National leaders of further education
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-24)

Find out about the role of national leaders of further education and how they support college improvement.

Overview

National leaders of further education (NLFEs) are experienced serving college principals or college finance directors from good and outstanding colleges. They have a strong track record of delivering improvement both at their own colleges and through working with others.

National leaders of further education provide support and mentoring to colleges as part of the active support available to the further education sector (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-for-colleges).

As part of the programme, outstanding college leaders work with their peers to support improvement and secure the best possible outcomes for college learners.

The role of national leaders of further education

National leaders of further education determine how they deliver support and tailor their work to fit the needs of the colleges they are supporting. If appropriate, this could include involving other members of their college staff to provide support. They might, for example:
- work with the leadership team of the supported college to help identify improvement needs and potential sources of support
- work alongside the leadership team to support the delivery of specific improvement programmes, including contributing to the curriculum efficiency and financial sustainability support (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/curriculum-efficiency-and-financial-sustainability-support) programme
- provide mentoring to members of the college leadership team
We match national leaders of further education, including finance specialists, to colleges that have requested support or where a need has been identified by the FE Commissioner.

Support from a national leader of further education is free.

Become a national leader of further education

Applications are currently closed.

Sign up for email updates about this page (https://www.gov.uk/email/subscriptions/single-page/new?topic_id=national-leaders-of-further-education) to find out when future recruitment rounds are launched.

What’s involved

Participation in the national leaders of further education programme offers college principals and finance directors the opportunity to:
- develop additional skills through leading improvement projects
- work with other national leaders of further education as part of an active improvement network
- transfer learning and experience back to their home college
- help colleges to attract good quality staff and build strong relationships with employers
National leaders of further education need to submit quarterly reports on the improvement support they have provided and its impact. They are also required to report on bursary spending at the end of each financial year.

We appoint national leaders of further education for up to 3 years. At the end of this period, they may be able to apply for re-appointment.

Eligibility

National leaders of further education must be serving college principals or finance directors from general or specialist further education colleges or sixth-form colleges in England with a rating of good or outstanding for both quality and financial health and which are not in intervention.

Full eligibility criteria are in the guidance for applicants (#whats-involved).

What you’ll get

We provide your college with an annual bursary to cover costs associated with the national leaders of further education finance specialist role. The value of the bursary is £15,000 per annum.

Contact

Colleges wanting support from a national leader of further education should email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx), if you have any questions about the national leaders of further education programme.