The £6,000 retention payment has not solved the digital teaching shortage in FE
The government offers up to £6,000 to early-career FE teachers in shortage subjects including digital. The staffing problem in technology teaching persists.
By Wistl Editorial · · FE / Training
The government's targeted retention incentive offers early-career teachers in further education colleges up to £6,000 if they are teaching eligible courses in shortage subjects. Digital is on the list, alongside maths, chemistry, physics, construction, early years, and engineering and manufacturing. The incentive was extended to FE teachers in 2024 to 2025, expanding a scheme that had previously applied only to schools. The financial case for choosing FE over industry in digital and technology subjects has always been challenging. A lecturer teaching software development, data science or AI at