How do we help new Tutors, Teachers and Educators entering the Further Education and Skills sector?

In this article, Christine Edwards QTLS reflects on how to better support new tutors, teachers and educators in Further Education, helping them build confidence to embed Maths, English and digital skills in ways that transform learner outcomes and strengthen the sector.

“You finish in industry on Friday. You’re teaching Monday.”   
                                                                                                                      inTuition, Spring 2025

This is not just a quote, it’s a reality for many entering the Further Education and Skills sector. Especially in adult education, community learning, and vocational training provided by adult education and training providers in the UK. But while it’s possible to enter teaching quickly, feeling like a teacher takes time, trust and support.

Tutor, Teacher, Educator: Why identity-building matters

In the Spring 2025 issue of inTuition, Joe Rose’s reflections on the complexity of developing a teaching identity really struck a chord with me. He described the early stages of teaching as a period of “formation and transformation” — a process that’s rarely linear, and never passive.

This identity-building is something I see every day through my work in supporting providers and educators, especially in Greater Manchester, through initiatives supported by the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and webinars and workshops for AWD via the Strategic Development Network  and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. 

There is so much change in the sector for existing tutors who are navigating a shift in mindset, never mind those new to the role. The main challenges new educators face are:

• Moving from ‘subject experts’ to inclusive learning facilitators
• Tackling personal confidence barriers around Maths and digital skills
• Learning how to support learners who bring rich life experience, while addressing anxiety, knowledge gaps and self-doubt.

For new educators, especially those without a teaching background, the pressure to perform is high. But the space to reflect, adapt and grow, particularly within apprenticeship training courses in the UK, is often limited.

Maths, English and digital: More than qualifications 

When we think about supporting new tutors, we must go beyond the basics of lesson planning and behaviour management. We need to help them understand that they’re now in the business of developing life skills, not just delivering content.

That includes:

• Embedding numeracy in everyday contexts (budgeting, data handling, digital money), especially within functional skills training in the UK
• Supporting communication that builds confidence and agency (emails, reports, verbal expression)
• Developing digital confidence that empowers learners to thrive in a tech-driven society.

This requires more than knowledge, it requires a very different approach, which often needs a mindset shift.

In my delivery, I encourage educators to move away from “I have to cover Maths/English/digital” and instead ask: “How do these skills help my learners live better lives and thrive at work?” “What’s in it for them?” is a crucial consideration. 

When we reframe these skills as enablers of independence, confidence and opportunity, the educator’s sense of purpose becomes much clearer.

What new educators need in Further Education (and what leaders must provide)

Too often, new employee induction is treated as a compliance task. But in reality, it should be the first building block of retention, quality and inclusion.

If we want new educators to feel confident integrating Maths, English and digital skills development into their practice, they need:

• Time to observe and internalise how others do it
• Safe spaces to fail — because learning to teach while teaching others is messy
• Ongoing mentoring and CPD that’s contextual and job-relevant
• Clear messaging from leadership that core skills are everyone’s responsibility.

Courses like ETF’s Welcome to FE and Skills are a helpful start, but only if they’re followed by meaningful, sustained support. It’s not about knowing it all on day one. It’s about being helped to become.

The ripple effect: Changing mindsets, changing outcomes in Education

When we invest in new educators, especially those working with adults returning to learning, we create a ripple effect:

• Learners feel less judged and more supported
• Life skills are taught in ways that feel relevant and achievable
• Employers receive better-prepared staff with the confidence to communicate, calculate and collaborate
• Educators stay longer, grow faster and help to build stronger teams.

But most importantly, as a direct result of positive and confident input from educators, learners start to believe they can do more than pass a qualification. They start to believe they can thrive and succeed in life — and that’s the goal of effective external training consultancy for learning providers in the UK.

Final thought

FE and Skills is where second chances happen. But those second chances are powered by educators, many of whom are on their own learning journey.

If we want adult learners to improve their numeracy, literacy and digital confidence, we must start by supporting the educators who walk into the room each day to make that happen.