Association of Colleges
Supporting the Skills Strategy
Supporting the Skills Strategy
AoC aims to ensure that colleges become the preferred provider for employers and individuals. Our priority is to ensure that colleges are able to be responsive, and currently we are exploring with external agencies the potential offered in the Learning and Skills Bill for colleges to become awarding bodies in association with employers and SSCs and to accredit the specialised units and qualifications demanded by industry.
Current Work
(1) AoC/ ALP/ Skills for Business Network Working Group
(2) AoC Strategic Skills Group
Recent Skills Events
(1) AoC/ALP/Skills for Business Network: Windsor Skills Symposium
(2) AoC/Skills for Business Network: Skills Event
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Current work
AoC Skills Groups
(1) AoC/ ALP/ Alliance of Sector Skills Councils Group
(Formerly the AoC/ALP/ Skills for Business Networking Group)
Following the publication of the Leitch Review in December 2006, AoC recognised the need to create a framework within which colleges, as providers of skills, could interface directly with Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and the employers they represent. The Skills for Business Network (SfBn) and Association of Colleges (AoC) with representatives from across SSC and FE colleges, have now formed an alliance, which was founded in June 2007 and launched in October 2007 (see below).
Membership has now been extended to include ALP, thus creating a single voice for providers and SSCs, which we believe will be influencial in skills delivery.
This strategic, overarching group, chaired by David Hunter, Chief Executive, LLUK, looks at how to build firm partnerships between the FE sector and SSCs and its college members are:
- Paula Whittle, Principal, Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College
- Fintan Donohue, Principal, North Hertfordshire College
- Chris Sadler, Principal, Huddersfield Technical College
- Frank Gill, Principal, Knowsley Community College
- Brenda Sheils, Principal, Solihull College
- Andy Wilson, Principal, Westminster Kingsway College
- Fiona McMillan, Principal, Bridgwater College
- Pat Bacon, Principal, St Helens College
Minutes from the last meeting - 4th September 2008
AoC /ALP/Alliance of SSCs- Minutes 04.09.08
Minutes from previous meeting
AoC Skills for Business Network Meeting Minutes 14 Dec 07
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(2) AoC Strategic Skills Group
This group has been formed by AoC as a representative group of principals of Further Education colleges of recognised high reputation and experience in skills delivery. Principals represent the full range of sectors and have a proven track record in employer engagement and high quality delivery. The group will aim:
- To formulate strategy in developing and delivering skills for 14 – 19 learners, employers and adult learners
- To promote and advocate high quality skills training in colleges, securing the FE college’s place as central to the delivery of Leitch recommendations and the Skills Agenda
- To work with government, DfES, SSCs and other stakeholders to improve and develop the curriculum, encourage employer involvement and develop a greater understanding of employer needs
- To enhance the reputation of FE colleges as responsive, competitive organisations within a demand led training system
- To advise and act as critical friend to AoC as the single voice of the sector on skills
The colleges who are represented on this group are:
- Basingstoke College of Technology
- Bradford College
- Bridgwater College
- Cambridge Regional College
- Castle College Nottingham
- Chesterfield College
- City College Norwich
- City of Bristol College
- Croydon College
- Derby College
- Dewsbury College
- Ealing, Hammersmith & West London
- East Surrey College
- Filton College
- Hartlepool Sixth Form College
- Highbury College Portsmouth
- Kingston Maurward College
- Kirklees College
- Knowsley College
- Lewisham College
- Liverpool Community College
- New College Durham
- North Hertfordshire College
- Park Lane College Leeds
- Stoke-on-Trent College
- Solihull College
- South Devon College
- St Helens College
- The Isle of Wight College
- Uxbridge College
- Westminster Kingsway College
- York College
Minutes from the last meeting - 7th October 2008
AoC Strategic Skills Group Minutes- 07.10.08
Minutes from previous meeting
AoC Strategic Skills Group minutes 10 January 2008
Presentations from the previous meeting
DWP Presentation - Commissioning Strategy - interim report
AoC report on DWP Commissioning Strategy
QCA Presentation - Provider Recognition
Self Regulation Update - presentation
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Following the formation of the Strategic Skills Group, described above, AoC is successfully recruiting Skills Champions from this group to take forward the Skills Agenda by sector. As they form, they are introduced to the Chief Executives of the relevant SSCs and from there, form a mutually agreed work plan to take forward aspects of the Skills Agenda. These can include Diploma design and delivery, the development of Skills Academies and the development of industry focussed qualifications.
Appointed AoC Skills Champions
ROUND 1 - (August 2007)
Andy Wilson, Skills Champion, Hospitality and Catering
Dick Palmer, Skills Champion, Business, Administration and Finance
Fintan Donohue, Skills Champion, Creative and Media
ROUND 2 - (January 2008)
Pat Bacon, Skills Champion, Society, Health and Development
Stella Mbubaegbu, Skills Champion, IT
Graham Moore, Skills Champion, Travel and Tourism
David Waddington, Skills Champion, Construction and the Built Environment
Keith Elliott, Skills Champion, Engineering & Manufacturing and Product Design
Fiona McMillan, Skills Champion, Automotive
Kevin Hamblin, Skills Champion, Sport & Leisure
ROUND 3- (September 2008)
Michele Sutton, Skills Champion, Public Services
Laraine Smith, Skills Champion, Hair & Beauty
Brenda Shiels, Skills Champion, Retail
David Henley, Skills Champion, Land-based & Environmental
ROUND 4 (October 2008)
Frances Wadsworth, Skills Champion, Logistics
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Recent Skills Events
(1) AoC/ALP/Alliance of SSCs: Windsor Skills Symposium
The AoC/ALP/Alliance of SSCs (formerly the AoC/ALP/Skills for Business Network) held its first event at Windsor on 21 April 2008, to mark taking forward the groups collective skills groups. This event drew together Principals (including AoC Skills Champions), CEOs of private training providers and CEOs of Sector Skills Councils, for the first time, to draw out the benefits of this alliance in influencing the skills policy work of Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Department for Work and Pensions and other agencies.
The event was a success and the outcomes of the event have been documented below:
Windsor Skills Symposium - Outcomes
(2) AoC/ALP/Alliance of SSCs Network: Skills Event
The directorate hosted a Parliamentary Skills event at the House of Commons in late October 2007, sponsored by Edge and SSDA. The purpose of the event was to impress upon ministers and local MPs the existing good working relations between colleges and employers as well as colleges' readiness and willingness to deliver skills.
The event also impressed on ministers the critical role of colleges in delivering the Leitch agenda and PSA targets.
AoC has forged a direct relationship between SSCs and providers and as such has formed an alliance to deliver the skills agenda.
The event was well attended with key ministers present, namely John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills; Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; and Charles Clarke, MP, Former Home Secretary. In addition, several local MPs and Chief Executives from Sector Skills Councils attended to meet their college partners.
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The contact at AoC on the Skills Initiative is Maggie Scott, Director of Learning and Quality, tel: 020 7034 9900.