This year has been a difficult one for colleges with many cashflow challenges.
2019 will be an important year as the sector looks to continue to raise the profile of colleges in Whitehall and ensure colleges are more central to DfE thinking.
With that in mind, below is a wishlist of what the Association of Colleges (AoC) would like to see for a successful 2019.
Funding, funding and more funding
Over the last 10 years, colleges have had to deal with an average funding cut of 30 per cent, while at the same time, costs have increased dramatically. Further education is the only part of the education budget to have had year-on-year cuts since 2010.
The brunt of DfE’s funding restrictions has disproportionately impacted on colleges compared to other parts of the education system. We hope next year’s spending review is a step in the right direction to address this.
Higher technical education
We would like to see more work done to establish higher technical education as a genuine and credible alternative to conventional forms of HE, and for colleges to be at the forefront of this.
This is important to help make lifelong learning a reality, further widening access and participation, addressing skills gaps and maintaining diversity of provision as well as providers. The recent announcement from the education secretary Damian Hinds that he sees colleges as vital to this is a step in the right direction.
The same treatment for colleges’ international offering
University education has dominated the thinking and policy around UK international education. The UK has missed a trick by failing to promote a more integrated offer that spans the education sector.
Colleges have lots to offer internationally - curriculum, leadership, quality assurance and governance expertise, in addition to great courses for international students to join on campus.
It’s not just about the money - international engagement brings diversity to colleges in parts of the country where there is little ethnic or cultural diversity. Programmes like Erasmus+ allow students life chances that they might not otherwise experience. Countries overseas want skills training in which we have expertise.
Brexit means the UK will have to work twice as hard to maintain international links and develop new ones if it wishes to remain at the forefront of international education. Some government thinking is starting to change about the UK’s international education offer. Other stakeholders need to follow suit.
All 16 to 19-year-olds should be entitled to a broader and deeper curriculum which includes opportunities for general, technical and vocational learning.
Most young people in England are following a limited and narrow range of programmes which is often determined by their prior achievement. We could start by agreeing a more generous and more ambitious definition of what young people should aim for and then gradually increase the funding to match this ambition.
Mental health services
We would love all further education colleges to be involved and engaged in the local transformation plans for children and young people’s mental health services.
This would ensure colleges have access to the resources necessary to provide access to the right mental health services at the right time and in the right place.
Apprenticeship offer
When it comes to apprenticeships, there is a need to recognise the cost and additional burden of the preparatory phase of apprenticeship development. It is important because without this the apprenticeship itself cannot be of high quality.
A sustainable high-quality offer in apprenticeships must recognise the commitment required from the employer and the college and include this in the costing calculation for all apprenticeships.
David Hughes is the chief executive of the Association of Colleges
