Need a helping hand to get through the area reviews?

This is an uncertain period for all in FE, but these tips will help you to understand the impact on your college
17th July 2016, 10:00am

Share

Need a helping hand to get through the area reviews?

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/need-helping-hand-get-through-area-reviews
Thumbnail

The area reviews signal one of the largest upheavals in the further education sector for many years. The process seeks to ensure that the sector has the right capacity to meet the needs of students and employers.

Reviews will also look at the financial health of institutions and their capacity to deliver high-quality education and training. They will be locally steered by a team seeking to establish providers’ ability to address the area’s educational and economic needs. The government is hoping to identify ways in which the overall number of colleges in the sector could be reduced - potentially paving the way for larger, more resilient and cost-effective institutions that have been streamlined to best meet the needs of students.

Reviews have already been carried out across some colleges, and the chances are that if you work in FE, you will have undergone a review, be in the middle of one or be about to start one. Whatever stage of the process you currently find yourself at, you will recognise that it’s a time of both excitement and uncertainty. Periods of change often require a steady nerve and patience to gather all the information while awaiting the outcome. A key thing that will help us, as a sector, to navigate this difficult transition is to make sure that we support each other to understand and appreciate the reasons why it’s happening.

The following suggestions may help you to find a way through.

Keep yourself informed

Stay up to speed with what’s happening at your own college. Be aware of special meetings in which the principal or chief executive addresses the area review process, and make notes about things such as timelines, local area needs and details of other colleges that may be in the same wave as yours.

Don’t fear asking questions

This is a complex and unprecedented process, and many of your colleagues are likely to have similar queries.

Speak to those in the know

Find out who has oversight of the process in your organisation. Your principal, clerk or a member of your governing body may well be a good source of information, as they will have direct involvement in the process. But there may also be other individuals in your institution with delegated responsibility for communicating what’s going on.

Do your own research

The government, Association of Colleges, Education and Training Foundation, and Association of Employment and Learning Providers are all reliable official sources of information and good places to begin your enquiries. TES has also published a number of articles on the subject, including contributions from practitioners working on the ground in FE colleges.

Focus on the local economy

Familiarise yourself with the economic priorities in your local area, and any initiatives that aim to improve the economy and create jobs. One of the key drivers of the area review process is to ensure that colleges address local needs. Local enterprise partnerships take an active role in examining regional economic conditions and the job market, and will be key stakeholders in the review process.

Encourage your colleagues

Share what you find by setting up discussion groups or forums to collaborate with staff across your organisation. Speak to your management about the possibility of creating a specially designated space on the college intranet or virtual learning environment where staff can go to enquire about the process and share news. Create bulletins or newsletters to communicate what you find. A well-informed staff will also help to answer or redirect questions from parents, carers or even learners - who are, after all, the key focus of this process.

Contact staff in other colleges

Especially those who have already been through the process. Use Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Yammer, and consider setting up your own area review hashtag for discussions with other colleges in your wave.

If you are already confident with using social media, the #UKFEchat discussions on Twitter on Thursday evenings from 9-10pm are a great place to connect with friendly and knowledgeable colleagues who work in a variety of roles across the FE sector.

No one knows what the overall outcome of the reviews will be, but it is certain that the FE landscape will look very different after the process. By supporting each other as we go, we can prepare ourselves to take FE into the 21st century and beyond.

Paul Warren is a learning support assistant in FE colleges in the South of England
@paulw_learn

This is an article from the 15 July edition of TES. This week’s TES magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES FE News on Twitter, like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn

 

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared