Association of Colleges
Funding and Partnership Opportunities
Future opportunities to work with Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing change at a pace which unprecedented in its modertn history and this includes the reform of its vocational education training systems.
At the 2008 AoC conference, Beyond Standards gave a presentation relating to anticipated opportunities for the UK FE sector to workwith the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) in Saudi Arabia.
New Opportunties in Saudi Arabia
EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS AFRICA (EPA)
Call for Partnership Proposals
A new opportunity has just been launched relating to partnerships between Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) institutions in England and sub-Saharan Africa. Education Partnerships in Africa (EPA) is funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and managed by the British Council as the delivery partner.
DIUS will invest £ 4.5 million to support partnership activities between HE and FE institutions in England and Africa and EPA will run from 2008 to 2011.
The focus of the programme is capacity building of FE and HE institutions in Africa, with aim of developing employability skills for local economies, including those relating to entrepreneurship and social enterprise.
EPA is open to both the HE sector and to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Partnerships will also engage with local employers and social enterprises.
Funding of £40,000 to £ 60,000 per partnership will be available for projects of one year’s duration in the case of new projects and eighteen months in the case of continuing projects (which will in fact, be HE only). Travel grants for partnership development may also be accessed. .
Please note that grants are intended to ‘pump-prime activities rather than covering all costs. Funding may be used to meet eligible costs for UK or African partners in accordance with the published programme guidance.
Applications are now invited for partnerships between HE and FE institutions in England only ( due to the DIUS funding) and those in sub-Saharan Africa, in the following categories:
- Round 1: open to existing partnerships only Deadline 31 October 2008
- Round 2: open to new partnerships Deadline 28 November 2008
Guidance and application forms can be found below and any questions should be addressed to: epa@britishcouncil.org
EPA Application Form
EPA Guidelines
EPA Travel Grant Application Form
EPA Travel Grant Guidelines
The Africa Unit is funded by DIUS and hosted by the Association of Commonwealth Universities in London. It is dedicated to progressing the recommendations made by the Commission for Africa and can provide advice and guidance to institutions seeking to work in partnership with Africa. The current newsletter can be found below and further information is available from Jessica Sinclair Taylor
Africa Unit Newsletter
Please note that the British Council will be hosting a second workshop, focusing on completion of the EPA application forms. The session will provide applicants with be an opportunity to ask further questions about the programme guidance and criteria and will also explore ‘best practice’ in relation to EPA proposals. Refreshments and lunch will be served.
The workshop will be held at the British Council’s Manchester office from 10.00 to 14.00 on 13 October. To register interest, please contact epa@britishcouncil.org
The British Council is also seeking college volunteers to serve on the EPA assessment panel. Please contact Julia Smith - julia.smith@britishcouncil.org for further information.
UKIERI – UK-India Education and Research Initiative:
Travel grants for preparation of Professional and Technical Skills Partnership proposals
The British Council will publish a new call for partnership proposals under the Professional and Technical Skills strand of UKIERI in December 2008. UK Further Education colleges wishing to form sustainable partnerships with FE institutions in India will be sought.
Partnership projects will be required to target skills gaps in three industry sectors which are of strategic importance to India and the UK:
- Financial Skills: banking; insurance; securities and actuarial services
- Creative Industry: fashion; textiles; film/television; media and animation
- Petrochemicals: chemical engineering; chemical & environmental technology
The UKIERI partnership grants will support staff development and exchange and the creation of new learning opportunities for students and as well active involvement in the VET reform agenda in India.
In order to assist UK colleges in forming new partnerships with Indian institutions and preparing their applications, a number of travel grants of £1,500 are now being offered.
Information on the UKIERI programme, including the Travel Grant guidelines and application documents, will be published on the website www.ukieri.org
Please note that the deadline for submitting applications for UKIERI travel grants has now been extended to
2 January 2009
Please contact Ben Isaac with any enquiries.