FE Associates

FE Associates is a specialist consultancy focused on the further education (FE) and skills sector, working with colleges, training providers, sixth form colleges, universities and specialist adult providers across the UK. The organisation concentrates on placing, recruiting, developing and guiding people, and deploys an extensive network of sector experts to support improvement and change. Its services include interim leadership and management placements, FE and HE search and recruitment for senior, management and governor roles, and strategic consultancy to help providers plan for the future and implement change effectively. FE Associates also delivers quality improvement support, such as inspection-related activities, effectiveness reviews, teaching and learning development, and quality assurance and improvement planning. In addition, the company provides a substantial leadership development offer, designing and delivering national open programmes, bespoke in-house leadership programmes, executive team development, collaborative leadership workshops and group coaching tailored to the ambitions and strategic priorities of each client. Since 2018, it reports having supported the development of over 2,500 leaders in the FE and skills sector. The organisation is also involved in AI solutions for quality assurance, including an AI Quality Assistant designed to streamline activities such as course reviews and self-assessment reports, helping providers enhance educational quality while reducing workload.