Love Our Colleges Week of Action draws ever closer

Following the success of Colleges Week in October, AoC is stepping up efforts to influence the Treasury ahead of the comprehensive spending review later this year. As part of the Love Our Colleges campaign, colleges across the country are embarking on a week of action (13-17 May) where they are being encouraged to host events and speak to their local MPs, staff, students and local business partners to demonstrate why the Chancellor should ensure meaningful and sustainable investment of colleges in his comprehensive spending review. Colleges across England educate and train 2.2 million people every year and there is a growing acceptance that their role is vital in improving the country’s productivity and reducing the nation’s growing skills gap. AoC’s Steve Frampton (President) and Lewis Cooper (Head of Public Affairs and External Relations) have produced a webinar to give an overview of the week, what we are hoping for and the purpose of the week – and to discuss the resources we have available to support your activities here. AoC has also launched a series of new resources aimed at helping colleges engage with stakeholders in their local community. The resources are designed to support colleges through the process of campaigning on key issues for the sector. It provides an in-depth look into how colleges can further develop relationships with their local MPs for the long-term, get the local media on side and build the reputation of the college through them, as well as providing impact across the further education sector. For those who have not campaigned before, there is a basic guide on the best way to approach it. There are also many great examples provided of colleges who have achieved great exposure through campaign work. A full copy of the resources are available here: Campaigning and Influencing in the lead up to the Comprehensive Spending Review The Basics of Campaigning: A Guide Campaigns Checklist A Campaigns Timeline Things are changing at quite a rapid speed and these documents are subject to change regularly to adapt to circumstance. Colleges can download more great resources on the Love Our Colleges website.