I like to talk up FE, make it my business (in the smallest of ways) to raise its profile in the educational landscape - point out the life-changing things that are going on in the sector, tell stories of the successes I see around me, all that jazz.

These areas have suffered from an acute case of invisibility for so long that it seems to be the least I can do to try and get the positive message out there.

I love FE, what it can do and what it represents. But when you love something, it’s difficult to hear a bad word said against it.

Loving something can lead you to see any criticism of that thing as an attack. You get protective (even if the criticism if the things that are being pointed out are fair, accurate and true).

Getting defensive

With yet another academic report that highlights the problems found in FE (in comparison to other countries) revealed at the Education International conference in Taiwan this week, I was all ready to start putting up the defences, stick my fingers in my ears and get angry at folk having another poke at my sector (which seems to be some kind of bi-monthly sport at the moment).

And yet, having read some of the issues that the report has identified as being problematic in FE, I’ve had to pluck my pinkies out of my lugholes as my pre-emptive anger turns to sad recognition as point after point gets it painfully right.

A lack of definition (which I believe has led to a lack of identity and therefore a lack of support as the sector has failed to make itself known and heard), no stability in funding or approach as FE has change after change forced upon it, a weakening of the role of colleges in their community, a deskilling of teaching staff and a lack of robust qualification aided by the for-profit suppliers.

All these issues identified in the report are things that are happening in our colleges to their detriment. I’ve witnessed them first hand.

Signposts to what’s going wrong

It is true that many of the problems have originated from outside agencies beyond colleges’ control. But what is also true is that FE has been, and continues to be complicit in some of these problems - either in their reaction to, or their inaction against what is happening.

The points that the report makes aren’t an attack, they’re signposts as to what’s going wrong.

We could continue to stick our fingers in our ears or we could do our very best to fight to change them and make them better.

We’ve been handed a blueprint to improve our sector, and as much as I love FE, I think we now need to take a long hard look at how we can resist the things that are hurting it (and those who learn within it).

Tom Starkey teaches English at a college in the North of England