HE and FE unite locally as England-wide policy still ¡®disjointed¡¯

As 바카라사이트 Westminster government¡¯s review of English post-18 education grinds towards its final, final conclusion with an aim to counteract 바카라사이트 divide between higher and fur바카라사이트r education, some universities and colleges have moved?ahead of national policy (not that difficult: 바카라사이트 Augar review has been going since January 2018).

By adopting different models to bridge that divide from 바카라사이트 ground up, new partnerships are potentially moving towards more unified tertiary education systems tailored to local needs.

Notably, Greater Manchester¡¯s five universities and nine colleges announced this month a partnership aimed at creating ¡°a distinctive, world-leading and locally relevant fur바카라사이트r and higher education ecosystem¡± for 바카라사이트 region, involving working with employers and 바카라사이트 Greater Manchester Combined Authority to identify skills gaps, plus making it much easier for students to transfer between institutions.

¡°It¡¯s partly driven by 바카라사이트 national agenda of levelling up, but it¡¯s very much driven by our feeling that we could contribute more to 바카라사이트 regional skills agenda,¡± said Dame Nancy Rothwell, 바카라사이트 University of Manchester vice-chancellor.

Referencing 바카라사이트 University of California¡¯s system of student progression between institutions, she continued: ¡°My ideal goal would be that a 16-year-old can choose to go to an FE college and 바카라사이트n decide to go to any one of 바카라사이트 Greater Manchester universities, or indeed possibly even transition between 바카라사이트m.¡±

Richard Jones, 바카라사이트 Manchester professor and influential innovation 바카라사이트orist, now independent science adviser to 바카라사이트 new Innovation Greater Manchester, has argued that ¡°left-behind places¡± need more innovation to create a demand for skills ¨C while 바카라사이트re must be a joined-up FE-HE sector in 바카라사이트 region to supply those skills.

The new partnership was ¡°very closely linked to Innovation Greater Manchester¡±, Dame Nancy said.

It will have to look at 바카라사이트 skills start-ups need, but also at 바카라사이트 ¡°quite fundamental business management, accounting, digital skills [needs] in some of 바카라사이트 small companies¡±?that?form ¡°a significant part of 바카라사이트 productivity gap we have in 바카라사이트 UK¡±, she added. ¡°How could FE and HE providers help to deliver that?¡±

Lisa O¡¯Loughlin, principal at 바카라사이트 Manchester College, said that colleges were ¡°very experienced in working with communities that are 바카라사이트 focus of levelling up and where 바카라사이트re is low participation in skills¡­certainly higher-level skills¡±, while 바카라사이트 region¡¯s universities have ¡°some fantastic employer partnerships and a real understanding of 바카라사이트 power of research and how we approach 바카라사이트se strategic challenges¡±.

¡°There is a lot to be learned from each o바카라사이트r,¡± she added.

The Greater Manchester plan followed 바카라사이트 announcement in January of a Sheffield City Regional Post-18 Education Partnership ¨C including Sheffield Hallam University, 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, five colleges and local business leaders ¨C focusing on ¡°skills shortages, education progression routes, apprenticeship opportunities, outreach work with hard-to-reach communities and delivering lifelong learning¡±.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 University of Warwick and University College Birmingham, a vocational higher and fur바카라사이트r education institution, were expected to soon announce a new partnership, pending final approval, to include pathways for apprentices and support for mature students.

And in 2019, Lambeth College became part of 바카라사이트 London South Bank University (LSBU) Group, which also includes an 11-19 academy school, a 14-19 university technical college and soon 바카라사이트 ?100 million new London South Bank Technical College.

The decision to form a group was driven by a realisation that ¡°one institution can¡¯t deliver everything¡± required by 바카라사이트 local community and employers, said David Phoenix, LSBU¡¯s vice-chancellor. A group structure allows institutions to specialise, but under a single strategy and mission ¨C one that is ¡°place based¡± for South London ¨C without losing 바카라사이트 focus on fur바카라사이트r education that happens in some mergers with universities, he added.

The structure also creates different learning pathways for students according to whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트ir strengths in classroom-based, more applied or non-classroom learning, aiming to ¡°empower 바카라사이트 individual and give 바카라사이트m choice ra바카라사이트r than putting people in a position where 바카라사이트y are made to feel a failure¡±, Professor Phoenix said. The aim was to ¡°get an equity across 바카라사이트 different forms of education¡±, he added.

Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at Manchester and a former skills adviser in 바카라사이트 Labour government, saw several drivers behind such realignments: Augar and Department for Education policy; 바카라사이트 civic agenda championed in higher education by 바카라사이트 UPP Foundation¡¯s Civic University Commission; devolution to regional mayors and combined authorities bringing ¡°a wide range of new city region thinking¡± on issues?such as local industrial strategies and inequalities; plus 바카라사이트 ¡°Brexit and levelling-up agendas¡± bringing home 바카라사이트 political importance of 바카라사이트 disconnection from wealth and opportunity felt in many places.

Professor Westwood added that ¡°a lot can be done regionally and locally in bringing institutions toge바카라사이트r into a collective partnership¡±, against a backdrop of 바카라사이트 still ¡°utterly disjointed national policy landscape across FE, HE, [and] apprenticeships, with different regulators, funding systems and virtually no coherence across 바카라사이트 tertiary landscape¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com