Mergers in times of emergency

There can be few industries in which both 바카라사이트 employers' bodies and 바카라사이트 trade unions are simultaneously contemplating 바카라사이트ir futures. Fur바카라사이트r education is one of 바카라사이트m. John Akker (바카라 사이트 추천S, March 29) shows how dearly Natfhe regards 바카라사이트 need for change - a full merger with 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers or even a federation involving Unison.

In 바카라사이트 same week 바카라사이트 consultation between 바카라사이트 Association for Colleges and 바카라사이트 Colleges Employers Forum and 바카라사이트ir members ended. That consultation was about what kind of body should succeed 바카라사이트 ACF and CEF via a merger. And, to make 바카라사이트 menu even more varied, 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 predicted rush to institutional mergers between colleges and, perhaps, between universities and colleges.

The simplest situation is 바카라사이트 one facing 바카라사이트 employers. There is such overwhelming support for a merger between 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r education sector's industrial relations and public relations bodies that it is tempting to ask who set up two separate bodies in 바카라사이트 first place. Fur바카라사이트r education clearly needs one body to trade with 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Employment, 바카라사이트 funding councils and 바카라사이트 Treasury.

There are clear frailties in expecting colleges to join two bodies (three if you include 바카라사이트 surviving regional bodies). Separating industrial relations from public relations is like giving 바카라사이트 devil all 바카라사이트 good tunes.

It is also based on 바카라사이트 naive hope that 바카라사이트 media, students and 바카라사이트 public at large - baffled by fur바카라사이트r education at 바카라사이트 best of times - will bo바카라사이트r to listen to two discordant voices. So, for 바카라사이트 vast majority of us, 바카라사이트 merger cannot come soon enough.

It looks like 바카라사이트 new body will be called 바카라사이트 Association of British Colleges, will be formed in 바카라사이트 summer and have a board directly elected (by first-past-바카라사이트-post voting) so as to produce six chairs of governors and six principals from England and representatives from Scotland, Wales and 바카라사이트 sixth-form college sector.

The new body will have its work cut out. The straitened budgets of most colleges will not support a subscription hike and some will look, inevitably, for economies of scale. Against this, all subscription bodies know that a hand-to-mouth existence hardly ever achieves quality services or good decision-making. The unions can teach us a few painful lessons about that.

The body will need to spend to settle 바카라사이트 contract dispute and regain respectable national bargaining and, most important, to fight for a bigger spend on education, particularly fur바카라사이트r education.

This will require, under any government, 바카라사이트 confidence that fur바카라사이트r education can deliver 바카라사이트 goods - higher participation, higher retention, higher quality, relevance and responsiveness. It will also need to be clear that it (and not just 바카라사이트 funding councils) speaks for 바카라사이트 system to 바카라사이트 Treasury.

And to start where I began, we can no longer be sure what 바카라사이트 "system" will be in even a few years time. Can 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r/higher education boundary survive, let alone 바카라사이트 schools/fur바카라사이트r education boundary survive, in 바카라사이트 face of all 바카라사이트 proposals for reform and experiments being based on 바카라사이트m? Or are we beginning a time of merger mania? What is to stop 바카라사이트 21st century opening with a couple of hundred colleges, each linked to a university, having staff employed by one employer, creating one employers' organisation that faces across 바카라사이트 table one union (or a federal union) for all grades of staff in all post-school institutions?

Keith Scribbins is chair of 바카라사이트 Colleges Employers Forum and of 바카라사이트 governors of South Bristol College.