The changing locus of workplace control in the English further education sector

The purpose of the paper is to discuss how the so‐called “modernisation” agenda has triggered changes in the structure and management of the UK public sector. The concern of the paper is with how such changes have impacted on the labour process of lecturers in the English further education sector.

A Bravermanian approach is adopted to examine aspects of change in the FE lecturer labour process. Empirical evidence is derived from three FE colleges and draws on data from semi‐structured interviews, a survey of lecturers and documentary evidence.

Power relations have been radically reinvented in these colleges, with senior managers now able to redefine the parameters of lecturers' contractual obligations. These colleges were characterised by standardisation, routinisation and rules driven by senior managers who saw themselves as “change agents” and “modernisers”. Lecturers, on the other hand, felt that they had less power, job autonomy and task discretion. The labour process provides a valid explanatory framework for linking these observed changes in workplace relations to broader matters of political economy.

The research provides detailed insights into changes in FE lecturers' working experiences. However, the reliance on three colleges may place some limitations on the generalisability of these findings.

FE lecturers are central to delivering on ministerial priorities around skills for work. The paper reveals that lecturers feel under‐valued, over‐worked and over‐managed. This raises questions as to the sustainability of current approaches to the management of FE lecturer labour.

The FE sector continues to be under‐researched and the paper therefore provides a valuable contribution.