Service Leavers || The Sheffield College

In practical terms, this means we’re transparently an armed-forces-friendly organisation, will support personnel & families, and will ensure we are fair to ex-forces candidates.

This means we recognise non-civilian qualifications and will guarantee an interview to any candidates who are service leavers or immediate family if they meet the minimum criteria for a role.

For many of the teachers we hire, the college is their first step into the world of education and they only hold trade-specific qualifications, supported by the college to gain formal teaching qualifications within the first 12 months.

This is especially true in areas with a UK-wide talent shortage in teaching staff such as Construction, Engineering, Welding, Motor Vehicle & other technical areas.

We also have numerous leadership-level staff with a forces background. You can read about their experiences below.

"My journey back into education started in the latter years of my service in the Royal Navy when I was given my first laptop to aid me in my search for my next career. Fast forward to the year 2000, I landed my first teaching position as an IT Trainer for a private provider. Five years later I took my first steps into FE by taking up a position as a College Lecturer. My fourteen-year tenure there helped me realise what a fantastic job FE Colleges do in relation to working with young people and adults to help improve their life chances, by imparting knowledge, almost nurturing them into what they want to be to enable them to chase their dream careers. Working in a Further Education College gives you a sense of belonging, much the same as your division or your company whilst you served in the Military. Indeed, you are part of a larger team working with each other with the common goal of ensuring young people and adults are given the best chances of achieving their dreams. Coming from a forces background has certainly helped me prepare for my career in Further Education, I’m no stranger to hard work and the skills & attributes I learned in the Royal Navy such as problem-solving and working on my own initiative have helped me reap the rewards. If you are willing to step up and volunteer yourself to study for programmes which will make you a better practitioner or help you to move into management, then you will also see the benefits. If you are fortunate enough to be in a leadership position, then you will be helping to steer the college in its strategic direction by working with external stakeholders to help shape the future curriculum." Richard J Burton Assistant Principal - Technical Education & Skills Former Leading Seaman (Sonar) Submarines

If there isn’t a vacancy here that fits your skill set but you’d like to express interest in working with the college (or a casual chat about what your path into FE might look like) feel free to send a CV and any supporting information to: jobs@sheffcol.ac.uk