy change and compliance demands. When managers lack confidence, HR can easily become the place where every difficult conversation is escalated, absorbed or even outsourced.
That may feel helpful in the short term, but over time it can create dependency.
The stronger approach is to help managers build the confidence, judgement and skill to lead well themselves — with HR alongside them as a strategic partner, coach and source of expertise, rather than as the department that “sorts” every people issue on their behalf.
This shift is important for retention too. Staff need to experience good management where they are, not only when HR becomes involved.
A question for FE leaders
For college leaders, the question is not simply: what is our retention strategy?
It is also: Are we equipping managers to create the conditions that make people want to stay?
That means investing in management capability, but it also means looking carefully at the culture around managers. Do they have the time to manage well? Are they clear about what is expected of them? Are they supported to have difficult conversations? Are they held accountable for the climate they create in their teams? Are they encouraged to listen, reflect and learn?
Retention is rarely solved by a single initiative. It is strengthened through hundreds of leadership moments that build trust, belonging and confidence.
In a challenging FE labour market, colleges cannot afford to think of retention as something HR owns alone. HR can design the frameworks, provide the expertise and support the strategy. But the day-to-day experience of work is created much closer to the ground.
And that means one of the most powerful retention tools any college has is the quality of its everyday leadership.
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FE HR Hub is a specialist community for HR professionals and leaders in Further Education. We provide sector-specific insight, practical resources and development opportunities to help colleges strengthen people practice, support managers and build cultures where staff can thrive.
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