Colleges
will struggle to attract and retain key staff after research revealed that most
local college senior management pay levels decreased in real terms last year.
The
survey of nearly 7,000 posts by the Association of Colleges (AoC) shows that
pay for all grades of senior management increased well below the rate of
inflation, with the exception of principal posts, where pay increased by only a
little more than inflation.
The
headline inflation rate was 2.3 per cent, but heads of department posts had a
median pay increase of just 0.26 per cent.
Assistant
principal posts had a real terms cut of 0.45 per cent, while deputy and vice
principals’ pay levels increased by just 1.95 percent. Principals received 4.7
per cent.
Commenting
on the results, Sue Dutton, AoC deputy chief executive, said: "College
boards have had to be extremely careful to contain the pay expectations of
their senior managers for some years. However, AoC’s recent recruitment and
retention survey showed a 44 per cent increase in management vacancies,
indicating that many senior managers are now prepared to leave the sector for
better rewards in schools, higher education and private industry. If it
continues, this trend raises questions about the capacity of the sector to
prepare its next generation of leaders."
