We help further education colleges to increase their enrolment rates. Our comprehensive support includes public relations, media coverage, reputation management, social media strategies, SEO, and multimedia production.
As a further education college, your reputation and how you're perceived by your local community can give you an edge over your competitors. Positive awareness of your institution and how students and their families perceive you is crucial to your success.
The team at Bridgehead Education have an expert knowledge and understanding of the education and skills landscape.
Your college's profile, both online and offline, shapes public perception. Our research shows that further education colleges that can demonstrate innovative, student-centered learning in a dynamic environment with engaging activities and excellent facilities are able to command higher enrolment and staff recruitment rates.
Services for FE colleges and institutions
We provide a comprehensive range of marketing services to further education colleges, giving you the momentum needed to advance your institution. These include:
Key Messaging: We collaborate with you to identify your unique values and key information that you want to communicate to your core audiences. We then carefully integrate these messages into all press releases, statements, and marketing materials we produce.
Activities and Events Calendar: We work with relevant team members at your college to agree on a program of notable events that will showcase your institution's ethos while also being noteworthy to local media.
Securing Media Coverage: We ensure your college receives coverage in the most relevant media, including local, regional broadcast, and national levels.
Producing Multimedia Content: We market your college with high-impact photography and engaging videos that highlight your institution's ethos and values.
Building Social Media Presence: We build your social media following by crafting positive, engaging posts that help to portray your college in a favorable light. Key platforms include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
Crisis Communications and Reputation Management: Every institution can face events that risk damaging its profile and reputation. We are experts in stakeholder management and will put systems in place to mitigate the impact on your reputation. In the event of a crisis, we manage your media and stakeholder engagement.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): We ensure your website is optimized for key search terms, such as further education colleges in your area, and that it ranks above your competitors on Google.
We get further education
We have worked with colleges, FE bodies and associations of varying sizes with different specialisms.
We're just as adept and able to work with large educational institutions with multiple campuses as well as smaller, individual colleges.
Bridgehead Communications have worked hard to raise awareness among policymakers in both England and Wales surrounding the key challenges our members face.
We are passionate about further education colleges. Our Managing Director, Will, runs The Mark, our FE and skills sector newsletter which publishes a media roundup and new editions of the latest issues facing FE every month. We stay informed about key changes in the sector, including new government legislation and how these impact the day-to-day operations of educational institutions.
One stop shop for further education marketing
To give you a better understanding, our further education marketing experience can include:
Key messaging • Multimedia strategy • Photography • Video production • Media training • Press release writing • Press release distribution • Interview pitching • Journalist outreach • Crisis Communications • Reputation Management • Media tracking • Social media branding • LinkedIn Management • Facebook Management • Social media writing • SEO
We're passionate about colleges and the further education sector
We've worked for some of the leading FE providers in the country. Below are two of our most recent case studies:
Baker Dearing Educational Trust - Bridgehead was retained by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to showcase to the sector and potential business and university partners a more accurate representation of where UTCs are now and the value they have to offer to students, employers and universities. Another objective was to promote 'UTC Sleeves' and provide crisis and reputation management support. Read more.
Natspec - Bridgehead was retained by Natspec to raise the profile of the organisation and the key challenges its members face among policymakers in Westminster and the Welsh Assembly. The culmination of our political engagement campaign to date came with the launch of the Natspec manifesto in Parliament on 19 February 2024. Helen Hayes MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years (including SEND) and Seema Malhotra MP, Shadow Minister for Skills, attended the launch event. Read more.
Further reading about the importance of FE colleges to the future of skills and education
FE News - Colleges are an important part of the wider education ecosystem
The Independent Commission on the College of the Future’s England report outlines a vision for enhancing colleges' roles in the future skills and employment landscape. It emphasises colleges' importance in regional communities for supporting individual potential and providing a talent pipeline for businesses, despite challenges from underfunding and poor coordination with industrial priorities. Read more.
Economics Observatory - How can education and skills policy in England boost productivity?
The UK's policy framework struggles with skill mismatches and regional disparities, highlighting the need for a more effective approach. Frequent policy changes and lack of coordination undermine progress. A coherent, integrated education and skills system, better funding, and alignment with broader economic strategies are essential. Read more.
FE Week - EPI: Parties fail to address ‘most important’ education challenges
An analysis by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) indicates that the most pressing challenges in education may not be addressed with sufficient urgency by the next government, based on party manifesto commitments. Major parties show a striking lack of funding commitments for sixth forms and further education colleges. Furthermore, there is scant attention to increasing the uptake of level 2 and 3 qualifications among adults. Read more.