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When the College looked at its pay structure in 2024, it saw familiar sector challenges such as outdated grades, limited career progression and a system that risked inequity.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 financial 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 per cent, 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. This project was about equity, competitiveness and commercial decisions around benchmarking, but with a legal and moral perspective.
“The key to the project was simple: put people first. By engaging staff and unions, applying a rigorous evaluation framework and communicating openly, trust in the process grew. The new system rewards staff fairly and positions the College to attract talent and tackle sector challenges head-on.”
The review has been named the winner of ECC's Project of the Year award, with judges praising the “exceptional” nature of the work.
This 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.
"The college had less than 2.5 per cent appeals following roll-out, and have seen a 50 per cent increase in job applications year-on-year. It was a model pay and grading implementation with very clear and measurable results."
