From There to Here: Exploring the Transition from Vocational Expert to FET Tutor on the East Coast of Ireland: Vocational Expert to FET Tutor

Early stage tutor exit is not uncommon in FET in Ireland. The 2019 Evaluation of the National Youthreach Programmes found that almost half of Coordinators reported staff turnover as constituting a difficulty 'to a great extent'. Recruitment and retention was identified as a major challenge going forward. Future FET 2020 - 2024 recognises the need for the development of staffing structures and the evolution of the role of teacher and instructor. The study took place in an FET centre where twenty-two tutors deliver four post-compulsory education programmes to approximately three hundred jobseekers, early-school leavers and learners who wish to upskill. Many FET tutors had vocational careers before joining FET. This study identified emergent issues and themes during an FET tutor’s induction period that offered some reasons for early exit decisions, and shed light on the value of multi-disciplinary perspectives/contributions to programme design and delivery.