What’s the future of FE and HE Collaboration for London?
This month (September), Newham College London’s Institute of Technology, located in Canning Town, East London, opened its doors to bring together forty experts from across universities in London and beyond to explore FE and HE collaboration within the context of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper and set out future goals for working together.
An initial roundtable discussion led by Liz Hutchinson, CEO London Higher, Katerina Kolyva, CEO ETF, Dr Arti Saraswat, Senior Policy Manager, Higher Education, Association of Colleges and James Gould, Deputy Principal, Student Experience and Safeguarding, Newham College London was followed by a series of group discussions designed to explore a number of key issues raised by the White Paper:
- What overlapping priorities are there in the development of the curriculum offer between FE and HE institutions?
- What models of partnership work can best prepare students for their future careers? What overlapping priorities are there in the widening of participation in HE and How can institutions work together to improve the retention of students in both FE and HE?
- Where does the national and London policy environment create overlapping priorities for Newham College and HE partners and How can FE and HE institutions work together on apprenticeships and technical education to drive the skills supply in London?
Cezanne Ritchie, Governance and Workforce Lead, ETF said: “This event is a wonderful opportunity for candid dialogue amongst sector leaders. It is important to ensure we achieve a more joined up approach to supporting learners and explore how we can learn from each other and work more collaboratively.”
“I’m keen to share the insights I have gained with my colleagues, and I would really welcome the opportunity to attend this type of event again.”
Dan Sykes, Associate Dean for Biosciences, London Metropolitan University, said: “I think that this type of event is important so we can work together to improve outcomes and the destinations of our students.”
Mary Vine-Morris MBE, Area Director for London, Association of Colleges commented: “This is a brilliant opportunity to bring together a diverse group of people who have just one thing in common – they are all interested in progression opportunities for students. They want learners to be successful in life and successful in their studies – whether in FE or HE.”
“When the Association of Colleges members can see good practice happening, they are always keen to look at what is there for them to learn from and this event is a good example of that.”
James Gould, Deputy Principal, Student Experience and Safeguarding, Newham College London, said, “National and regional policy has clearly shifted toward greater collaboration between colleges and universities. This event helped us consider what this policy will mean in practice and explore a range of ideas to connect the education system in London, ultimately benefitting our communities.’
