5.3 High standards must continue to be a priority for further education. There are many examples of high quality, responsive and accessible courses, and in some colleges, performance and results are outstanding. However, in others there is a persistent problem of low achievement and poor retention rates.

5.4 We propose, working with colleges, the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) and the Further Education Development Agency (FEDA) to:

• get all colleges to adopt a rigorous approach to standards, with systematic assessment and target setting. Each college should set annual targets to improve retention and achievement, and publish the results;

• ensure better teaching. Our aim is that all new teachers in further education should hold, or within two years of appointment have begun, a recognised initial teacher training qualification. This would apply both to full-time teachers and those with a substantial part-time commitment. To provide a framework for this and for continuing professional development, further education will have established a National Training Organisation for the sector by the end of the year;

• get the right balance between full- and part-time tutors and lecturers, so that colleges are flexible enough to cope with rapid change, but also have sufficient continuity to secure their objectives;

• promote improvements in college management. Inspection reveals this is crucial to high standards, yet management training in the sector is patchy and of uneven quality. We look forward to the national framework for management development based on standards of best business practice being completed by the summer to provide a coherent structure for the training of college managers.

5.5 High standards must also apply to accountability. Colleges' independence should not stand in the way of openness and responsiveness to the local community. The Kennedy committee commented on the current lack of formal arrangements for community involvement, and accountability in its widest sense has been lacking. Since the incorporation of further education colleges there have been concerns about the style of working and remoteness of governing bodies. Some have encouraged a confrontational management style which is unacceptable for publicly funded bodies.

5.6 We therefore propose to consult shortly on proposals for detailed changes to the statutory framework for college governing bodies to ensure this accountability and openness. These changes will cover: representation for the local authority, staff, students and community interests (including parents where there is a significant proportion of students aged 16 to 18); open decision-making; annual reports; clear and open procedures for the appointment and accountability of senior management and for dealing with complaints; and codes of conduct governing the appointment of governors, their conduct and interests.