Affinity Workforce reappointed to GCA framework for third time

One of the UK’s largest education workforce providers has secured its place on a national government framework for the third consecutive time, having placed more than 8,000 educators in schools and colleges since it was first appointed.

Affinity Workforce Solutions has been awarded a place on the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment Framework for the third time and is one of only four suppliers to have held a Lot 2 position across every iteration of the framework since it launched.

The news is particularly significant for the further education sector. Affinity’s brand The Protocol Group, which specialises in FE and skills recruitment, is among the brands awarded a place on Lot 1 alongside Career Teachers, CER Education and Monarch Education – giving colleges and training providers a trusted, government-approved route to sourcing qualified staff.

Across the last two framework iterations, Affinity Workforce has placed 8,170 candidates across approximately 1,000 schools and colleges through both Lot 1 and Lot 2, making it one of the most established suppliers among the 16 now listed on Lot 2.

Lot 2 covers the full end-to-end management of a school or college’s temporary staffing operation, rather than simply supplying individual candidates. Lot 1, the framework’s preferred supplier list, now includes 220 approved providers.

Esme Bianchi-Barry, CEO of Affinity Workforce Solutions, said:

“Being reappointed to this framework for the third time is something we’re genuinely proud of, but what matters more to us is what sits behind that number. Over 8,000 placements across approximately 1,000 schools and colleges represents thousands of classrooms and lecture theatres that had the right person in front of them when they needed it most. We’ve been on this framework since the beginning because we take the responsibility seriously – not just as a supplier, but as a partner to the institutions and communities we work in every day. Our job is to make sure every learner has a qualified, committed educator in front of them, and that commitment runs through everything we do.”

The appointment comes on the back of a strong start to 2026 for Affinity Workforce. Earlier this year the business ran Before the Bell, a campaign to deliver free, healthy breakfasts to pupils before school. The campaign reached more than 1,600 pupils across schools in Barnsley, Birmingham, the Wirral and London – a practical demonstration of what an education workforce provider can do beyond simply filling vacancies.

Affinity Workforce was also named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025, a reflection of the culture the business has built around attracting and retaining people who care about education.