Strategy and management research

AoC FE Provider Strategy and Mandate (2022)

This report has been commissioned by AoC to explore the distinctive role of English colleges in the newly developing skills landscape arising post-pandemic and Brexit and against a backdrop of high inflation. It builds on the College of the Future report published in 2020.

A series of key recommendations for a college mandate and a provider management strategy has been developed through a review of international literature about how colleges and other providers are managed in different skills systems, especially in the context of recent system reforms, a quantitative review of providers in three sub-sectors: apprenticeships, adult education and higher technical education and a series of stakeholder interviews.

The analysis underscores the need for an integrated tertiary system, one which is collaborative not competitive, with simplified funding and accountability, and a triple mandate for people, productivity and place.

Read the report Read the AoC press release

Attracting, sustaining and developing middle leaders in English Further Education (2022)

Working in partnership, AoC, ILM - part of the City & Guilds Group - and the University of Nottingham undertook this research with two objectives. First, to help shape FE policy and practice, and secondly to contribute to an evidence base for policymakers that will generate further investment in the professional development of middle leaders. This report seeks to identify the current levels of support, development and investment into middle management in the Further Education (FE) sector and the effectiveness of the initiatives already in place, to ensure individuals have the skills they need to manage teams effectively and have access to opportunities for progression.

The findings reveal the essential role that middle leaders play in having a positive impact within the college community.

Read the report Read the ILM press release