16-19
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Success for All - Reforming Further Education and Training
Summary of discussion document June 2002:
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Context
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Issues outlined for FE colleges
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Current solutions to FE problems:
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Implementation
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Context
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The Government’s goal is a learning society in which
everyone is well educated and able to learn throughout their
lives.
The key providers are referred to as ‘the learning and
skills sector’ (L&SS); they include further education
and sixth form colleges, schools with sixth forms, local
authority adult education institutions and private and
voluntary sector providers.
There are 6 million learners, 4000 providers and a
range of learning settings including e learning and work
place training.
The 400 FE colleges attract 60% of LSC funding.
There are some world-class
providers but some are weak and gaps in provision must be
filled.
The LSC, inspectorates and other partners are working on
a strategy to reform further education.
This strategy aims to achieve the highest standards
through focusing on teaching and training, widening
participation for learners from all parts of society, the
acquisition of skills, the contribution to the regeneration
of local communities, targeted investment, and creating a
career structure for all staff.
www.successforall.gov.uk
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Issues outlined by FE colleges
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Weaknesses
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The need for a clear framework for accountability and
standards
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Their separate planning and funding arrangements
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Their history/necessity to be reactive to funding
opportunities [not learners / employers]
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Wide variations in quality
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History of competition
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Workforce development has been neglected
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Unattractive and inefficient buildings
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Strengths
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Success in Widening Participation
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Their role in localities
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Their record in innovation
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Current solutions to FE problems - Government initiatives
include:
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Additional investment (capital standards and pay in FE)
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The Common Inspection Framework
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LSC strategic and planning role
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14-19 agenda
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Increased progression to HE (50% target)
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Encouragement to employers to develop workforce
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8 indicators of success are outlined based on:
public acclaim, benchmarking against world class
provision, targets achieved, providers meet employer needs,
skill shortages reduced, the range of courses in 14-19 phase,
satisfied learners, adults receiving the support they need.
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Goal 1 Meeting needs, improving choice
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a)
Developing clear education and training missions
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Learning
in an area must meet national and local skill needs which
means that:
every provider
should be clear about its own education and training mission
and focus on its particular strengths
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this
may lead to specialisation in certain areas and client
groups
- collaboration
with other providers is increasingly essential
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Local
LSCs will work with providers to review their missions,
ensure breadth of provision and seek new providers to fill
gaps
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(b)
Strategic planning
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National LSC is to develop a new planning framework for
area reviews to cover 14-19 opportunities, employer skill
needs, basic skills and improving progression to HE
Each local LSC to carry out a strategic
area review (PowerPoint Presentation)
Local LSCs to work with schools, colleges, other
providers and HE to ensure learning and skills provision is
well planned – to overcome competition and self interest
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(c) Meeting skills needed: national initiatives
include
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- National LSC, with CBI, BCC, TUC, AoC, ALP and UfI to
look at barriers and employer disincentives for
participation
- Sector Skills Councils (SSC's) to develop regional
networks of providers and build employer demand
- industrial placements to be promoted
- encouragement for people in industry to teach / train
- the qualifications system is to be reformed to meet
employer needs
- exploration of opportunities for credit accumulation
and the funding implications
- Local LSCs' have produced their
- medium term skills strategy with employers and RDA's
- skills based learning strategy showing how its
analysis of skills needs will influence its plans to
develop the education and training infrastructure
- Centres of Vocational Excellence, some FE, some non
FE, to involve work based learning (WBL) providers and
help with L&SS respond to employer needs
- good practice to be identified and then disseminated
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(d) Excellence for 14-19 year olds
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- Collaborative working is being promoted to take forward the 14-19
agenda, Modern Apprenticeships, HE progression
- National LSC will review and bring forward proposals to change
aspects of the funding regime which deter collaboration
- Local LSCs and local authorities are to be rigorous in reviewing and
assessing their 16-19 provision and where fundamental change is
required, bring forward radical proposals to improve standards
- Area inspections are to include 14-19 phase
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(e) Improving basic skills
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- The L&SS is to ensure sufficient high quality provision for
basic skills for young people, adults and employers
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(f) Developing links with HE
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- National LSC and HEFC to give advice on: an integrated policy,
barriers, structural / organisational models which bridge the F / HE
gap.
- National LSC and HEFC to develop a joint programme of work to
improve progression from the learning and skills sector into HE
- Colleagues have an important part to play in making HE accessible
- WBL providers, the voluntary and community sector and learndirect
centres also have a key role to play in helping to widen participation
and raise attainment levels
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(g) Improving Learning Facilities
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- Strands: capital investment programme (60% increase 2001-4),
realisation of FE assets, commercial loans, capital investment for KS4
provision in FE - based on local 14-19 strategy.
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Goal 2 - Putting teaching and learning at the heart of what we do
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(a) Quality of teaching and training - national initiatives plan to:
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- identify effective teaching methods, disseminate and provide
appropriate training and encourage their use
- review and develop new Teaching and Learning Frameworks for major
curriculum areas where provision is judged as unsatisfactory (science,
maths, construction, hospitality / leisure, care, land-based industry)
- identify best practice in cross-curriculum areas which underpin
subjects / sectors
- develop a major programme of training and professional development
for teachers, trainers, workplace supervisors and support staff
- produce guidance and kite marked learning materials
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(b) Use of ICT - plans include:
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- Development of a coherent e-learning strategy to extend across all
learning
- Making ICT available to all learners
- Staff development to develop the competences, skills and knowledge
needed to use technology
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Goal 3 - Developing teachers and leaders of the future
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(a) Develop the expertise, qualifications and skills
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- 60% full time, 43% part time FE teachers have a full / partial
teaching qualification
- Local LSCs' contractual arrangements with providers will refer to
qualified staff
- FE colleges and other providers need to develop their own SSC to
assess priorities and develop solutions in developing standards for
teachers and trainers
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(b) Leadership
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- A new national leadership college will open in 2003 as a centre of
excellence to support existing, and encourage future, leaders from FE,
HE, WBL, Adult & Community Learning
- Future leaders would receive management training - possibly on fast
track programmes
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(c) Rewarding Staff
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- TPI increases will take forward modernising reforms
- From September 2002, to recruit / retain in shortage areas e.g.
engineering. construction, ICT - repayment of Teacher Loans and Golden
Hellos are proposed
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Goal 4 - Developing a framework for quality and success
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(a) The current accountability framework is based on:
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- Continuous improvement based on self-assessment
- Local LSCs' responsibility for high quality provision, learner /
employer satisfaction, intervention inversely proportional to success
- the Common Inspection Framework
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(b) Success measures and targets
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- National LSC will establish floor targets for success rates to
support local and national targets
- National LSC will develop a full range of performance indicators
which include employer / learner satisfaction and explore ways to
develop value added measures
- Local LSC will agree, with providers, improvement targets for
success rates based on recruitment. retention and achievements
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(c) Support and intervention for underperformance
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- There are clear procedures for targeted intervention for
unsatisfactory quality - revealed by inspection or by the LSC review
- LSC will cease to fund provision where necessary
- LSC will give financial support to providers to enable [peer?]
providers to improve
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(d) Autonomy and recognition for successful colleges and other providers
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- Learning and Skills beacon status recognising learners' success and
achievements and high quality teaching and training and effective and
well managed institutions
- The paper asks for consideration of the benefits that beacon status
brings
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Implementation
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- Strategic leadership to be provided by minister
- Director of Teaching and Learning, to develop curriculum frameworks
and teacher / training development to be appointed
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