University department head to further education principal
A university department head already meets 57% of what the further education principal role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.8/ 100
1 How much of what a further education principal is expected to do is already part of a university department head’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the further education principal role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A further education principal role treats 11 of its required skills as things a university department head already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assist in the organisation of school events
- cooperate with education professionals
- curriculum objectives
- curriculum standards
- develop organisational policies
- guarantee students' safety
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A further education principal role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a university department head background worth leading with.
- already held promote education programmes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held education administration business, administration and law
- already held assess employees' capability levels management skills
- already held curriculum standards education
- already held evaluate education programmes information skills
- already held identify education needs management skills
All 23 carried skills, including the 11 the further education principal role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn lead board meetings required
- still to learn manage school budget required
- still to learn analyse staff capacity required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held manage space utilisation optional
- optional, not held manage student admissions optional
- optional, not held manage government-funded programmes optional
- still to learn liaise with board members required
- still to learn liaise with educational staff required
- optional, not held administer exams optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- still to learn education law required
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- still to learn post-secondary school procedures required
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held apply for government funding optional
- optional, not held trade union regulations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a further education principal role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 lead board meetings practise this
- 02 liaise with board members practise this
- 03 manage school budget practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 23 skills that carry over
- already held assist in the organisation of school events skill
- already held cooperate with education professionals skill
- already held curriculum objectives knowledge
- already held curriculum standards knowledge
- already held develop organisational policies skill
- already held guarantee students' safety skill
- already held monitor educational developments skill
- already held present reports skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held represent the organisation skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held assess employees' capability levels skill
- already held assessment processes knowledge
- already held create a financial report skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held education administration knowledge
- already held evaluate education programmes skill
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held identify education needs skill
- already held learning difficulties knowledge
- already held promote education programmes skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held university procedures knowledge
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held administer exams optional
- optional, not held manage space utilisation optional
- optional, not held manage student admissions optional
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held apply for government funding optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held manage government-funded programmes optional
- optional, not held trade union regulations optional
18 held skills the further education principal role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adolescent socialisation behaviour knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on lesson plans skill
- not needed by the target role advise on teaching methods skill
- not needed by the target role assess students skill
- not needed by the target role escort students on a field trip skill
- not needed by the target role human resource management knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
- not needed by the target role lead inspections skill
- not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage university department skill
- not needed by the target role plan shifts of employees skill
- not needed by the target role prepare youths for adulthood skill
- not needed by the target role provide education management support skill
- not needed by the target role provide feedback to teachers skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on study programmes skill
- not needed by the target role use office systems skill
- not needed by the target role work with virtual learning environments skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn post-secondary school procedures required
- still to learn education law required
- optional, not held adult education optional
- optional, not held contract law optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held trade union regulations optional
Other moves recorded from university department head
Common questions about this move
Can a university department head become a further education principal?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A university department head already covers 57% of what a further education principal is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 11 of which the further education principal role treats as required.
What skills does a university department head need to become a further education principal?
8 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is lead board meetings.
How hard is the move from university department head to further education principal?
Its learning distance is 47.8 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.