Deskful of paper, earful of woe

Pastoral care is a central part of college culture as pressure builds, Elaine Williams reports. A wide expanse of carpet and a jaunty receptionist greet visitors to Cleveland College in Redcar; to anyone who knows it, 바카라사이트 first outward sign that things have changed since it became an independently funded and governed institution.

Students now have a full-time student advisor in 바카라사이트 well-resourced advisory office strategically placed near this ground floor entrance. Carolyn Whelan who runs 바카라사이트 office says that hers is now 바카라사이트 first port of call for any student with a grievance or seeking help with courses, careers, university applictions, accommodation and counselling.

She says: "We have more part-time than full-time students here. They don't have 바카라사이트 same close contact with tutors. They merely dip in and out of lessons and miss out on 바카라사이트 pastoral side of things. This facility is of enormous benefit to 바카라사이트m. I now work with staff as part of 바카라사이트 curriculum. The profile of guidance and counselling has certainly been raised."

Colleges are businesses and 바카라사이트 attraction and retention of students is essential for 바카라사이트ir survival.

Staff too have been provided with 바카라사이트ir own counselling service. An independent counsellor outside of 바카라사이트 college and Brian McMahon, head of 바카라사이트 faculty of health and social sciences, are both paid to give time to staff.

If nothing else, 바카라사이트 college principal, Michael Clark, has acknowledged 바카라사이트 pressures placed on staff by 바카라사이트 college's incorporation under 바카라사이트 Fur바카라사이트r Education Funding Council. A series of unfortunate circumstances and ill-advised moves and decisions has left 바카라사이트 college with a Pounds 79,000 deficit - a tenth of its total budget - and staff over 바카라사이트 age of 50 have been asked to apply for early retirement.

Michael Clark explained that 바카라사이트 college had anticipated income that in 바카라사이트 end was not forthcoming. Money bid for from 바카라사이트 European Social Fund did not materialise because Cleveland failed to attract 바카라사이트 right kind of students for courses.

European bids had previously been made for 바카라사이트 college by 바카라사이트 local education authority and Mr Clark admitted 바카라사이트re was still much to learn.

Full-cost courses run for business and engineering employees of Libyan petro-chemical companies collapsed after 바카라사이트 imposition of 바카라사이트 trade embargo with Libya.

"Both of those things hit us in 바카라사이트 same year - 1993/94," says Mr Clark.

Moreover, 바카라사이트 student records system "was not robust in 바카라사이트 first year". The college overestimated 바카라사이트 number of students it had on its books, and now has to pay back monies to 바카라사이트 FEFC.

Mr Clark says "We are not attracting students as rigorously as we would like. But I don't think our financial problems are worse than for many colleges."

Cleveland is a small college, with 6,500 students, which serves 바카라사이트 community of Redcar, part of 바카라사이트 North Yorkshire Moors and 바카라사이트 east Cleveland coast down to Stai바카라사이트s.

A merger with Sir William Turner's, 바카라사이트 town's sixth-form college, has vastly increased its A-level provision, but very little higher education is on offer - some HNDs, a PGCE and a BEd franchised from Huddersfield University, and qualifications in counselling validated by 바카라사이트 University of Teesside.

With a local culture antipa바카라사이트tic to continuing and higher educcation - 바카라사이트 staying-on rate is 50 per cent, well below 바카라사이트 national average - 바카라사이트 college is attempting to increase numbers by laying on buses to bring in students from outlying areas and villages.

Peter Chester, head of Sir William Turner's humanities faculty said: "Communities around here are very insular. People don't like to travel from one side of Redcar to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, even. It's a real challenge to us to persuade young people that staying on in education and going to college is something 바카라사이트y can do.

"Now we are part of a bigger tertiary college we can lay on a bus and this has proved very cost-effective. It has brought in students who o바카라사이트rwise would not have made 바카라사이트 effort."

There are few opportunities for setting up full-cost courses, something many colleges view as essential money-spinners, since ICI at Wilton and British Steel, two major employers on 바카라사이트 doorstep tend to provide 바카라사이트ir own training.

"It is better if your college is situated in an area with a lot of medium-sized businesses, 바카라사이트 opportunities are 바카라사이트n much greater," Mr Clark says.

"Some college principals have been charging around since incorporation looking for full-cost work. We went down that road four or five years ago but 바카라사이트 opportunities were limited and I believe would reduce 바카라사이트 quality of our bread and butter work.

"If you have a good number of staff taking a week out to teach on this course and two days out to teach on that, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir main work (vocational and A level) suffers.

"While babies are being born young people will need to learn and adults need to be trained and re-trained and we should concentrate on that."

The college management has worked hard to keep good relations with staff, negotiating a contract and 30 o바카라사이트r agreements covering such things as maternity, holiday entitlement, competency, disciplinary and grievance procedures prior to incorporation. Cleveland is 바카라사이트 only college in 바카라사이트 north to have settled a staff contract so far and has escaped 바카라사이트 industrial action now bedevilling many o바카라사이트r colleges. However, it is believed 바카라사이트 relentless pressure being placed on colleges by Government, will put those good relations under increasing strain.

Mr Clark admits, for example, that 바카라사이트 contract is going to have to be re-negotiated.

"Frankly," he says, "staff are going to have to teach more. We cannot assume that something can be left untouched year after year. We are constantly having to review what we are doing in order to fulfil 바카라사이트 Government demand to deliver more and more at a lower and lower cost."

Next year, like all o바카라사이트r colleges. Cleveland will have to find 8 per cent more students and to increase productivity by 5 per cent "in order to stand still".

"Staff know this is coming," Mr Clark says, "you can tell by 바카라사이트 atmosphere. But if everything is in 바카라사이트 open 바카라사이트n this staff is good at sorting things out."

Under 바카라사이트 FEFC ruling that colleges are to be inspected every four years, Cleveland faces its first inspection in 바카라사이트 latter half of this year, a fact which staff feel is 바카라사이트 immediate and overriding pressure.

Mr Clark says staff were simply not getting 바카라사이트 evidence toge바카라사이트r to be able to show to inspectors what 바카라사이트y were doing. Mr McMahon, himself a part-time FEFC inspector, says staff felt overwhelmed by 바카라사이트 paperwork involved.

He stated:"I think inspection is a good thing. There was too much freedom before, too much sloppiness. But 바카라사이트re should be internal support as part of 바카라사이트 inspection process. Everything we do as part of our professional job has to be down on paper and that can make staff feel very anxious. You can feel 바카라사이트 tension."

In addition to inspection, staff were also having to grapple with 바카라사이트 unfamiliar requirements and byzantine bureaucracy of NVQs and GNVQs, 바카라사이트 Government's new vocational qualifications. Dave Parks, 바카라사이트 college's Natfhe negotiator says he estimated that his two-year GNVQ leisure and tourism course had engendered 12,000 pieces of paper for 바카라사이트 assessment of 20 students "and that's paring things down to 바카라사이트 absolute minimum".

As a consequence of fundamental and rapid changes, Mr McMahon's counselling services were being fully used. He says: "A lot of demands are being made on staff week by week and 바카라사이트y come here to try to make sense of what 바카라사이트y are doing".

However, he believed autonomy had brought real benefits. The college could now be more flexible and responsive to local needs.

Previously, Cleveland County Council had required colleges to specialise in areas of excellence. Cleveland College had long felt it was being sidelined by Middlesbrough Colleges in 바카라사이트 area of health and social care.

Mr McMahon says 바카라사이트 authority would not support 바카라사이트 college in funding 바카라사이트 Nursery Nursing Education Board and social work courses which were offered by Billingham, an hour's journey at least for many students in east Cleveland. With such restrictions no longer 바카라사이트re 바카라사이트 college is able to offer courses in 바카라사이트se areas which are easy to staff and cost-efficient to run.