Workforce reform with FE colleges
Changing the landscape for further education

The need for change

“Without increased skills, we would condemn ourselves to a lingering decline in competitiveness, diminishing economic growth and a bleaker future for all.”
Lord Sandy Leitch

Lord Leitch reported that, even if current targets to improve skills were met, the UK’s skills base would still lag behind that of many comparator countries in 2020. “The UK will run to stand still”.  Participation by 16-18 year olds in education and adult skills at level 2 are both poor in comparison to other OECD countries. In order to improve ‘staying on’ rates as well as adult skills, the government has set challenging targets and priorities.

“Evolutionary and incremental change will not be enough…
We need fundamental reform in the roles colleges play.”
Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Ruth Kelly

In the past there have been different interpretations of the primary task of FE colleges, from promoting social inclusion and personal well being to achieving academic progress and building vocational skills. Government thinking and policy is now focused on one over-arching aim, which is:
 
To enable individuals to enter and progress through the labour market.

There is a growing consensus for the need to link skills to jobs to break cycles of deprivation and protect society’s most vulnerable, as well as boosting overall productivity.

The Pathfinder Project (September 2007 to June 2008)
Eight colleges, (seven of which are London Capital Colleges), volunteered to be part of a pathfinder, each working out its own solutions to its own challenges whilst sharing good practice with each other and their partners. Piscari Remodelling was selected to roll out the pathfinder. The programme focused on deploying highly experienced consultants to work alongside the 8 colleges to help their organisations become more responsive to employers – in essence, becoming more “demand led”.

The purpose of the pathfinder was to develop a routemap for change that others could then follow, whilst at the same time create genuine sustained improvement in the eight colleges taking part.
 
The approach taken to working with the colleges focused on a number of key principles:

• Every college is different and therefore ‘pushing’ standardised reforms onto them would be flawed as each has different needs. Imposed central reform does not engage the people who have to deliver the reforms.

• Toolkits and techniques without empowerment and consultancy support are not enough to make those at the point of service delivery engage in the reform process.

• A proven and robust change process is required as significant change always raises anxiety and can result in anti-task behaviour, such as denial of the need for change, prevarication when decisions are required and the shifting of blame. The remodelling process ‘contains’ the anxiety in order to allow real work to take place.

• Increased time and effort at the front end of the change process is needed to frame the issues with senior management. Those colleges that started later but spent more time preparing for the project - framing the issues, choosing their team and planning their events schedule, were able to work more quickly through the process. This needs to be taken into account in the design of the process. Working collaboratively at local level with partners and key stakeholders, for example local social partners/unions, local authorities and employers. Our experience shows that local social partnerships are invaluable.

• ‘Hands on’ support of a skilled consultant is required to develop and coach the change teams as well as maintain momentum. Interventions need to take place at three levels; one to one support, group work and intergroup or plenary sessions.

A sample of benefits from one of the participating colleges

• Identifying the full range of local employers and their needs – through phone calls, visits, a customer survey; a competitive review; an evaluation and feedback review; a national provider review; and through establishing an employer advisory group and agreeing opportunities and ways of working to capitalise on existing networks
• Identifying, developing and promoting new modes of delivery to help make the college’s offer more attractive to its customers 
• Getting the correct, most up-to-date information about existing and new courses to employer customers in a cohesive whole-college way and working with customers to tailor these courses to their particular needs.
• The new courses, training and products will be predominantly delivered onsite, at employer customer premises, at a time of their choosing
• Payback on initiatives delivered through this approach within 12 months
• Spread good practice more effectively within the colleges
• A statement that the college is going to change and legitimacy for change as people from all staff levels are actively involved in the range of key change projects
• Coherence to the process of change.  This time there is an awareness that there are four key projects and they will be delivered within a set and agreed timescale
• Give staff the opportunity to use their often-untapped expertise - staff feel empowered and that remodelling has been some of the very best staff development the college has ever done

“In short, CCB anticipates its remodelling work will enhance the reputation of Cornwall College and help make it the leading  training provider and preferred supplier for local employer-customers into the long-term”
 
“There’s very much an attitude of trust now. This has freed up everyone to be really creative and helped empower and motivate staff at all levels”