This comes as the party’s manifesto states the Institutes of Technology would be “linked to leading universities, in every major city in England” if the party wins the election, but does not mention colleges. IoTs would experience the same “freedoms” of universities, as well as gain royal charter status and gain regius professorships in technical education, the document goes on to explain. 

IoTs were announced in 2015 in the government’s Fixing the Foundations productivity plan, in which the government said it would “go further and invite some colleges to become prestigious Institutes of Technology to deliver high-standard provision at levels 3, 4 and 5.” In January, prime minister Theresa May pledged £170 million in funding for new, “prestigious” IoTs. 

Last year, the 157 Group of colleges  - now the Collab Group - and the Association of Colleges (AoC) reported that they had drawn up their own proposals for IoTs, while a number of London colleges, including Westminster Kingsway and City and Islington colleges in London, had expressed interest in becoming IoTs. In February, the Collab Group of colleges said that the first IoTs could be set up in time for the next academic year.

‘A disappointment’

Collab chief executive Ian Pretty said that the government’s omission of colleges in its plans for IoTs was “disappointing”, and that it must be a priority for the next government to reaffirm FE’s role “in making IoTs a reality”.

Mr Pretty said: “When the government first announced plans to create of IoTs, we warmly welcomed the proposals-the Industrial Strategy placed FE at the heart of plans to implement employer driven and locally responsive IoTs. As such, it was a disappointment that the Conservative manifesto did not explicitly reference the pivotal role that FE colleges can play in making IoTs a reality. We see it as a priority for the next government to reaffirm, as per the next steps guidance issued by the Department for Education back in February 2017, that in most cases applications would be from an FE college working collaboratively and innovatively across further and higher education and industry usually as part of a consortium. We hope that the next government recognises the fundamental importance of the sector to drive solutions and generate the skills that the economy needs.”

And David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said: “We believe colleges are best placed to deliver Levels 3,4 and 5 qualifications in their communities as anchor institutions. ‎The proposal that IoTs teach at degree level and employ professors is a change of tack and leaves a risk that education provision at Level 4 and 5 will not get the attention it needs. AoC’s manifesto recommends that the next government should develop a network of college-based IoTs across the country to support progression and access to higher skills relevant to the labour market.”

A spokesman for the Conservative Party said: “As previously announced, FE colleges will be able to bid as part of consortia for these institutions but we also want them to have the backing of local employers and links to local universities, to make them truly prestigious institutions capable of competing on the world stage and to serve as anchor bodies for local skills and economic development.” ​

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