Viewpoint: what will FE colleges be like in 2015?

Abstract

Further education (FE) colleges are the main providers of post‐compulsory education and training in the UK. They have adapted well to change but their future is uncertain. This article discusses recent changes and speculates about what FE colleges will be like in ten to 15 years’ time. It is based partly on interviews with college principals and looks particularly at matters relating to participation, curriculum, resources and the structure of the FE system. Developments in information and communications technology will have an increasing impact while the home and the workplace will replace the college and the classroom as the focus for the delivery of learning opportunities. The conclusion is that FE colleges as we know them today will have disappeared by 2015 but that, in their new guise, they will continue to have an important role as part of an extensive network of outlets for online learning and support.

Citation

Oxtoby, B. (1999), "Viewpoint: what will FE colleges be like in 2015?", Education + Training, Vol. 41 No. 9, pp. 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400919910305504