Northampton College
College wins national award for pay review project
A complete overhaul of the pay structure for staff at Northampton College has won a national award in recognition of its commitment to transparency, engagement and commitment to high-quality teaching and professional services. When the college looked at its pay structure in 2024, it saw
familiar sector challenges such as outdated grades, limited career progression and a system that risked inequity. Partnering with industry experts the Educational Competencies
Consortium (ECC), the college embarked on a transformation of its existing guidelines, guided by the principle of equal pay for work of equal value Every single one of the 165 roles was rewritten and assessed using
ECC’s sector-specific Further Education Role Analysis (FEDRA) scheme. Careful benchmarking, equality impact assessment and fi nancial modelling meant decisions ensured a sustainable system for the college. The changes saw hundreds of staff receive upgraded pay
grades, and inequities, such as gender pay gaps, were addressed. Recruitment surged, with applications increasing by 52%, and student numbers climbed, proving the impact extended beyond the staff room and into the classroom.
Northampton College deputy principal Jan Hutt said: “FEDRA is
the only job evaluation scheme that works in further education. T is project was about equity, competitiveness and commercial decisions around benchmarking, but with a legal and moral perspective. “T e key to the project was simple: put people fi rst. By engaging
staff and unions, applying a rigorous evaluation framework and communicating openly, trust in the process grew. T e new system rewards staff fairly and positions the College to attract talent and tackle sector challenges head-on.” T e review has been named the winner of ECC’s Project of the
Year award, with judges praising the ‘exceptional’ nature of the work. T is year’s judging panel was looking for overall project impact,
improved reward practice and ways of working that others can learn from. ECC’s chief executive Nicholas Johnston said the college’s project, Transforming an Employee Value Proposition, ticked all the boxes. He added: “Northampton College demonstrated a really positive
impact on pay equality because they took great care to look at their pay structure. T e college had less than 2.5% appeals following roll- out, and have seen a 50% increase in job applications year-on-year. It was a model pay and grading implementation with very clear and measurable results.”
For more information about Northampton College visit
www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk
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