Boardroom diversity has been a hot topic for years. But in further education, it carries particular weight – decisions made by a small number of people can have an outsized influence on everything from curriculum direction to student support and community engagement, impacting the future for thousands of learners. However, governance is often overlooked in conversations about education reform and inclusion. While awareness is growing, there is still misalignment when it comes to actually diversifying boards.
At The Education Training Foundation (ETF), I work with colleges and skills providers to help create more representative governing bodies that reflect the communities and learners they serve. Before joining ETF, I spent several years at The Whitehall & Industry Group leading Non-Executive recruitment for government departments, regulators and national charities. My focus was on increasing the representation of the marginalised in some of the highest-profile Non-Executive roles in public life. This work surpassed some of the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ key benchmarks, with 37% global majority placements and 48% women. I am now applying that same approach within FE and skills. Fortunately, one of the clearest themes emerging from my conversations with sector Chairs, Governance Professionals and senior decision-makers is good faith. There is genuine awareness around the need for more diversity and representation. Most leaders recognise that governing bodies should better reflect their communities and student populations. The problem is that they lack practical strategies to get there.
The work ETF is developing moves beyond discussing diversity as a principle and towards practical action: building more inclusive talent pipelines for board level roles, thinking more strategically about succession planning and opening governance opportunities to a wider, more diverse range of candidates. This is especially important in education, where diverse boards are necessary for delivering broader perspectives, stronger challenges and better-informed decision-making. There is also a powerful visibility and aspiration dimension to this. For many learners, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, seeing someone who reflects their identity or lived experience in positions of influence can shape what they believe is possible. I’m not sure how many students currently know who their governors are. I know I didn’t when I was a student! But naming this awareness challenge and tackling it can move leadership from something abstract to something tangible and attainable.
The challenge lands differently for different institutions. Geography plays a significant role. London and southeast colleges tend to find it easier to attract diverse candidates simply because the talent pool is broader. Meanwhile, colleges in the north can face a harder task. Professional networks don’t necessarily reflect the communities they’re recruiting from. Widening their search means engaging commercial search providers instead, which can be expensive. Regardless of geography, the pool of senior professionals from underrepresented backgrounds with board-level experience is genuinely limited. That pool is in high demand, often already serving on multiple boards already. Colleges can struggle to know where to search or advertise, how to make a voluntary role attractive, or even how to engage communities they do not have affinity with.
ETF is currently developing two practical solutions. Firstly, a Governor, Trustee and Non-Executive recruitment service, specifically designed to improve access to communities and networks that traditional routes don’t reach. Secondly, a board diversity analysis and benchmarking service
We take a data-led approach and produce clear recommendations. The two services can work together or separately, depending on what an organisation needs. While all this is ostensibly about representation, it is really about delivering a better, more responsive educational offering. There is also inherent value in creating clearer, more inclusive pathways into these roles for individuals with different lived experiences, skillsets and community connections. If we want more inclusive education, we cannot afford for its leadership structures to remain unchanged. For anyone looking to move from intent towards action, the first step is a simple conversation. Whether you need support with governor recruitment, board diversity analysis, or hands-on advice for colleges and candidates trying to navigate this process, I would welcome an opportunity to connect and discuss how this work can support you.
Written by
Cezanne Ritchie-Hutchinson, Sector Governance Champion Manager at The Education Training Foundation.