Governance practice in English Further Education colleges

Abstract

This article explores the purpose of governance in the further education (FE) sector in England and the increasing tasks demands that are expected from the governors of standards committees (SC) as part of their changing role. It will then examine how these task demands impact SC governors’ perceptions of FE governance. This research is done at a critical time when central government challenges the sector to strike a balance on the purpose of FE governance as: maximizing institutional performance and success; accountability and compliance; and governance for representation and democracy. A multi-case study design was used: six principals and 14 SC governors from six FE colleges in the English Midlands region were purposefully selected to participate in this study. Data were obtained from individually, digitally recorded face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that FE governance is very important but that the purpose(s) that it serves are ambiguous, and that the task demands expected from SC governors have greatly increased, causing detrimental effects on their perception of FE governance. In order to help improve practice, a new role conceptualization for SC governors is suggested.