Canterbury healthcare professional turned Further Education teacher on unlocking the next generation of South East care talent

Research by the Health Sector Advisory Group shows locally-led and tailored careers education is key to unlocking pathways for future healthcare professionals. There is a number of opportunities for local health and social care professionals in the area, whose skills and experiences are in demand and highly valued in further education teaching.

One of those professionals is Katrina Firth from Canterbury whoworked in the Health and Social Care sector for 5 years, before deciding to embark on a career teaching in FE. She started her healthcare career as a residential childcare officer working nights in a residential school for young people with autism. She then went on to work as a health care assistant in a small hospital in a rural area, before enrolling into a Master’s programme in social work. Through the course completed two placements – a recovery centre for drug and alcohol treatment, and with an adoption and fostering team. Katrina now shares her skills and real-world industry experiences with FE learners at East Kent Colleges Group.

Katrina shares: “I was working at a residential home when I spotted a Further Education (FE) Health and Social Care teaching job at East Kent Colleges Group. I’d always liked the idea of sharing my skills and experience through teaching and when I found out you didn’t need prior teaching experience to get started, I decided to apply.

I found the transition from working in industry to teaching in FE straight forward and I completed my teacher training on the job, which meant I could learn and begin earning straight away. Pivoting my career to teach in FE has been a great way to stay connected to the healthcare industry while using my existing skills in a new way. From communication, teamwork, and safeguarding, through to understanding individual needs and celebrating diversity and inclusion, there are so many transferable skills I’ve brought from industry which help me in my role today.

As a former healthcare professional, I can bring real life examples from industry to my teaching and there is flexibility within the job with some part time contracts available. I’d encourage others to consider whether teaching in FE could be a good career pivot for them.”

FE teachers are needed across many subject areas but there is particular demand for workers from the following sectors: Health and Social Care, Construction, Engineering and Manufacturing, Legal, Finance, Accounting and Digital and IT.

Practical experience gained from industry is highly sought after, and teaching and other academic qualifications are not always a pre-requisite for employment as FE teachers can start earning straight away and do funded training on-the-job. There are full-time, part-time and flexible contracts available, allowing FE teachers to balance their hours alongside other professional or personal responsibilities.

To find out more about how you could share your existing industry skills by teaching in further education and the next steps to take, visit gov.uk/teach-in-further-education.