September in Further Education: How do you Equip your Teams to Deliver on Core Skills?
Christine reflects on September in Further Education and how it’s often seen as a “fresh start”. However, true readiness isn’t something you can magic up when the first learner walks through the door. She explains why it takes months – from intentional planning, targeted investment and a shared commitment to delivering the core skills that matter most for life and work: Maths, English and digital.
Over the past year, through my work with providers in the Greater Manchester area via the GMLPN Multiply PSP initiative, nationally through AWD, and directly through AELP workshops and webinars, I’ve seen first-hand the difference it makes when leaders integrate core skills into every strand of delivery. The organisations that arrive in September ready to thrive all have one thing in common: they treat core skills as the golden thread, not the add-on.
Equip your Teams with The Clarity Factor
The most prepared providers start with crystal-clear priorities. That means knowing not just what needs to be achieved, but how core skills across Maths, English and digital will underpin learner success in every programme.
For one provider I worked with recently, this meant running a curriculum mapping exercise before the summer break. Apprenticeship standards were mapped against the Functional Skills specifications and staff worked together to identify authentic opportunities for assessment and practice. That revealed new ways to integrate ratio calculations into catering modules, data interpretation into health and social care assignments, and digital collaboration into project-based learning.
The result? Staff went into September with a clear, shared picture of where core skills would appear in their teaching and learners experienced these core skills as part of the job they were training for, not an extra hoop to jump through.
Delivering Core Skills with Innovation That Sticks
The innovations that have the greatest impact aren’t always the most complex. This year I’ve seen three approaches gain real traction:
- AI-supported resource creation — enabling tutors to produce contextualised resources quickly, aligned to Functional Skills standards and tailored to different learner profiles.
- Cross-team curriculum design workshops — pairing vocational experts with core skills leads to co-create tasks that are both technically accurate and skills-rich.
- Flexible, blended delivery models — making it easier to reinforce Maths, English and digital skills across different learning environments without losing cohesion.
For example: in a face-to-face workshop, delegates created a “Maths moments” bank via short, contextualised prompts relevant to multiple sectors. A care tutor left with examples of dosage calculations linked to patient scenarios, while a business tutor adapted percentage-based budgeting for project planning exercises.
These practical tools have since been integrated in everyday delivery.
CPD That Turns Into Practice
The most powerful CPD moves beyond inspiring ideas to tangible classroom change. I’ve found three things make that leap more likely:
- Focus on contextualisation — giving staff practical strategies to integrate core skills into vocational tasks their learners already value.
- Ready-to-use resources — so tutors can trial approaches immediately.
- Peer-led refinement — creating space for staff to share what’s worked and troubleshoot together.
In one Multiply PSP session, vocational tutors from different subject areas experimented with integrating budgeting tasks into real-world scenarios. Within weeks, these approaches had spread organically across departments, supported by shared templates and examples.
Adapting to the Delivery Landscape
Across the providers I have worked with, several positive trends are clear:
- More learner ownership — giving learners tools to track their own progress in core skills alongside vocational milestones.
- Better use of digital platforms — for personalised feedback, differentiated learning, and building digital confidence.
- Inclusive design from the start — making sure delivery works for all learners, including those with skills gaps or limited digital access.
Ahead of September: Auditing Core Skills
One of the most effective actions leaders can take before September is a curriculum integration audit. This means:
- Mapping where core skills are already integrated.
- Identifying the gaps — and the authentic contexts that could fill them.
- Testing how provision would respond to a shift in funding, regulation, or learner need.
Running this as a collaborative “what if” scenario exercise builds agility into both curriculum and culture and ensures your organisation isn’t just ready for September, but prepared for whatever comes next.
Delivering Core Skills: Closing Thoughts
Future-ready provision isn’t built on checklists or compliance alone. It’s built on clarity, collaboration and the courage to innovate all, anchored in the core skills every learner needs to succeed.
September is just the start; the real goal is a year (and a sector) where sore skills are not just taught, but lived.