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      I have had a fair few jobs in my time, in industry and also in education over the last 20 years. People come to FE for a number of reasons. The lure of a fairly secure job with good holidays and a decent pension sometimes attracts the younger crowd, fresh from the other side of the education experience. The other people that are drawn to teaching are people who have experienced life in industry, and maybe see education as an opportunity to give something back, nurturing young aspiring learners into those same careers that served them well. Either way a team is formed and the process of getting a cohort through a year of education is started.
    
      I know people that look upon our profession as something that attracts a lesser-capable person. One who likes short working and long holidays but the reality of FE is very different to that vision. I put teaching in with being a doctor or a policeman in the sense that it must be incredibly difficult to switch off. Mostly my time in industry was confined to the standard working week, once I had clocked off I gave work very little thought. We join the teaching profession because we want to give, and we give it all. Weeks are crammed with interaction in class, with some time for admin such as class preparation, marking and CPD. These often spill over into evenings and weekends and work-life balance contains less life and more work. The saying is if you love your job you'll never work a day in your life. We love our jobs and that is what makes it so attractive but also so overwhelming.
    
      As a manager I have the yearly responsibility of getting hundreds of young people through a qualification but also to engcourage personal growth, the ability to be curious and have a growth mindset. I want all learners to embrace a culture of lifelong learning because education is the foundation of living. An educated population is more likely to contribute positively to society and so we have a great responsibility. I also have line management of around a dozen staff from technicians to trainers to lecturers. Each one of these staff are people with hopes and fears, families and financial responsibilities. I see them more in the week than I do my own family and our shared big responsibility has a huge impact on each and every one of them. Some have been with me for a number of years, some come and go struggling to come to terms with the demands of the job. Often a toll is taken on the physical and mental well-being of consistently high workload. I'm not selling the job but it is incredibly fulfilling!
    
      So what can we do as managers to retain staff and help them through the tough times? I return to the phrase often used, nobody comes to work to do a bad job. In a high stress environment it's easy to get frustrated and look for someone to 'blame' when things don't go as planned. How many times have you heard that a company has no 'blame culture' yet finger points at the first opportunity? I always believe hard work and successful outcomes are a good antidote to those attitudes, but to keep the focus of so many people all the time is a tough job. When the heat is on people tend to get less cooperative when what we always need is more cooperation, and shared responsibility. I have always tried to communicate my way through difficulties. If a member of my team is struggling a solution can be found much easier through an empathetic ear. Remember that people are just like you and I, and that they all strive to be their best selves. Help don't hassle and they will show you that they are all actually amazing individuals. Communication is key but also is time, time to think, time to take a deep breath and go again.
    
      Sounds easy doesn't it and I didn't even mention a pay rise! Look after your staff just as you look after your students (or customers). From the people who keep the offices clean, the people who keep you secure. They all have that word in common, people. They have feelings, please respect that
    Digital Apprenticeship TutorA great read, well done James Thomson.

We literally change lives, I often think about the apprentices I work with and how their achievements changes their life, from their salary through to opportunities.

To create the spark and to see learners turn the spark into a flame and become passionate about what they do is magical.

To play to forward and pass it on is amazing and I see that were in great hands with the next generation.Helping to create a strong and appropriate future for employers and their apprentices in engineering and manufacturing.Educators in the FE sector have never recieved the support and acknowledgement they deserve, hence the sector is struggling to recruit and retain staff.Engineering Curriculum Manager (Chesterfield College & Learning Unlimited Derby)This is an excellent read James 🙌🏻 To view or add a comment, sign in