About Us
What is FE Sussex?
FE Sussex is the consortium of all post-16 colleges in Sussex and represents the interests of:
- six general further education colleges
- five sixth form colleges
- one specialist land-based college
FE Sussex is a limited company with charitable status and is jointly owned by the 12 colleges in Sussex. Each of the 12 college principals is a member of the board of directors. FE Sussex has a full time Chief Executive Officer together with administration and support staff. FE Sussex employs further education and training professionals to deliver its various agendas and projects. FE Sussex is the organisation which provides direct input into the strategic management level of every Sussex college.
Some general Further Education colleges in Surrey join with FE Sussex colleges for appropriate activities such as staff development, procurement etc.
What does FE Sussex do?
The origins of FE Sussex are centred in the quality improvement of teaching and learning. Since it was established in 1998 the key aims of the organisation have expanded to embrace the wide agenda of FE and can be summarised as:
- The improvement of quality
- Facilitating and implementing shared services, joint procurement and value for money agendas
- The improvement of employer responsiveness and engagement
- The promotion of the reputation and role of further education
- To act as the platform for communications, training and development
- Providing consultancy support to external organisations and colleges
- To facilitate shared services, joint procurement and value for money
- To support colleges and their professional development needs.
FE Sussex contracts with a variety of external organisations and agencies to deliver various aspects of the further education and training agenda on behalf of its FE Sussex Members.
How does FE Sussex do it?
To achieve its aims FE Sussex undertakes a wide range of activities which include:
- Coordinating quality improvement groups across Sussex
- Leading on common-interest national agendas such as quality improvement, procurement of goods and services etc
- Organising pan-Sussex continual professional development for college staff
- Contracting with suppliers for the purposes of joint procurement
- Coordinating a wide range of pan-Sussex practitioner forums for college staff including principals, governors and clerks, finance and administration staff, human resources staff, curriculum specialists, international managers, business development managers and procurement officers etc.
How is FE Sussex funded?
All member colleges of FE Sussex pay a subscription based on the size of their college. In addition, FE Sussex contracts with other organisations to manage projects and provide various administration and professional services.