Angela O’Donoghue, principal, South Essex College

Angela O’Donoghue doesn’t see herself as ambitious. In fact, the principal of South Essex College, who has set up a Sixth Form College from scratch and been awarded a CBE, considers herself having always been “lucky”.

She has a reputation for reaching out to people, from teaching excluded schoolgirls to blind and disabled students, as well as helping forge a way for women getting into construction and engineering.

But the 56-year-old simply views work as a pleasure and has “loved every minute of it”.

Growing up in a close-knit Catholic family with five brothers and sisters in Rock Ferry, near Liverpool, O’Donoghue was taught by nuns at Birkenhead grammar and visited church every Sunday.

“We didn’t have a lot of money, but it was an idyllic childhood,” she says.

“My father was strict but there was a lot of love and that has an impact on you the rest of your life. It taught me compassion and that one of the reasons you are here is to be supportive to the people around you.”

Her father was a transport manager before working at an FE college himself, but it was O’Donoghue’s mother who really left her mark.

While her father didn’t really want his wife to work, she set-up a luncheon club. By the time she finished she had premises and was voluntarily producing 150 meals a day.

“She ran it until she was 76,” O’Donoghue says proudly.

“If she’d been in a different era she would have been a very successful career woman but she wasn’t, so she was a community leader.

“It’s what women do differently that brings an added dimension — that’s what my mother taught me.

“The attributes women bring, in emotional intelligence and how to get people behind you, are the things they should build on. Women do it really well — they just need the confidence to know they can.”

After training as a biology teacher at what is now Liverpool Hope University, O’Donoghue became pregnant with her daughter, Clare, when she was 22.

But unable to stay away from the classroom, she picked up work again just two years later, teaching biology as well as maths to pupils described to her at the time as those “no one else wanted to teach”.

“Our principal was forward-thinking and had bid to get a new wing for learners with physical disabilities and visual or hearing impairment,” says O’Donoghue of her time at Liverpool’s Mill Brook College which eventually became Liverpool Community College.

That’s normal now, she says, but this was 1981 and it was the first college in the country to bring the group into mainstream provision.

“I had one biology class with someone who was totally blind and two with visual impairments and I remember thinking ‘how the hell am I going to teach a visual subject to someone with no vision?’ It got me to think in a completely different way and was a real challenge,” adds O’Donoghue.

The feedback from other learners was that teaching was better because she had to “teach very carefully and clearly”.

At the age of just 26, and having survived a number of mergers, O’Donoghue ended up heading provision for learning and learning disabilities across the college.

She said the impact she had on young people’s lives drove her because she was working with those “no one else was interested in”, such as girls with serious behavioural problems.

“Many had been in care or had been put in a special school just because they told a teacher to ‘eff off’,” she says.

“They often didn’t respect teachers and I thought, well, why would they? Some were homeless and I would try to help them — I was interested in them as individuals. People respond if you take an interest in them, don’t they?”

My career in a way was my escapism from being a carer”

Among the restructures, she was next asked to take over science, technology and health with engineering and construction.

“I knew nothing about it,” recalls O’Donoghue.

“They wanted me to go in there and completely change the male-dominated environment.

“People didn’t like it at first, they’d say ‘what do you know?’ There weren’t even female toilets, but by the time I left in the late Eighties I had a great deal of respect from those people, which was really good for me.”

How did she really win them around?

“People say they like me because I say things just like they are, perhaps that’s the Scouser in me,” she says.

“I’m straight with people — but what I love is people, all different types.”

O’Donoghue helped recruit women to train in electrical installation and says they would challenge men about their attitudes, gradually changing the dynamic.

Following yet another restructure she decided she wasn’t “going through this again” so started to look outside Liverpool and got a job at Wigan and Leigh College, ending up as acting principal.

Yet as her career continued to soar it was during these years O’Donoghue faced the darkest years of her life.

At the age of 39, and after being a carer for nine years, she lost her husband Mick to pancreatitis.

The pair met as youngsters in Rock Ferry, down the road from where her father had worked, but when Mick was just 35 he developed the condition from a cyst on his pancreas.

“My career in a way was my escapism from being a carer,” she says.

“He had been so seriously ill, going out to work during the day kept my sanity.

“There were times when it was really difficult. Sometimes I would come home and then go straight to hospital, but you just manage your life, don’t you?

“In the evenings he would be in bed and I could do some extra work — we had a routine and it worked.”

It was 12 months after her husband died that O’Donoghue decided to move.

“It was time to let go — I needed to make a big change in my life so I moved to Hackney,” she says.

It was here O’Donoghue helped create the Brooke House sixth form college, under former Home Secretary David Blunkett’s vision for such an institution in every town.

“I loved the buzz of Hackney — all the young people were so appreciative and I learned every aspect of how a college runs.”

Never one to sit still O’Donoghue, after five years, went on to Sunderland College where she said her team turned around results so fast, they “wiped out the competition”.

But having worked her magic back up north, just six months ago O’Donoghue decided to settle in Essex where her daughter and granddaughter live.

She says she still doesn’t know who put her forward for her CBE — for services to FE — announced this year.

“That’s what touched me the most — that someone would take the time to nominate me. It was such a privilege that someone recognised the work I’ve done,” says O’Donoghue.

“When I think about those girls I worked with back in Liverpool all those years ago, they are productive members of society with their own families and jobs, making major contributions and it was FE that did it for them. Otherwise they would have been in and out of prison.

“I think the contribution FE colleges make is huge and I’ve loved every minute.

“We’re the sector that give people second, third and fourth chances.”

It’s a personal thing

What’s your favourite book? 

Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

What did you want to be when you were younger?

A dietitian

What do you do to switch off from work?

I keep tropical fish

If you could invite anyone to a dinner party, living or dead, who would it be?

Van Morrison, Nelson Mandela, [African American civil rights campaigner] Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Oscar Wilde

What would your super power be? 

To read minds

It’s time to share the secret

Former House of Commons Education Select Committee specialist Ben Nicholls is head of policy at London’s Newham College. He writes exclusively for FE Week, every month.

Last year, I was lucky enough to visit Singapore for a few days with MPs. Once we’d got used to the temperature, and established that smoking and gum-chewing weren’t great ideas, we had an enjoyable and hectic week visiting schools, colleges and government agencies.

A highlight of the visit was the Institute of Technical Education, which provides high-quality technical and vocational education in a range of areas, from catering to computing.

Everywhere you looked, brilliant lecturers were offering innovative and engaging teaching to motivated students, in top-class facilities.

On the flight home, in between episodes of vintage sit-coms, I wondered why I’d never seen provision like that in England. Now that I’ve been working in the FE sector for two months, I realise that such provision — from the brilliant lecturers to the motivated students — is all around. The difference is that in Singapore everyone talks about it.

Readers of FE Week don’t need a new arrival to the sector to tell them how amazing provision can be, but perhaps it bears repeating.

Much has been made of Sir Michael Wilshaw’s first report as Ofsted chief inspector, where he argued that the learning and skills sector was not improving, but the same Sir Michael agreed before the Commons Education Committee recently, that this was a “phenomenally important” sector — and the report itself acknowledged “many good, outstanding and sometimes genuinely world class providers”.

He suggested that some colleges and principals felt “neglected”, and called for the Government to “shine a spotlight”.

I couldn’t agree more. There’s clearly lots of amazing provision, and the sector does get less attention — from government, the media, etc — than schools and universities. And yet, as any lighting technician would know, it’s hard to shine a spotlight on a stage where the actors, however talented, are reluctant to come out from behind the curtains.

It’s sad that it took a trip to the Far East for me to realise just how special the sector is”

A quick look through old reports confirms what I suspected — during my two-and-a-bit years with the education committee, only a handful of written submissions came from FE colleges, despite a number of inquiries. Busy principals and other staff lack the time to contribute to every consultation in what can sometimes feel like a never-ending succession from the Westminster-Whitehall village, but surely we should do everything in our own power to move away from the ‘Cinderella’ image talked about by Sir Michael?

The same is true of the defensive reaction by some to the Ofsted report itself. While understandable, it is by being proactive and positive about what FE offers to so many people, and to society more widely, that greater political clout will come, rather than supporting the status quo and batting back any criticism (however unreasonable).

I feel proud and privileged to have joined the FE sector at what could be a hugely exciting time, and I am in awe of the amazing work the colleges I’ve already come across are doing, and want to do.

It’s sad, though, that it took a trip to the Far East for me to realise — despite working in education policy — just how special the sector is.

Part of this problem lies outside our own doors, and the fact that FE sits between two government departments, for example. The range of policies over a number of years hasn’t helped the sector; neither has the fact that so few policy-makers have FE backgrounds.

But there is a bit we can start to cure: in selling ourselves outside the boroughs we sit in, contributing to debates, responding to consultations, and encouraging students and colleagues to do the same.

It may seem like simply another thing to add to already-overflowing piles of work, but it might be a small price to pay if it means fewer poor decisions are made for (and to) the sector as a whole. FE is too good a secret to keep to ourselves.

Provider told ‘no chance’ of growth request

A training provider in the Midlands slashed its growth request by 75 per cent after local staff at the Skills Funding Agency said there was “no chance of putting forward any form of growth case for classroom-based provision for the unemployed”.

Bosses at Leicester-based Skillspoint, which has around 450 learners in sectors including construction and logistics, now hope that the agency will increase their contract from £1.25m to £1.5m.

The firm had planned to ask for £1m, but decided to pass on the provision that the increase would have funded to other prime contractors after local agency staff said the request would fall on deaf ears.

It comes despite the agency saying nationally that some growth requests might win approval.

Skillspoint managing director Nic O’Donovan said: “We received correspondence from our agency relationship team that, despite being a priority for growth, there was ‘no chance of putting forward any form of growth case for classroom-based provision for the unemployed’.

“They said this on the basis that it was highly unlikely there were sufficient funds in the system.

“So we knocked back about 75 per cent of our original growth request and brokered it out to other primes.”

Agency guidance, dated January, indicated growth requests could win approval.

“Where funding allows, we will continue to expand the offer to the unemployed and provide growth for apprenticeships where there is clear employer demand,” it said.

The situation has led to confusion in the sector about growth requests and Mr O’Donovan said new guidance “might be helpful”.

However, the agency declined to produce up-to-date information on the growth requests situation in light of the experience of providers such as Skillspoint. It reissued the guidance dated January.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), which has been in talks with the agency on growth requests, said: “We understand some providers have still recently been told by agency relationship teams that some growth requests should not be put forward and would not be funded.

“We would like to reiterate that the agency has made it clear to us that all funding requests will be considered, subject to affordability.”

An agency spokesperson said: “We will increase the funds needed to support the rate increases introduced for English and maths.

“The agency will also increase access for high quality apprenticeships where there is clear employer demand, and to support unemployed people back to work.”

However, the AELP spokesperson said: “The current growth request issue has shown that demand for apprenticeships is not being fully met – that is why we are talking to the skills minister and the agency about it.

“But if the funding is more efficiently allocated to providers who can evidence demand, then there is no reason why growth in standalone NVQs and apprenticeships should be mutually exclusive.”

The agency spokesperson added: “We continue to review performance of providers against their minimum contract value, through our published quarterly performance management arrangements.”

Better learning opportunities for prisoners

Weston College is educating inmates at 13 prisons across South West England having won the region’s Offender Learning and Skills Service (Olass) contract. Principal Dr Paul Phillips talks about the challenges he and his staff, not to mention offenders, face.

When we decided to bid for delivery of the Olass for the South West of England, I don’t think any of us realised the challenge we were letting ourselves in for, although simultaneously there was excitement about getting involved in a journey that had a long way to go.

The team we assembled to write the bid comprised a mix of expertise gained from commercial ventures, offender learning and FE.

We were clear from day one that we could do better than some of the existing providers, and we’d experienced the so-called promises of private organisations who failed to deliver on either outcomes or quality.

So we had one key aim — to better the learning opportunities for the prisoners we would meet.

Our presentation was rigorously questioned by members of the Skills Funding Agency, the Prison Service and other offender management representatives.

They wanted proof we could engineer a learning journey, and I felt we could make a massive difference.

So what do you do when you get the contract? Easy — you visit the institutions, gauge what’s going on and effect change.

This isn’t as simple as it sounds, because to succeed you have to embrace every part of prison culture.

In one institution you may meet the governor, in another, a deputy, and in another no one other than your inherited TUPE’d (Transfer of Undertakings — Protection of Employment) staff.

In some prisons there are key links to industry, in others none. Yet offender learning is about providing the key skills needed for employment and progression.

Then there are the physical resources, the need to ensure that teaching rooms and equipment are fit for purpose — if you need an average class size of 12 to break even what do you do if your rooms only seat four? You also need time to be entrepreneurial and to effect a change of mindset — the world of social enterprise beckons and I consider it key to change mindsets and bring about results.

Some might argue cynicism, but I am just being realistic and looking for alternative ways of reaching the goal.

The solution is usually in front of you and some successful social enterprises have originated from previous offenders who, on leaving prison, have become entrepreneurs willing to help solve problems and create solutions for the future.

We are getting there, but I think we underestimated the time it would take and the magnitude of change.

Offender learning is about providing the key skills needed for employment”

I suppose I thought we could make an immediate impact in terms of teaching and learning and although we possibly did, we learned most from the prisons themselves and in particular, the prisoners.

They told us they got a ‘wage’ from working in prison industries, an incentive that many prisons don’t have as far as education goes.

They said they needed the support of prison officers to engage in learning and that learning is experiential, not bookish.

Our approach, therefore, has been to create the learning journey. Progress is variable, but where it works there is noticeable success. All prisons are different and change takes time.

The other point missed was the issue of celebrating success. Success culture is there, albeit massively underdeveloped.

Last month, we started to celebrate the work of the prisons in terms of meeting the Olass aims and many education staff stated they had never come across it before.

Celebrating the achievements of prison staff, education staff and the prisoners themselves is crucial.

Perhaps this article comes across as a jumble of success, trials and tribulations, apathy and brilliance; a fair reflection of what has happened to both myself and my team. We have had to create a robust starting point.

It is not about taking the old methodologies of prison learning and adapting them to Olass – it is about a new agenda of partnership learning and investing for the future from many perspectives. We thought we could make a difference — and we are.

Weston College principal Dr Paul Phillips

Minister holds FE technology roundtable

Technology that can revolutionise FE learning was on the agenda at the first of a series of roundtable meetings hosted by FE Minister Matthew Hancock.

Sector experts were invited to the inaugural meeting of the FE Learning Technology Action Group last week by Mr Hancock, who chaired alongside education business leader and co-founder of Bleinhem Chalcot, Manoj Badale.

Mr Hancock described the meeting as “very productive. “I am very enthusiastic about the role technology can play — it’s crucial this is sector-driven.”

FE should look at the use of technology such as MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses), gamification (using game-thinking to engage students), big data and flip teaching, he said.

Bob Harrison, Toshiba Information Systems education adviser and vice chair of Beacon status institution Northern College, was at
the meeting and said it was an “exciting and positive development.

“We asked ‘what barriers are stopping innovation in FE teaching and learning with technology?’ We identified barriers around inspection, audit, lack of leadership and governance, but mainly funding methodology.

“It’s about changing mindsets – we’ve got an analogue mindset in a digital world. Another three meetings are planned over the next year before the group reports its conclusions.”

Dick Palmer, Gazelle Colleges Group’s representative at the meeting, said: “It’s a very interesting board, it’s short, sharp and focused and could have real implications for the sector.

“It can’t afford to be a policy statement describing what’s going on – it’s got to be something giving recommendations about embedding technological opportunities in learning paradigms.”

Mr Harrison was also optimistic. “We’ve got a perfect storm in an area that’s been neglected in FE and a minister who understands the potential of technology to transform learning – and the ministerial will to do something,” he said.

For more information about learning technology, see our tech spread in last week’s edition.

Hancock Q&A

Who did you invite to join the group?

As well as getting key players around the table, I wanted to invite people with enthusiasm for the role of technology so the group can trailblaze.

Over the past decade or more, government has tried big top-down interventions to get more technology into FE and hasn’t covered itself in glory.

I want to do things the opposite way around, bring together thought leaders and make sure we’re listening and responding in government rather than trying to do it on our own.

What are the benefits of more technology in the sector?

There’s clear evidence technology can improve teaching and learning, and help colleges and providers deliver better learning in tight financial times or to reach people it’s otherwise hard to reach.

The sector is seen as lagging behind technologically. Why is this?

There are all sorts of reasons why . . . my role is to instil enthusiasm and ensure government supports rather than constrains the use of new technology.

Technology is really a means to an end – what we want is better teaching.

So it’s bigger than IT hardware.  It’s about teaching methods and how teachers interact. We need a response from the whole system, and representatives of almost the whole system were there, so hopefully this can energise and move things forward.

Have you seen this kind of techology in practice?

I have, yes — I took an online course myself over a decade ago although I haven’t taken a MOOC as a route to a qualification yet.

Guild consultation ends

The FE Guild project leader has described responses to a consultation on the proposed organisation as “positive and constructive”.

Peter Davies CBE said written responses and contributions from 12 consultation events, were “useful”.

The consultation, which ended last Monday, initially triggered concerns that providers would struggle to meet the three-week deadline.

But Mr Davies said he was pleased with the range of responses, although the results were not yet available.

“Overall, I found each of the consultation events to be very positive and constructive, and will definitely be most useful in shaping the way forward,” he said.

“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their views… in what we realise was a limited timescale.”

He added: “We set ourselves the aim of trying to ensure all parts of this very diverse sector had the opportunity to engage in the guild consultation process.

“So it was pleasing to see people from all different provider types and organisations chosing to be involved in discussing the proposals.”

In an earlier online questionnaire 50 per cent of respondents were broadly supportive of the idea of a guild, while 42 per cent said they were “ambivalent” until they knew more about the guild’s remit. The consultation suggested the guild could take responsibility for defining standards and professionalism, and developing qualification frameworks. The key proposals suggest the guild will be a small team, funded initially by a direct grant with a view to self-funding in the future.

Online questionnaire respondents also queried the suitability of the title, an issue acknowledged in the formal consultation document.

Meanwhile, the steering group began its search for an interim chief executive for the guild’s set-up, but an advert on the group’s website said this was subject to a positive response to the consultation and ministerial approval.

“Our priority now is the full and robust analysis of the range of responses so that we can deliver our implementation plan by the end of March. We will start to provide some initial feedback in our blog and website when we’ve collated all the feedback,” said Mr Davies.

He said anyone interested in the guild’s development should check for updates on Twitter at @team_FEGuild, the website, www.feguild.info, and the blog at www.fe-guild.blogspot.co.uk

Deadline ‘degrades’ ILRs

The Association of Colleges (AoC) believes that the data quality of Individualised Learner Record (ILR) returns could be “degraded” by moving  the final return deadline forward three weeks.

Julian Gravatt, assistant chief executive at the AoC, spoke out after the Information Authority’s (IA) board, with support from FE Minister Matthew Hancock, agreed a new deadline for ILR returns 2012/13 of the third week of October.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) argued that earlier data, used to ensure public money is spent in line with government targets, would help the FE sector in public spending negotiations.

But Mr Gravatt said that earlier return dates could “well result in degradation to the quality of the data collected, raise the cost of collection as more staff are required, and create confusion”.

He said that the “preferred option” was a phased introduction that would have been brought in toward 2015.

BIS’s initial consultation with providers in November on a proposed data deadline of September 27 — seven weeks earlier than the current deadline – angered the sector.

FE Week reported in December that just 2 per cent of providers supported a September deadline. Concerns among the 612 responses included “putting put pressure on staff” and “less rigorous and less robust data”.

Mr Gravatt said: “The consultation on the change carried out by the IA attracted a large number of responses, many of which voiced serious concern.

“If it has been decided centrally that this is needed, colleges will rise to the challenge,” he said. “This is yet another example of how the sector has to answer to changes and pressure brought in from the top down with little supportive evidence. The proposed change to the submission date for ILR data has been approved by ministers and now colleges must work within this new framework.”

The date for returns has been creeping forward for a number of years. Until 2006/07, providers had to send data by the last Monday in March. Even after this date a provider could send revised data if some of it was inaccurate or incomplete.

But the date then moved to the third or fourth week of November — with no returns accepted after the deadline.

An IA spokesperson said: “The board recognised there was a strong case to do this [to change the date] and whilst it felt a September deadline would be difficult for providers to meet, a final return date of the third week in October for 2013 (similar to the schools census deadline) would be possible if help was given to overcome obstacles — such as operational issues.”

The IA spokesperson said it had received 140 responses to a further consultation it put out in the new year on what would make it easier for providers to meet an earlier final return date.

A Skills Funding Agency spokesperson said it “wasn’t in a position to share details” of the consultation until after its next board meeting on Wednesday March 6.

Hoyle’s level playing field legacy

Warm tributes have been paid to Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) chief executive Graham Hoyle after the announcement of his retirement.

The 66-year-old is expected to step down this summer after 11 years at the helm having achieved “more of a level playing field between colleges and independent training providers”.

Martin Dunford, AELP chairman, said there had been “growth and success” with Mr Hoyle at the top, adding: “He will be a hard act to follow.”

Paul Eeles, Emfec (formerly East Midlands Further Education Council) and ABC Awards Group chief executive, worked under Mr Hoyle for five years from 2005 as AELP director of sector reforms. He said Mr Hoyle had his “utmost admiration for all that he has achieved as the AELP chief executive.”

“One of his achievements will have been advocating and achieving more of a level playing field between colleges and independent training providers,” said Mr Eeles.

He added: “Graham’s strategic thinking, influencing of ministers and officials, warmth and humour will be greatly missed. I have very much valued his guidance and support over the past 11 years. I wish him all the very best.”

Mr Hoyle’s retirement follows a career that includes 20 years with the Employment Service before a move in the mid-1980s to the Training Agency, first as area manager for Devon and Cornwall, then for Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

He has been very effective in ensuring the role of the independent provider is fully appreciated and recognised as fundamental to the success of the skills system.”

In the 1990s, he became chief executive of the Gloucestershire Training and Enterprise Council (TEC). He was then behind the creation of the Gloucestershire Development Agency and the 5 County West of England Development Agency.

Mr Hoyle, a grandfather, was also chair of the TEC National Council’s Education and Training Committee, before the AELP came knocking in 2002.

His contribution to the skills sector was recognised in 2008 with an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to training.

Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel said it had been a “privilege” working with Mr Hoyle.

“Graham has taught me much and where we have disagreed, it has been in a spirit of open discourse. But in the majority of circumstances, his wise leadership has enabled our two organisations to forge alliances in key policy areas that I think have served our respective members and students well,” he said.

Susan Pember, director of FE and skills investment at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, said: “Graham really understands the importance of having a strong national apprenticeship programme and has been an incredible ambassador for apprentices and apprenticeship providers. He has been very effective in ensuring the role of the independent provider is fully appreciated and recognised as fundamental to the success of the skills system.”

College merger tweet shock

Bosses at a college in the Midlands claim they found out about two competitors’ multi-million pound merger plan — which is being investigated over procedural concerns — thanks to a local newspaper “tweet”.

Plans for Stourbridge and Birmingham Metropolitan Colleges to form “one of the largest and most significant further education providers in the country” allegedly came to the attention of Sandwell College via social media.

The plans are the subject of a Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) investigation “to establish if appropriate processes have been followed” and have been described as “rushed” by the University and College Union (UCU).

We became aware of the proposed merger via a tweet by a local newspaper during the Christmas holidays.”

Dudley College has also questioned whether the merger was “necessarily in the best interest of local learners”, and the Black Country local enterprise partnership (LEP) has called for more clarification on the proposals.

Meanwhile, Sandwell College — no more than 13 miles from Stourbridge or Birmingham Met — put together its response on the plan having, it claimed, having learned about it on Twitter.

A spokesperson said: “We became aware of the proposed merger via a tweet by a local newspaper during the Christmas holidays. We had not received any notification of an intent, or need, to merge prior to that.”

The proposals would dissolve the 12,500-student Stourbridge College on May 31, with its property, rights and liabilities transferring to Birmingham Met, which had more than 26,000 learners two years ago. A six-week formal consultation on the plan, which the colleges say would create “an enhanced learning experience and increased employment opportunities for students,” ended on Wednesday, February 27.

A joint statement from Stourbridge, which is in the borough of Dudley, and Birmingham Met said they had followed procedure “in accordance with the recommended guidelines and relevant regulations”. The plan has already won the approval of the Birmingham LEP.

But Nick Varney, UCU regional official, said: “Questions have to be asked about how the colleges’ management have arrived at this rushed merger.

“We would like to see the two go back to the drawing board, but this time be open with information and give staff, students and anyone else affected the opportunity for genuine consultation.”

Just last month FE Minister Matthew Hancock issued guidance to all principals and governors on such merger plans, without referring to either college.

A spokesperson for Dudley College called on the colleges to follow the Minister’s directions “more closely”.

He said: “It’s difficult to understand from the consultation document, as published, why this merger is required and how it is necessarily in the best interest of local learners.

“We would certainly encourage the two colleges to follow more closely direction to the sector.

All processes and due diligence have been carried out under the guidance of our independent professional adviser”

“Many stakeholders in Dudley, including Dudley College, have called for greater consultation and an open and transparent process to select a merger partner, if the dissolution of Stourbridge College really is required.”

A spokesperson for the Black Country LEP, which covers Stourbridge, said: “We would seek clarification in certain areas relating to the proposed merger, particularly its aims and objectives, the process of consultation, demonstration of economic benefit and lack of guarantees regarding the future of Black Country facilities.

“Having sought this clarification, we would wish to work closely with the new college, should the merger go ahead.”

Stourbridge and Birmingham Met’s joint statement said: “The board and senior team at Stourbridge have been considering various strategic options for a considerable time.

“All processes and due diligence have been carried out under the guidance of our independent professional advisers in accordance with the recommended guidelines and relevant regulations.

“We have been in direct dialogue with all interested parties which include our recognised unions, parents, students and businesses. The feedback from the majority of them has been very positive.”

—————————————————————————————–

Editorial : Free to ask permission

Since coming to power, the coalition government has been at pains to introduce a range of FE policies that it says give colleges ‘freedoms and flexibilities’.

And in his speech in January, FE Minister Matthew Hancock told college governors: “We removed a plethora of controls on college corporations to give colleges the freedom and flexibility to respond.”

However, it is clear that governors are perhaps not as free from the politicians as you might think.

For example, last August when Lewisham College and Southwark College merged, Matthew Hancock was required to approve the college’s new name (LeSoCo).

More recently, BIS has been investigating whether government consultation and competitive tendering procedures for mergers have been followed by Stourbridge College and Birmingham Metropolitan College.

Clearly accountability is key, but these two recent examples suggest the government has further to go if its actions are to match its words.

Ultimately, colleges governors have a responsibility to follow the rules, so FE Week will be watching Twitter and the case of Stourbridge College and Birmingham Metropolitan College with interest.

Nick Linford, editor of FE Week