When I joined the LSN I inherited a 20-year reputation for excellence in the further education (FE) sector.
Since then we’ve built on that reputation, helping to deliver government programmes, developing new, creative ways to apply technology to learning, delivering excellent training programmes and cutting-edge research.
The inhabitants of ‘FE world’ might be forgiven for thinking the recession is a bit of a phoney war. There are disturbing reports of trouble on the financial front, predictions of turbulent times ahead and quite a bit of judicious belt tightening, particularly in the Train to Gain area. All very inconvenient, of course, but by and large life goes on as before with all its ups and downs, gripes and grumbles. FE world is rightly proud of its ability to cope.
The last recession may be more than a decade away, but there are still plenty of people around who remember it. It certainly wasn’t a great experience, but for FE at least there was a silver lining as concern for the unemployed, or at least the unemployment statistics, loosened government purse strings and ushered in a period of initiative and, on occasions, innovation.
Summer is here, apparently. What better time to get into the garden and dig around in the policy undergrowth?
Diplomas are coming up roses, with 97% of local authorities planning to offer them by September 2010, learner numbers growing to over 40,000 and a new £50 million for consortia via the Consortia Support Grant. However, ‘academic’ Diplomas seem to be late bloomers and implementation of the Science Diploma is delayed a year until 2012 for ‘quality’ reasons.
'Winners and losers in the big 14–19 shake-up’ was top of the agenda when LSN hosted its annual Big Debate at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London.
The Debate was on whether the forthcoming transfer of 16–19 responsibilities and funding to local authorities will increase learner choice and the quality of provision, and result in the much-needed integration of 16–19 education.
LSN is delivering the Make a Difference leadership development programme on behalf of Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK). This programme aims to support recruitment of experienced and motivated graduate-calibre individuals to management roles in FE, training and skills providers.
Once recruited, candidates will be invited to join the leadership development programme, which is delivered over 12 months. The programme will provide an in depth
introduction to the FE system, its mission and challenges. Participants new to the sector will need a crash course in the basics and participants both new and established will learn to develop ways of working to help achieve organisational change.
The Foundation Learning Tier (FLT) has had a ‘snowball’ effect since early 2007 when it started. It soon became evident – never before has an area of reform set out to achieve so much for so many.
Its aims are ambitious – to support engagement and progression for learners below Level 2 towards appropriate destinations, including further learning at Level 2, supported employment or independent living.
Being all things to all men may be all well and good, but sometimes customers simply want to look in the shop window and say: ‘I’ll have one of those, please.’
Over the past few months, the LSN has been looking closely at what its customers want. This means understanding the challenges they face and offering solutions in a way that makes sense to them. LSN has therefore developed a portfolio of products that fall into three broad categories:
The Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET) is in its second year. So far it has involved approximately 20,000 learners in 115 colleges and 29 schools. Participating institutions and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) have invested over £12 million in MoLeNET projects.
The LSN manages the initiative and provides a programme of training, support, mentoring, networking and research services. Many institutions taking part this year decided to bid for a MoLeNET project after seeing or hearing about the impact of Year 1 projects.
Media students from Guildford College were celebrating recently after being awarded first prize in a national citizenship film-making competition, called Look at it this way.
The reward for their hard work was an all-expenses paid, two-day trip to London to work alongside media professionals, and the chance to produce their own short film and experience each stage of production.
The students met at the headquarters of the BBC Television Centre at White City in London, where they toured the studios and post-production facilities. They also had the chance to speak to BBC staff to find out how they started their careers in the media. The group went into London with a professional cameraman and sound recordist and later met staff at Illumina Digital, a multi-platform production company.
Current opportunities and challenges in further education (FE) demand well- targeted continuing professional development (CPD).
The FE workforce needs to be developed continuously to keep abreast of both subject matter and teaching and learning practice. LSN has therefore developed the concepts of Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority… by Frank Coffield (LSN 2008), into Active Learning – a programme that uses active learning as a powerful tool for improving attainment in the classroom and good practice transfer.
Earlier this year LSN ran a ‘coaching for entrepreneurship’ programme funded by the British Council in Nigeria. The aim of the programme was to train the delegates in Solution-Focused coaching skills and using these skills to help develop entrepreneurship in others.
Coaching is a key way to help people stop, reflect and identify skills they currently have and how they can be best employed. It is very effective when using a solution focused approach in which individuals are coached to identify what they want to achieve, what they are already doing in terms of entrepreneurship that is working, what is not, and what immediate and long term actions can be taken. It works particularly well in small and medium–sized enterprises.
Protect your college against the recession–recession-proof products from LSN
LSN’s value-for-money products offer protection across all areas of organisational and staff development that can be ‘mixed and matched’ to create a tailored package of support.