2025/26 has been a strong performance year for SurreyFE in its objective to act as a voice for the county’s Further Education sectors and its Colleges; to ensure it delivers the personal and practical skills and training needed by students, employers and the community.
The impacts of our collaborative actions have been felt both locally and nationally:
A New Voice for Lobbying
SurreyFE is influencing national policy, strengthening local partnerships and ensuring the needs of Surrey’s learners and employers are heard at the highest levels. Over the past year, SurreyFE has worked alongside Surrey County Council to challenge the exclusion of Surrey colleges from Wave 2 Technical Excellence Colleges, jointly lobbied for fair 16–18 funding and VAT reform, and positioned the Surrey Skills Alliance as a serious delivery partner in government Jobs Plans. Ministers have formally acknowledged these concerns, recognising both the strength of SurreyFE’s partnership model and the urgency of the issues raised. Together, these interventions demonstrate SurreyFE’s growing impact: a unified FE system able to speak with authority, act collectively, and shape national conversations about skills, inclusion and opportunity.
A New Approach Proposed for NEETs
SurreyFE was recognised nationally for its leadership in tackling the rising NEET crisis, with the Association of Colleges (AoC) highlighting SurreyFE as a case study of how FE can act as a true system convenor. AoC’s response to Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work Interim Report cites SurreyFE as an example of how colleges can lead in this space by proposing a coherent, county‑wide model that brings together schools, employers, local authorities and health partners to prevent young people from falling out of education and work.
We know NEET levels are the result of “system‑wide failure” and fragmented accountability and SurreyFE is proposing a solution: a single, coordinated Surrey geography, shared early‑risk data, clearer roles across partners, and FE at the centre of prevention, re‑engagement and flexible provision.
SurreyFE is now in active discussions with Surrey County Council on funding for a pilot to deliver enhanced support for NEETs in 26/27.
A New Response to Construction Skills Shortages
SurreyFE delivered a step‑change in how the county responds to construction skills shortages, using a £100,000 investment from Surrey County Council to produce a unified, evidence‑driven Construction Development & Delivery Plan that now shapes activity across all four colleges. This work has brought together Heads of Construction, Deputy CEOs, South East Construction Technical Excellence College (SECTEC) partners and employers into a single collaborative ecosystem — moving Surrey beyond isolated institutional planning to a coordinated, county‑wide model.
The Plan sets out three initiatives – “Ready to Learn, Ready to Work, Ready to Teach” into a framework that aligns SurreyFE with LSIP and SECTEC priorities.
This collaborative foundation has enabled negotiations for a funding contract with Surrey County Council to deliver the new Teacher Industry Exchange Programme — a flagship initiative that will bring construction professionals into FE teaching and place FE teachers into industry for high‑quality CPD. Over three years, the programme will deliver over 40 teacher placements and over 250 industry‑led masterclasses, directly addressing the acute shortage of construction teachers identified in the Plan. The model is fully aligned with skills bootcamp funding, creating a seamless pipeline from industry to teaching and from teaching back into industry, strengthening dual professionalism across Surrey.
