Why FE Needs a Smarter Approach to Employer Engagement

Throughout UK industry and higher educational sectors, there’s a pivotal juncture looming. With automation on the rise, business models shifting and skills demand changing, the relationship between FE providers and employers needs to evolve –quickly. Our experience at Go Live Data in outbound B2B marketing and data tells us that engagement must become a strategic, data-driven and value-led partnership, that not only serves colleges but delivers for learners and employers alike.

There’s recognition of this urgency, highlighted in various research including that of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, showing how colleges are striving to build deeper employer partnerships to not only close skills gaps but to drive growth within their establishments. Other commentary in the sector argues that unless employer engagement becomes immersed, strategic and inclusive (especially for SMEs), we risk missing the mark entirely. This, along with recent government announcements of £800 million in funding being allocated to 16- to-19’s, means the time to act is now.

The reforms will also allow employers from April 2026 to use levy funds for ‘apprenticeship units;’ the short, flexible training courses available in critical skills areas, which signals real ambition to re-balance supports toward younger learners.

The pressure to change is real

We’re already witnessing how the labour market is being transformed. As new roles emerge regularly, legacy jobs fade, and employers expect more than ever from their talent pipeline. If FE providers continue to treat employer engagement as ad-hoc priority (a guest speaker here, site visit there), they’re likely struggle to stay relevant in the market.

At the other end of the scale, employers themselves are no longer passive recipients of trained talent, they want to be part of the process, by seeking meaningful collaboration with providers who understand their actual business needs. If the system fails to serve employers, it fails to serve anyone.

Structural issues persist too. Evidence from across the sector points to uneven employer engagement, as large firms dominate, SMEs often struggle to engage, and many relationships plateau rather than improve. So, unless providers adopt smarter strategies, the system’s potential will remain untapped.

What smarter engagement actually looks like

I believe employer engagement in further education should adopt lessons from high-performing B2B outreach. So here, I’ve compiled six practical principles based on mine and my team’s experience:

1. Treat employers as a strategic audience (not a one-off communication.)

Just as in marketing you build personas, segment markets and tailor messages, FE providers must understand the local business ecosystem by asking questions. Which sectors are growing? Which employers are hiring now, and which companies will hire in five years’ time? It’s vital to approach employer engagement by asking ‘What do they need?’ In order to win any partnership.

2. Move beyond occasional engagement to measurable outreach.

Too many colleges rely on one-off employer visits or guest talks. Instead, it’s important to set up structured engagement such as – employer panels, curriculum advisory groups, repeated placements, and project-briefs created with businesses, with clarity and continuity. The government’s extra funding for 16-19 provision (from 2026-27) gives the system the financial breathing space to go from sporadic marketing and communications to strategies that are embedded into ongoing strategies.

3. Harness data by targeting, personalisation, tracking and optimisation.

In outbound marketing we assess, measure, and refine our tactics and strategies. FE providers should maintain an employer-database, track which engagements succeed, which ones tail-off, and analyse what makes a partnership thrive and what doesn’t. By doing so, you can prioritise high-value partners, personalise engagement and demonstrate outcomes for learners, employers and the institution.

4. Include the whole employer ecosystem and not just large firms.

Far too often, FE engagements appeal to a handful of corporates, which traditionally may have been easier to access, more visible which have bigger HR departments. Yet SMEs represent vast employment and equate to a vast proportion of the business economy. A smarter approach is to create SME-wide engagement to widen the net of SME involvement. The government reform proposals recognise the need to simplify apprenticeship units and to make access more accessible for smaller employers.

5. Align with employer values and communicate it clearly.

Employers engage when they see a return. That could be better talent, a more upskilled workforce or simply fresh and new ideas. Therefore, FE providers should articulate this clearly, with a messages such as: ‘Here’s how your business benefits.’ Placements should be explicitly tied to a business need and not just a ‘good’ experience for the learner.

6. Be up-to-speed on current and future trends.

Talent needs won’t stay the same and things are changing at a rapid speed, in a way we’ve probably never experienced before. Green skills, digital fluency, AI-focussed roles are all happening fast. FE providers who co-design and work with employers now and by being prepared for the future, will position learners and employers for resilience and change, tied in with government investment and support. And as more flexible funding becomes available to apprenticeships units, the future is being prepared for – now.

The outbound-mindset crossover

The key here is to think of employer engagement like an outbound marketing campaign. It’s about targeting, sequencing, nurturing, measuring and tweaking along the way. And just like any successful B2B outreach, it also demands commitment from leadership, the resource, processes and technology in order to succeed.

For FE leaders that means establishing a dedicated employer-engagement function and investment in data infrastructure to work into the future and the development of messaging around employer value and employer voices filtering into governance and curriculum review.

A call-to-action for providers

Conduct an audit of your employer-engagement practices. How many real, continuous partnerships really exist? How many SMEs are involved? What data do you already collect and how is it used? What business value do you articulate to employers? Then map a plan to move from transactional to strategic action-points.

I would advise that employers avoid seeing themselves as a potential participant and instead aim to become a valued part of the talent ecosystem. Offer meaningful projects that will provide first-hand experience, mentor learners who come onboard and also where possible, aim to help shape curriculum design in some way.

For the policymakers it’s clear and they’re already pledging to make significant in-roads on this journey which is extremely promising. They should be designing frameworks that reward strategic, sustainable employer engagement, provide accessible means of SME inclusion, continued partnerships and of course, measurable outcomes which are key, as without a system that works for employers, it isn’t going to work for our learners which we cannot afford to put at stake.

The ambition has always been to bridge education and employment which today, achieving that demands more than arranging one-off work-experience weeks or talks by employers. It one hundred percent demands a smarter, data-driven, outbound approach that sees employers as partners and gives learners the chance to become our talent of the future.

By Adam Herbert, CEO and Co-Founder of Go Live Data