Keep our FE teachers qualified

More than four million people, young people and adults, come to further education institutions like colleges and adult community educaton services every year to study everything from basic English and maths, A levels, automotive engineering, hairdressing, carpentry, plumbing, business and management. One of the amazing things about FE is that if you can think of a subject you want to learn for work or pleasure, there will be a course for you somewhere.

Our country benefits hugely from further education, particularly by providing those who didn't get an opportunity to gain qualifications at school with an accessible route back in to learning. FE can take you from very basic skills to higher education degrees, learning in classroom settings or out in the workplace, or on an apprenticeship.

This means that the people on the front line, whether they are lecturers, vocational trainers, tutors, assessors or instructors, need to be well supported and at the very top of their game.

In 2007 it was recognised that it wasn't enough just to know your subject, you had to know how to be able to teach it. New regulations were brought in, and now new teachers in FE get the opportunity to do a teaching qualification within five years. This is working well and the number of qualified teachers is rising. Even the government's own evidence says that positive progress is being made.

Despite this, the government is intending to remove this requirement in September 2013.

In order to protect the quality of teaching and training in FE, and to maintain our teachers' and trainers' status and standing as qualified professionals, the government should keep these regulations in place.