Becoming a Veteran in Further Education: a Vocation or Vocational

Hughes, Angela (2026) Becoming a Veteran in Further Education: a Vocation or Vocational. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the work-life experiences of further education practitioners who have served 20 years or more within the sector. A qualitative, narrative approach is used to look in depth at six Veteran practitioners. The thesis explores the factors that have allowed the participants to maintain their careers for such a long period and seeks to understand the enabling and disabling factors.

The data revealed a picture of further education as a diverse but precarious employment environment where practitioners are subject to the ‘churn’ of constantly changing governmental policy and uncertain funding. The narratives give primary evidence of the impact of policy and funding decisions on individuals and the difficult decisions they have made about their work and lives. There were marked differences of workplace experiences between the male and female participants.

The research draws on Bourdieu’s interwoven theories of field, habitus and capital to theorise the differences in the Veterans’ experiences, building a picture of an interaction between the ‘Skills discourse’ of further education, neoliberal marketisation of education and patriarchal assumptions of skill.

The evidence presented, from the six Veterans, showed that despite the dominance of the ‘Skills discourse’ in government further education policy, the Veteran participants' longevity was fuelled by matters that transcended policy rhetoric and instead relied on deeply held values.

For this small group of three men and three women, working in further education was a vocation that they had found, often accidentally, that met a personal need born of their own educational experiences and backgrounds. They identify closely with the ‘othering’ that society has dealt their learners and their service in further education is fuelled by a desire to offer learners a better deal.

The study concludes that the public rhetoric around skills training masks what is rewarding about teaching in further education and what motivates people to keep working. The research found that the participants rejected a reductionist view of their role, posited by the ‘Skills discourse’, as that of a vocational trainer in favour of a pedagogically informed, learner-centred view.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 4 September 2026 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Further education, teaching, neoliberalism,
Subjects:	CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-03 - politics > CAH15-03-01 - politics CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-01 - education
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Law and Social Sciences > Education
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	15 Sep 2026 11:19
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2026 11:19
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17241

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