Association of Colleges

A sample of recent AoC success:

• New AoC structure created including a serving Principal elected as AoC President for a year, a reconstituted board with clearer accountability to AoC regions and a new Governors Council 
• Secured DfE, BIS and LSC commitments to organise 2009/10 funding count circular
• Maintained close working relationship with DfE and BIS ministers to ensure that Machinery of Government reforms take account of key principles – College self government, national funding system etc
• Secured early DfE commitment to treat Colleges in same way as schools in the 2008/09 funding round.  This helped ensure that Colleges received £60m more than had been anticipated in the original budget
• A complete redevelopment of AoC’s online communications, integrating legacy customer relationship databases with the website for the first time
• DfE contract as preferred provider awarded to AoC in September 2008  to act as advisor to Government and Local Authorities on 14 – 19, MoG and curriculum reforms; bringing in over £1m per year for the AoC membership
• Launched, in partnership with BIS, Colleges Week 2008 – the new national celebration of Colleges, their students and staff
• Achieved greater flexibility and margins with Train to Gain
• Increased representation of Sixth Form Colleges to ensure that designated Sixth Form Colleges will maintain their autonomy
• Undertaken important new research into the ILT Capability of Colleges, and their ability to use existing software and systems to implement curriculum reform, focussing on issues associated with interoperability and integration.  Findings disseminated to DfE, BIS and partner agencies
• Good working relationships were maintained and developed with LSC London, Mayor’s Office, LDA, and London First through regular member meetings
• Secured a further year’s funding for 08/09 from the LSC for Podium
• The AoC London region has its own London and LEST–focused 2012 Unit, ‘On Track London’, secured a further £300K of funding from LDA for the next two years to take forward their strategy
• Signed a Protocol with the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command Unit (CTC) which aims to provide guidance and foster co-operation for tacking extremism and radicalization on College premises