March 13, 2025 Adam Baldock-Apps

Overcoming Communication Silos in Further Education

Keeping Audiences engaged in Further Education (FE) is essential. When staff feel valued and connected, they’re more motivated, productive, and committed to helping students succeed. But FE institutions face some unique challenges when it comes to engagement. From fragmented communication to high workloads and limited resources, these obstacles can make it hard to create a positive working environment.
Let’s explore some of the biggest engagement challenges in FE and how colleges can address them.

1. Diverse Audience Composition

FE institutions don’t just communicate with staff—they need to engage a wide range of stakeholders, including lecturers, support staff, leadership teams, students, parents, and industry partners. Each of these groups has different needs, expectations, and communication preferences.

For example, academic staff may rely on email briefings and faculty meetings, while younger staff members might prefer mobile app notifications. Parents and guardians often expect regular email updates or newsletters, and students engage best through interactive platforms and social media.

The Challenge: Keeping everyone in the loop without overwhelming them with information.

The Solution: Use audience segmentation to tailor communications. For example, NewZapp’s email marketing platform enables FE institutions like Exeter College to send targeted updates to specific staff groups, ensuring messages are relevant and engaging. Exeter College increased email open rates by 35% after segmenting their internal newsletters by staff role and interest. This ensured lecturers received updates on academic policies, while support staff got information on student wellbeing initiatives.

2.Breaking Down Communication Silos

FE institutions are often divided into departments that operate independently, leading to disjointed internal communications. These silos can result in duplicated efforts, inconsistent messaging, and a lack of collaboration meaning key messages don’t always reach the right people, resulting in confusion, inefficiencies, and disengagement.

The Challenge: Ensuring that all audiences, across departments and campuses, receive clear and consistent internal communications.

The Solution: Implement a centralised internal communication ecosystem, such as an intranet, digital newsletters, or team collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams). Regular cross-departmental updates and internal campaigns also help staff see the bigger picture particularly during periods of enforced change. Whilst not FE, Bournemouth University tackled the challenge of informing but not overloading by introducing monthly internal newsletters summarising key updates from all departments. This helped academic and administrative staff stay aligned, reducing duplicated efforts and improving engagement and a sense of organisational purpose.

3. Budget Constraints and Limited Resources

Many FE institutions face tight budgets, making it difficult to invest in sophisticated internal marketing tools or dedicated communications teams. As a result, staff often feel left out of key discussions, leading to lower engagement. Recent government cuts have only made this harder, with colleges receiving less financial support than initially promised, leaving institutions with fewer resources to support employees.

The Challenge: Making internal communication efficient and engaging, even with limited resources.

The Solution: Use low-cost, high-impact communication strategies, such as:

✔ Automated email updates that keep staff informed without requiring extra admin work.
✔ Staff recognition programs that highlight achievements in internal newsletters.
✔ Repurposing existing communication tools, such as adapting student-facing newsletters for staff updates.

A report by the Financial Times revealed that many FE institutions in England are receiving less funding than promised, further straining their ability to invest in staff engagement. Transparent leadership and clear communication around financial decisions can help staff feel included and valued, even during tough times.

4. Preventing Information Overload & Improving Message Clarity

Staff in FE institutions are constantly bombarded with emails, policy updates, and meeting requests. Often juggle teaching responsibilities, administrative tasks, and student support roles, leading to high workloads and potential burnout. This issue has been highlighted by recent industrial actions within the education sector, where staff have protested against excessive workloads and insufficient support.

Without a clear communication structure, messages can get lost, ignored, or deprioritised, leading to disengagement.

The Challenge: Cutting through the noise with clear, structured, and engaging internal communication.

The Solution:
✔ Use a single internal communications platform to house key updates in one place.
✔ Make messages short, focused, and action-oriented—avoid overwhelming staff with unnecessary detail.
✔ Incorporate multimedia (videos, infographics, short-form content) to keep internal updates engaging and easy to digest.

5. Resistance to Change

Change initiatives—such as new communication systems, updated policies, or restructuring—often meet resistance from staff. Many employees feel overwhelmed by constant change or worry that new tools will add to their workload rather than simplify it.

The Challenge: Helping staff embrace new communication methods without frustration or disengagement.

The Solution:
✔ Involve staff early—seek feedback on new tools before rolling them out.
✔ Use internal champions—get influential staff members to advocate for change.
✔ Show measurable benefits—demonstrate how new internal communication methods will save time or improve collaboration.

Engage staff in the planning and implementation of new initiatives to foster a sense of ownership and acceptance. Providing clear evidence of the benefits associated with proposed changes can also alleviate concerns and encourage participation. The Open University successfully transitioned to a new internal communication platform by running staff training workshops and gathering ongoing feedback to refine their approach. Engagement with internal emails increased by 28% as a result.

Conclusion

Improving internal communications in Further Education is one of the most effective ways to boost staff engagement. By breaking down silos, simplifying messages, and using cost-effective communication tools, FE institutions can build a more connected and motivated workforce.

When internal communication is clear, targeted, and engaging, staff feel valued, well-informed, and ready to contribute to a thriving college culture. By acknowledging and addressing the challenges around internal communications, FE institutions can create a more inclusive and engaging environment for their stakeholders, ultimately leading to enhanced educational experiences and outcomes for students. Implementing tailored communication strategies, fostering collaboration, optimising resource allocation, managing workloads, and embracing change are key steps toward achieving this goal.

FAQs on Employee Engagement in Further Education (FE)

1. Why is employee engagement important in the FE sector?

Employee engagement is essential in the FE sector as it directly impacts staff motivation, productivity, and retention. Clear and consistent communication keeps staff informed, connected, and motivated, improving morale and retention. Engaged employees are more likely to be committed to their roles, leading to better student outcomes and institutional success.

2. What are common challenges to employee engagement in FE institutions?

Common challenges include siloed departments, inconsistent messaging, information overload, and budget constraints. FE institutions reflect wider society with diverse workforce compositions, communication silos, limited resources and high workloads leading to burnout, and resistance to change within institutional cultures.

3. How can FE institutions improve internal communications without big budgets?

Low-cost strategies like automated email updates, repurposing student newsletters, and staff recognition programs can make a big impact. Establishing centralised communication services and platforms and encouraging interdepartmental meetings can promote transparency and collaboration, breaking down communication silos.

4. What’s the best way to prevent staff from feeling overwhelmed by internal messages?

Use concise, engaging, and visually appealing content, and centralise important updates on a single platform.

5. How can resistance to change be overcome in FE institutions?

Engaging staff in the planning and implementation of new initiatives and providing and reinforcing clear evidence of the benefits associated with proposed changes can foster a sense of ownership and acceptance.