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AoC Inclusive Futures Programme

About the AoC Inclusive Futures Programme

Inclusive Futures is a bold, six‑month leadership and personal development experience designed specifically for further education. It supports current and aspiring leaders to embed belonging, representation and fairness at the heart of their institutions.

Blending immersive residential learning, action research, expert masterclasses and personalised coaching, the programme equips leaders with the skills, behaviours and confidence to lead inclusively — and to translate insight into measurable and meaningful change.

As the first cohort comes towards the end of the programme, we're delighted to now open up bookings for cohort two.

Book your place on the programme now

What participants say

Feedback from cohort one highlights the programme’s impact on confidence, connection and leadership practice:

“Very inspiring and good opportunity to network and access coaching.”
“The reminder that there are other professionals in the same role, fighting the same battles.”
“Really good organisation in terms of the online sessions and away days. Very supportive programme with excellent guest speakers.”
Participants reported increased confidence, with one noting they now feel “extremely confident” discussing race, equity, belonging and inclusion.

These insights reflect the programme’s ability to build community, strengthen leadership identity and provide practical tools for navigating real‑world challenges.

Who is the programme for?

Inclusive Futures is designed for:

Heads of Faculty or Department
Assistant and Deputy Principals
High-potential aspiring leaders

Each cohort includes up to 24 participants, ensuring depth of learning and strong peer connection. Due to high demand, we are limiting the number of participants to two per college.

Spring/Summer 2027 Cohort - Programme Dates

Spring-Summer 2027 Cohort

(Delivered face-to-face at Venue Cranfield and online)

Module 1 - 26 & 27 January 2027 - in-person at Venue Cranfield, near Bedford
Spotlight session one: Mind your language: Brave dialogue, better inclusion With Jeff Greenidge - Tuesday 23 February - 10am-12pm - Online
Spotlight session two: Inclusion case study: A balancing act - change the world or change yourself? With Ian Pryce - Wednesday 18 March - 10am -11.30am - Online
Spotlight session three: A Principal's case study - April - Online
Module two - 15 & 16 June 2027 - in-person at Venue Cranfield, near Bedford

What is the programme fee?

The fee for the AoC Inclusive Futures programme has been subsidised by the Association of Colleges to ensure it is accessible to colleagues from AoC member colleges.

AoC member rate: £650 + VAT
Non-member rate: £1,150 + VAT

The fee includes:

Two x two-day residential modules (including materials and facilitation) with residential accommodation (middle night)
A networking dinner on the middle night of each module
Expert-led online spotlight sessions including facilitated peer-to-peer networking
Four hours of 1:1 executive coaching (virtual) to embed your knowledge and support your personal development
Peer learning group facilitation to grow your network of like-minded FE colleagues
Access to programme resources

Accommodation on the middle night and catering for the residential element are included. Travel costs are not included. B&B for the night prior is an additional cost of £100 +VAT.

Additional coaching sessions can be purchased to supplement the programme fee at the following costs:

2 x additional session - £320 +VAT
4 x additional sessions - £640 +VAT
6 x additional sessions - £960 +VAT

Places are limited to 24 participants per cohort to ensure a high-quality, interactive learning experience, and two participants per college.

What are the programme outcomes?

By the end of the programme, participants will:

Lead with greater confidence, clarity and self‑awareness
Understand how identity, bias and lived experience shape leadership
Engage in meaningful conversations about race, equity and inclusion
Navigate the emotional dimensions of inclusive leadership
Influence others and drive change within complex systems
Identify and address cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion
Apply sector frameworks confidently in their leadership practice
Deliver a focused action research project with measurable impact
Build a lasting peer network to support ongoing development

What will the programme cover?

Two residential modules at the start and end of the programme

Module one - 26 & 27 January 2027

Build trust and psychological safety
Strengthen leadership identity and self‑awareness
Understand bias, culture and lived experience
Grow confidence discussing race, equity and inclusion
Navigate the emotional side of inclusive leadership
Form early peer learning networks
Understand how organisational change really happens
Develop practical influence and change strategies
Identify cultural and systemic barriers
Apply key FE sector frameworks
Design a focused action research project
Set personal development priorities and commit to action

Module two - 15 & 16 June 2027

Practise responding to exclusion with clarity and courage, navigating difficult conversations involving polarisation, misinformation, discriminatory incidents and the risks of perceived leadership silence
Showcase action research projects and demonstrate institutional impact
Share collective learning, challenges, enablers and sector‑wide insights
Reflect on leadership identity, skills, behaviours and confidence gained
Explore long‑term strategies for embedding inclusive leadership institutionally
Formalise future peer networks, outline next steps and celebrate programme completion

Online spotlight sessions

One - Mind your language: Brave dialogue, better inclusion With Jeff Greenidge, Director for Diversity, Association of Colleges
- Tuesday 23 February - 10m-12pm - online
Two - Inclusion case study: A Balancing Act - change the world or change yourself? with Ian Pryce CBE, FE Consultant and Former College Principal
- Wednesday 18 March - 10am -11:30am - online
Three - Leading authentically - A Principal's case study
- April - online (exact date and time tbc)

Four sessions of 1:1 coaching will take place throughout the programme to provide personalised support for participants. Participants will have the option to purchase additional coaching sessions as well.

Action research plan - each participant will develop their own action plan to make a change within their own team, department or organisation. This will be developed and supported throughout the programme with the facilitators, coaches and network of colleagues.

Book your place now

Who are the lead facilitators?

Afshan Baksh

Afshan Baksh is a leadership strategist and facilitator specialising in leadership development, inclusive cultures and organisational change across further and higher education, the public sector and international organisations.

She began her career in the UK further education sector in 1998, holding leadership roles across curriculum, teaching and learning, quality enhancement and professional services. Since 2015, Afshan has worked independently designing and delivering leadership and inclusion programmes across the sector, including work with the Association of Colleges (AoC), the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and college groups such as Colleges West Midlands. She is also a certified coach and facilitator of Lego® Serious Play®.

Jeff Greenidge

Jeff Greenidge is the Director for Diversity & Governance for the Association of Colleges. He is an experienced teacher, coach and leadership mentor who has worked across the education and training sector. His career in education began as a teacher of modern languages and physical education.

A three-year spell as Head of Modern Languages at Llanrumney High School in Cardiff followed, before he joined the Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales, advising the Government on matters relating to language teaching and learning. After three years as Director of the European Unit of the Welsh Joint Education Committee, he joined learndirect, where he served in a number of roles culminating in more than five years as Network Director between 2010 and 2015.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please email us at training@aoc.co.uk.