Further education in transition

This paper provides an overview of the national perspective in further education (FE) developments in Information and Learning Technology (ILT) since 1992, from the unique perspective of a number of key staff members at the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) and a member of staff with a role in quality improvement in the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC). It sets in context the research reported in this section in the papers by Cockrill et al. and Caven-Atack. FE has been in a state of transition for almost twenty years. Major changes have taken place which have affected its status, funding, partnerships and its 'customer base'. But it has always remained integral to local communities in providing a wide range of educa-tional opportunities. Information and Learning Technology (ILT) has played a part in supporting teaching and learning in FE but, until recently, has rarely been part of any well-developed strategy. This positional paper provides an overview of FE during recent years of transition and change and describes the important new government investment that is sup-porting the development of a network infrastructure and a range of supporting activities to enable widespread use of ILT across FE for teaching, learning and management