11 October 2002
The £2.7m scheme, announced on October 8 by the Learning and Skills Council, is similar to the programme that has operated in schools for the past two years.
To qualify for a lump sum payment, lecturers must have been employed by a college for one year and spend most of their time teaching one of eight subjects for which academic staff are scarce.
The news comes as a survey by the Association of Colleges shows staff shortages in further education colleges are twice as bad as in schools.
John Harwood, the LSC's chief executive, said the new scheme, combined with an existing one for repaying student loans, should encourage more graduates to train as FE lecturers. 'We want to help colleges recruit, and keep, the teachers they need,' he said.
Golden hellos are being made available amid growing claims that lecturers are quitting colleges in favour of better-paid jobs in schools.
According to the AoC, which represents FE employers, newly appointed school teachers can earn £3,000 more than lecturers while, at the top of the basic scale, there is a pay gap of nearly £5,800.
Its survey shows that there are now 3,000 vacancies in further education colleges, amounting to 2.4% of the total workforce and a rise of 25% compared with last year. The pay gap is one of the major causes, says the AoC. Worst-hit subjects include engineering and construction.
There is also a severe shortage of support and administration staff, with 5,000 posts unfilled, a rise of 44% on last year.
Last month, Education Secretary Estelle Morris announced that colleges are to receive an extra £20m this year for lecturers' pay and £12m to boost the pay of support staff.
PFoct2002
