We don't really need to say that technology is changing everything, you know that already - but that's what this blog is about. And we have to start somewhere!
Further and Higher Education colleges are impacted just as much as other areas of our lives by changes in technology. It's changing how colleges deliver learning, manage data and create inclusive environments, with support staff right at the heart of this shift.
These seismic shifts need the right people, and your recruitment strategy directly impacts on your college's ability to handle change. Recruiting the right people, whether for support staff jobs, teaching assistant jobs, or education support jobs, is vital to help your organisation thrive in a digital world.
Here's Dovetail & Slate's take on what's happening and how colleges can build a recruitment strategy that meets the moment.
Why Digital Transformation Matters for FE Recruitment
Digital transformation in FE goes way beyond the virtual classroom. Colleges are expected to offer high-quality blended learning, use data to improve outcomes, and manage tech-enabled campuses that work for everyone. This is being driven by national strategies like the UK EdTech Strategy, along with funding expectations and rising demands from students and staff alike.
Support Staff recruitment plays a vital role in making all of this happen. When technology doesn't work, frustration sets in, so recruiting staff with the right digital skills and mindset is more important than ever.
How Recruitment is Changing
New and Evolving Roles
Colleges are creating new and evolving roles to deliver their digital ambitions. At Dovetail & Slate, we're seeing strong demand for:
- Learning technologists - who help teaching teams make the most of virtual learning environments
- Digital learning developers - who can design engaging, accessible learning materials that work across platforms
- Data analysts - becoming essential to help colleges understand learner progress, meet funding requirements, and drive improvements
- Cybersecurity specialists - playing a key role in keeping sensitive data safe and ensuring compliance with legislation like GDPR
Evolution of Traditional Support Roles
It's not just the new roles that are changing the recruitment landscape. Traditional support roles have evolved too:
- Admin teams are now expected to work confidently with cloud-based management systems like ProSolution and Civica
- Safeguarding staff are using digital tools such as CPOMS to track and report concerns quickly and securely
- Estates and facilities teams are engaging with smart building technology and sustainability management systems to help colleges meet their green targets and create safer, more efficient campuses
The Recruitment Process Must Evolve
To make all this happen, the recruitment process itself has had to evolve. Today's candidates, whether applying for teaching assistant jobs, SEN teaching jobs, or specialist roles, expect a smooth, digital-first experience from start to finish. Clunky processes quickly put off the very people you want to attract.
Colleges that don't modernise their recruitment approach risk losing great candidates to organisations that offer a more streamlined and professional experience. Offering flexible interview options and communicating clearly and promptly are all essential to standing out in what is a highly competitive market for talent.
What This Means for Your Recruitment Strategy
Digital Capability as a Core Requirement
To stay ahead, colleges need to make sure that digital capability runs through every job description and person specification. Not just for technical roles, but right across all support functions. Whether you're recruiting for admin staff, estates teams, safeguarding officers, learner support assistants, or interim education staff, a level of digital confidence is now a core requirement.
A Wider but More Competitive Talent Pool
The talent pool has certainly widened as more people gain experience with digital tools across different sectors. But with that comes tougher competition. Colleges aren't just competing with other providers in further and higher education recruitment. They're now up against private training organisations, universities, tech firms, edtech startups, and even wider industries where digital skills are in high demand.
Showcase Your Digital Ambitions
Showcasing your college's digital ambitions is crucial if you want to attract the best candidates. People want to work for organisations that are forward-thinking and willing to invest in both technology and their people. That means being clear about:
- The tools you use
- The innovative solutions you're introducing
- How you'll help staff grow
Offering structured CPD pathways, mentoring, and opportunities for upskilling in areas like digital literacy, data analysis, or edtech can make your college stand out.
Supporting Recruitment with Digital Skills Frameworks
The Jisc Digital Capability Framework
The Jisc Digital Capability Framework is a valuable resource for colleges that want to define, measure, and develop the digital skills they need across all staff roles. Originally developed to help education providers respond to the growing importance of technology in teaching, learning, and operations, it provides a clear and practical way to understand what digital capability looks like, not just for technical teams, but for everyone in the organisation.
In today's environment, where digital transformation influences everything from lesson delivery to safeguarding, having a shared structure for digital skills is essential.
Six Core Areas of Digital Capability
At its core, the framework breaks digital capability down into six broad areas that reflect the range of knowledge, confidence and behaviours needed in modern education:
- Information, data and media literacy - Evaluating, interpreting, managing and sharing data effectively
- Digital creation, problem solving and innovation - Using digital tools to design content, solve problems in creative ways, and drive new ideas
- Digital communication, collaboration and participation - Using technology to communicate clearly, work with colleagues and engage in digital communities
- Digital learning and development - Using digital tools to support personal and professional growth through reflection, learning and self-improvement
- Digital identity and wellbeing - Managing online presence and using technology in ways that support mental health and safety
- Digital proficiency - Using tools and technologies relevant to each person's role, ensuring practical competence aligns with specific systems and platforms required in day-to-day work
Practical Application in Recruitment
What makes the Jisc framework so powerful is that it moves colleges and recruiters beyond vague phrases like "must be IT literate." Instead, it provides a clear way to break down what digital capability means in practice for different job roles. This includes the digital expectations for a learning technologist, a teaching assistant, a safeguarding officer, or someone working in estates and facilities.
When it comes to recruitment, this helps hiring managers and HR teams move away from generic criteria and focus on the precise skills and mindsets that candidates will need to thrive.
Creating Fair and Meaningful Recruitment Processes
The framework also helps colleges create recruitment processes that are fair, consistent and meaningful. It enables hiring teams to design interview questions and practical tasks that assess real-world digital skills. For example, colleges might ask admin candidates to demonstrate how they would manage data securely, or ask someone applying for an estates role how they would engage with smart building systems. This ensures that recruitment isn't just based on what's written on a CV, but on practical confidence and ability.
How Dovetail & Slate Uses the Framework
For education recruitment agencies like Dovetail & Slate, the Jisc Digital Capability Framework is an essential tool that supports the creation of job descriptions, person specifications and selection processes that are aligned with the realities of further education today. It allows us to help colleges identify and attract candidates who can not only meet technical requirements, but also contribute to a culture of innovation, inclusion and continuous improvement that digital transformation demands.
Our View
Digital transformation is here to stay, and education recruitment has to keep up. At Dovetail & Slate, we're proud to support colleges in building the teams they need for the future. Whether you're redefining support roles, looking for hard-to-find digital talent, or simply want to make your recruitment process work smarter, we're here to help.
Let's connect. Together we can shape the future of FE.