ONE in five college principals will retire within four years - on top of the large number who have quit in the past five.

Ministers’ plans for a new management training system will give new principals a lifeline that most of their predecessors never had. Inadequate training has often been blamed for colleges failing.

Consultations on the future shape of training plans close next week. The proposals from the Department for Education and Skills mirror closely the framework that was introduced for school managers after the mid 1990s.

Training is likely to be offered through a new Leadership and Management College to aspiring principals, newly-appointed principals and those who have been in post longer. There may also be a compulsory qualification.

Ken Clarke, chief executive of the Principals’ Professional Council, is disappointed that such a system was not introduced sooner. “FE has gone through more structural changes than schools and it has more complex funding,” he said.

Principals are keen to learn even though they are often stretched for time, he added. But he is not convinced of the need for a compulsory qualification: “It’s important that the opportunity is there for those who want an additional qualification, but I don’t think that is what most people are looking for.”

The Association for College Management is adamant that any new training must encompass managers at all levels. “We must think about who is going to be a principal in three or four years’ time and not just focus on the very top,” said general secretary Peter Pendle.

The Learning and Skills Development Agency already runs programmes for a wide range of managers. Only some of the training leads to qualifications. Graham Peeke, the agency’s director of professional and organisational development, is pleased that training is to come under one framework.

Experience shows, he says, that college managers like a mixture of tailor-made training that can be run in-house, as well as opportunities to mix with people from other institutions. Distance training such as e-learning has not really taken off.

“They don’t want to be isolated in their own homes and doing things down the wire,” said Mr Peeke. “We need to have a range of methods to meet people’s needs at different points in their career.”

Mentoring and work-shadowing are likely to be key features of the new system. Ambrose Smith of the Sixth Form Colleges’ Employers’ Forum said:

“There is a propensity for going overboard on theory and neglecting practice. Aspiring leaders need an opportunity to work with charismatic mentors.”

A recent survey by the Further Education National Training Organisation showed colleges acknowledge that skills gaps, including performance management and financial understanding, leave managers struggling to cope with changes such as the launch of the Learning and Skills Council.

Hilary Stone, FENTO’s director of standards and qualifications, says that many new principals may not be familiar with more than one subject.“Curriculum managers must learn to look at the bigger picture rather than what has been their day-to-day work,” she said.

The FENTO study found about 60 per cent of principals and one-third of vice-principals or directors hold a Masters of Business Administration or other masters degrees. Any new qualification is likely to cover both generic skills and specific skills required in FE.