A restructuring of the Association of Colleges to include four departments, each headed by a director, has saved the jobs of many senior staff from the organisation’s two parent bodies, the Association for Colleges and the Colleges’ Employers’ Forum.

The two merged this summer, and staff have since been forced into uneasy cohabitation in the former CEF offices.

The shake-up has also led to redundancies, although the number of job losses is not yet clear.

The four new departments will cover curriculum and quality; further education development; professional services; and recruitment, training and consultancy.

Four directors are understood to have been chosen from within the organisation. Other new posts include an administration and finance officer, and a deputy chief executive - expected to be either John Brennan, former AFC policy director, or Sue Tonge, former CEF deputy chief executive.