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Further Education

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Further Education (Learning and Skills) and the Church of England

The further education sector is growing rapidly within the UK today. There are currently 410 further education colleges in the UK and about half of these have some chaplaincy provision. FE chaplains have a key role to play in this work.

The DfES and the Learning and Skills Council are strongly supporting this work and a Handbook on FE chaplaincy is to be produced next year with joint funding. fbfe (The National Council for Faith and Beliefs in Further Education) is the organisation which has been working for 25 years in the sector, and has an excellent web site which should be accessed by all who wish to know more of the churches' work in this important sector.

Chaplaincy in Further Education is a growing ministry, usually in the form of ecumenical, and increasingly, multi-faith teams. But, as this report of a questionnaire demonstrates, it is far from established as 'normal' provision, and there is much for the church to do to promote involvement in this important work, meeting the needs of young people 16-19 and many adults.

There are also opportunities for the Church to work in partnership with local FE colleges in community-based learning initiatives, due to the development of College/Faith Community Partnerships (please download - Word document) some with LSC funding.

The Church of England, ecumenically with the Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Free Churches Council, also sponsor a Beacon Award to promote Sustainable Community Development. The award is for "the college which has done the most to foster a sense of self-esteem in a marginalised local group." (For more - case studies, tips on partnerships, funding, and the accreditation of community work - download  the Beacon Award booklet - PDF document)

For information on the churches' work in further education, contact the Churches' National Adviser in FE:

The Revd Dr. John Breadon

Carole Brown (Executive Assistant)