Association of Colleges
Shared Services
Shared Services
For information on the FE Efficiency Innovation Fund please see below, Round 1 has been launched and is currently being worked upon.
For 10 tips for starting shared services please refer to The Pocket Guide to Shared Services Booklet
FE Efficiency Innovation Fund - Round 1
In June 2010 Vince Cable (Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills) advised The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) that extra funds would be allocated to enable them to work with Association of Colleges and the FE Sector to develop an innovative suite of shared service solutions in the expectation that the Agency and the sector would continue to improve efficiency.
A variety of initiatives have been developed in order to make best use of this funding. These included giving Colleges the opportunity to develop and test a range of collaborative models for improved delivery of back office functions and/or frontline services in order to determine where efficiency savings can be realised and provide solutions to barriers to sharing and collaboration.
To this end AoC (on behalf of the SFA) launched the FE Efficiency Innovation Fund from this 21 projects were successful, these projects are now being worked on and the AoC Procurement team will be working with these projects.
For a summary of Round 1 please refer to summary of round 1 projects - FE Efficiency and Innovation Fund
FE Efficiency Innovation Fund - Round 2
We are pleased to announce that funding has been established for further innovative models of collaboration and sharing to be brought forward by the sector. This has led to another 20 projects being successful, these projects are now being worked on and the AoC Procurement Team are working with these projects.
For a summary of Round 2 please refer to summary of round 2 projects - FE Efficiency and Innovation Fund
LSIS Conference – Shared Services
For information on the shared services presentations please go to:
. Shared Services in FE - Some Tips from the Efficiency & Innovation projects
. Shared Services Efficiency Innovation Fund
. The Solent Colleges Innovation Partnership
Finance Director's Conference – Shared Services
For information on the shared services presentations please go to:
Shared Services – Legal
As part of the efficiency innovation fund the AoC Shared Service team has undertaken research into the legal requirements. For information on this please go to:
. Mills & Reeves - Legal Information
The AoC Shared Services Team recently presented on the legalities of shared services. For information on this please go to:
. Legalities of Shared Services
This report from the Barnet College led project, ‘Shared Services North and Central London’ contains useful information on the various ‘vehicles’ collaborative groups may choose to deliver their services.
Barnet College - Efficiency Innovation Fund Report
Awareness Sessions
AoC commissioned Shared Service Architecture Limited to run a series of half day awareness seminars across AoC regions in July 2010 for Principals, board members and SMTs.
The seminars were designed to fast-track your strategic awareness around the emerging opportunities for shared services in the FE sector. Each session draws upon the latest research commissioned by the LSC into shared services combined with the powerful lessons learnt from the recent growth in shared service activity across local government. It highlights the key strategic vehicles for collaboration, illustrates opportunities for shared services, identifies the most challenging barriers and constraints and finally, illustrates the key skills and knowledge required to successfully initiate shared services.
Please go the following link to review Shared Services report: 
Shared Services Document
Please follow the link to view the slides from the recent AoC Shared Services Awareness seminars:
AoC Shared Services Awareness Seminar July 2010
Shared Services Awareness Session Presentation September 2010
Please go the following link to view the briefing paper on shared services:
