In the last ten years further education has moved from a sector characterised as being in a state of 'benign neglected' by central government to one which has grown in importance to policy makers and in turn has become more and more regulated. Below I describe and critically analyse these changes, focusing on the initial training and professional development of further education teachers. The analysis sets the context and traces the development of national standards for FE teachers and the formation of the Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO), the introduction of compulsory teacher qualifications and other recent initiatives launched by the DfES, such as the Standards Unit which wishes to radically change the nature of teacher education for the post-compulsory sector. The article welcomes many of the recent developments, yet calls for more strategic planning and warns of the danger of over-regulating a sector that is characterised by its diversity of learners and learning contexts.