Transforming Digital Learning with Apple

THE CONCEPT

About Exeter College
Exeter College is an award-winning, worldclass college and Devon’s only Ofsted ‘outstanding’ college. Established in 1970, Exeter College provides tertiary education for around 10,000 – 12,000 students and offers A Levels, BTECs, Apprenticeships, Professional Qualifications and T Levels. In 2021 the College was shortlisted for the coveted title of ‘FE College of the Year’ and ‘Apprenticeship Provider of the Year’.

THE CHALLENGE

Future-proofing technology and digital services
In response to the regional digital skills shortage, Exeter College has ambitions to be at the forefront of support to the growing technology and digital industries in the South West. They believe that the future of the sector will be secured by developing programming, software and app development skills for people in the community.

THE AIM

Apple Authorised Training Centre for Education
Exeter College’s aim was to become an Apple Authorised Training Centre for Education (AATCe) which would be an important part of their newly formed South West Institute of Technology (SWIOT). A £10.3 million project, the SWIOT is focused on revolutionising digital, engineering and manufacturing technology education across the region. Becoming a training centre authorises the college to deliver Apple-certified training courses and capitalise on the digital learning opportunities made possible by the Apple platform.

Transitioning to become an AATCe would require investments in skills and technology to see their plans realised. Exeter College turned to Academia to support them.

THE SOLUTION

Empower the trainers
To achieve AATCe status, Exeter College
needed three members of staff to obtain accreditation as Apple Certified Trainers. Armed with brand new Apple MacBook Pro and iPads, the staff were able to earn their certifications as Apple Certified Trainer – App Development with Swift status.

Work with Academia to build a state-of-the-art Mac Suite
In preparation for a new cohort of students following the Apple syllabus, the college needed to fit out a state-of-the-art Mac suite planned for the SWIOT. Academia helped to provide timely advice and guidance on the most suitable Apple technology and how the devices should be set-up, deployed and managed within the state-of-the-art Mac suite.

THE IMPACT

Broadening learning pathways
Thanks to its status as an Apple Certified Training Centre, Exeter College has set up their Apple Academy, added new courses to their roster and included iOS app development across a variety of existing courses including Level 2 and Level 3 IT.

They have also created extracurricular learning opportunities through iOS development and learning-to-code groups for students outside of the IT department, as well as building digital skills into other curriculums like humanities, art, maths, and languages. Similarly, they are pioneering a 16-week government-funded Apple bootcamp. This allows students to retrain in software development for free, where they will gain the skills and build a portfolio to get them started in a career in the software industry.

Enriched learning experiences
Local businesses have been encouraged to commission the students to work on real projects and put their newfound skills into action. This not only provides valuable resources to local businesses without cost but also gives students real-life experience as well as practical examples of their work to show to possible future employers. For example, students studying Software Development in Apple Swift Programming Skills bootcamp have developed an app for the Royal Navy Leadership Academy (RNLA).

The students were set a brief to simplify and digitise the marking and scoring system used in the RNLA when carrying out assessments in the field. Seven students worked on the project; they were all allocated tasks such as graphic design, navigation flow, and the data model.

Paul Barnard, Quality Assurance Chief for the Royal Navy Leadership Academy said;

“The brief was to digitise the marking scheme that we utilise in the Royal Navy Leadership Academy. We call it ORCE, which stands for observe, record, classify, evaluate. Currently, it’s being done by paper, so instructors are out and about with students trying to write down in the wind and rain. This app will massively help the instructors. They will be able to standardise their reports as well as save huge amounts of time.”

Connections with local and national employers
The college hosts cross-collaboration events where they take briefs from local and national employers to simulate industry practice. Briefs have been received from the Royal Navy, Optix Solutions, Honiton Rugby Football Club, Eco-Tech and Your Digital Future (YDF).

This app will massively help with the instructors. They will be able to standardise their reports as well as save huge amounts of time.
Paul Barnard | Royal Navy Leadership Academy

Upon completion of the Apple Bootcamp, Emma went to work at the Met Office Headquarters in Exeter as a data analyst. This was partly due to the soft and transferable skills she had picked up during the course surrounding development and project lifecycles.

Cliff studied the Apple App development bootcamp and has a passion for technology. He was interested in developing some of his own app ideas, as well as wanting to deepen his knowledge of the programming language Swift. Cliff utilised the bootcamps to up-skill in his employment, and acquired the new role of “Digital Process and Innovation Lead” at Capita.

Better student engagement
The use of Apple technology at the college has helped educators connect with students, foster collaboration and democratize access to resources.

A dynamic and efficient way to learn: The use of unique Apple features like AirDrop to share resources between devices has been a great benefit to students and staff – enabling teachers to respond promptly to any questions or issues and for students to get to work quickly and stay on task.

Cross-course collaboration: Digital marketers, software developers and data
analysts now work together on the same projects to generate ideas and build apps,
often addressing the briefs provided by local companies and reflecting what is currently
going on in the business world.

Promoting student equality: Access to these technologies promotes equality
among learners as not all students have access to the most up-to-date technology at home.

More efficient and effective teaching
Apple technology has also enhanced how teachers have been able to approach their lessons. Discussions can take place around key coding or development concepts, and then students can be guided to Swift Playgrounds to try out what they have learnt. This allows teachers to work with students 1-to-1 if they get stuck on a problem and empowers learners who are ahead to challenge themselves and develop their app further.

Technology teachers have gained a passion for the Apple platform and are now inspiring other staff members to utilise Apple hardware and software in other disciplines. To encourage this, the college has run several staff development sessions on topics including:

  • Augmented Reality in Education using iPad Pro;
  • alternative assessment methods, such as creating podcasts on GarageBand or mini-documentaries using iMovie;
  • introduction classes to Mac OS for staff new to Apple.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Exeter College is keen to develop its Apple syllabus and use of Apple technology, so is exploring:

  • making iOS and Swift development a core part of Level 3 Mobile Apps Development;
  • extra-curricular opportunities for other learners across the college;
  • providing adult learners with the chance to learn through a modular approach to development and Swift Fundamentals;
  • working further with the DfE to expand the Apple Bootcamp course available to adult learners;
  • an education outreach project, delivering Swift programming and Apple App development with local schools to engage students in digital technology earlier.

Contact our Further Education team to discuss how Apple technology can transform teaching and learning at your college.

Email info@academia.co.uk or call 01992 703 900.
www.academia.co.uk/case-studies

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: EDITION 434

Nancy Buckley

Vice Principal: Business, Growth, Skills and Partnerships, Solihull College and University Centre & Stratford-Upon-Avon College

Start date: August 2023

Previous Job: Group Director – Business Development, Activate Learning

Interesting fact: A qualified librarian, Nancy has founded her own publisher consultancy business, successfully selling this before bringing her commercial experience to the college sector

Jaki Bradley

Interim Head of Adult Education Budget, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

Start date: August 2023

Previous Job: Principal, Thurrock Adult Community College

Interesting fact: Jaki started her adult education career after joining a tap dancing class at Peterborough City College 30 years ago. She then joined the college and trained as a basic skills tutor

Jamie Stevenson

Principal, Lewisham College

Start date: August 2023

Previous Job: Group Executive Director for Apprenticeships and Business Development, New City College

Interesting fact: Jamie has ran the the London marathon five times over the last six years, raising over £15,000 for charity. He’s also a former amateur show jumper

Missing AEB contract award finally made public

A training provider that was left off the government’s adult education budget tender winners list has finally had its contract award published.

On August 30 the DfE named 54 training providers who won a contract in its national tender – which was worth £74,702,770 in total – on the contracts finder website. This was one fewer than what was announced to the sector in July, and TLG Business Services was left off.

The DfE later revealed it was awarding an “additional” AEB contract for an undisclosed amount to The Portland Training Company, taking the total number of winners back up to 55.

However, the department then published a separate contracts finder page a day later which showed TLG Business Services has in fact been awarded a contract from the tender for £297,230.

It means the total amount of funding awarded from the tender will surpass the £75 million pot set aside for it, once Portland’s contract value is revealed next week.

The saga adds to concern about the whole procurement process which is currently being challenged through the courts by a major training group, Learning Curve, which missed out on a contract.

The legal challenge imposed an automatic suspension on contract awards when it was launched in August, but it was swiftly lifted by Learning Curve’s lawyers.

DfE officials blamed the delay for publishing TLG’s contract award on the automatic suspension.

TLG told FE Week it was experiencing “some system onboarding issues”, which were “quickly rectified” by the DfE, but “may have been the reason for the omission”.

“I’m pleased to share that our contract has been signed and there are no ongoing issues to speak of,” the spokesperson added.

Capita exits adult education citing ‘market conditions’

Outsourcing giant Capita has left the adult education and skills bootcamp training markets, whilst also significantly reducing its apprenticeship delivery.

The firm told FE Week the decisions were made while considering “broader market conditions”.

It has been offering government-funded skills training for almost two decades and is currently rated ‘good’ by Ofsted.

Capita was awarded one of the largest procured national adult education budget contracts by the Department for Education, worth £2.8 million, in 2021. But the company was one of the big names missing from the list of national AEB contract winners from the DfE’s latest tender this year.

The company is now closing its education arm known as Vision2Learn, which also delivered government-funded skills bootcamps.

It is the latest in a string of well-known training providers that have pulled away from government-funded AEB, bootcamps and apprenticeships – mostly due to unsustainable funding rates.

Capita was one of England’s biggest apprenticeship providers in 2021/22 when it recorded over 1,500 starts. However, the firm’s apprenticeship numbers have dropped significantly since then. Latest government data for the first three-quarters of 2022/23 show just 356 starts.

Its accounts for the year to December 31, 2022, stated that investment in apprenticeships “at all levels continued to grow and is providing ongoing opportunities to build the skills required for our future business success and for serving our clients successfully in support of growth”.

But, the company has now told FE Week it will only continue to deliver the level 3 operational firefighter and level 4 commercial procurement apprenticeships going forward, which accounted for just 15 per cent of its apprenticeship starts in 2021/22.

It will stop delivering other popular apprenticeships including public service operational delivery officer, customer service specialist, and business administrator.

The two continuing apprenticeship standards, operational firefighter and commercial procurement, are on the highest funding bands out of all of Capita’s apprenticeship offer at £14,000 and £9,000 respectively.

A spokesperson for Capita said: “Following a review we have revised our model for delivering adult learning services, to better meet the needs of our customers and more closely align with our strategy.”

The company refused to say how many staff would lose their jobs as a result.

Capita oversees several schemes on behalf of the DfE, including a flexible working programme and the SATs series in schools, which ran into several problems last year.

Earlier this year the firm withdrew from delivering the government’s flagship teacher training and development programme to new schoolteachers and lost its contract to administer the Teachers’ Pension Scheme worth £233 million, after delivering it for 27 years.

FE Week’s sister title Schools Week also this week revealed that hackers are believed to have taken up to 30,000 school pupils’ names and dates in a cyber-attack on Capita’s servers.

Latest accounts show that Capita’s pre-tax profit dropped from £285.6 million to £61.4 million.

‘Pyromaniac’ student set fire to college to avoid exam

A student has been given a 14-month suspended prison sentence after she admitted setting fires in two college bathrooms to avoid an exam.

Ozlem Firat pleaded guilty to one count of arson this week, following a court case at Newcastle Crown Court. The court heard that she set fire to toilet paper in two bathrooms at Newcastle College’s Parson’s building to avoid an exam on May 28, 2021.

No one was hurt in the incident.

The police report into the incident revealed text messages sent by Firat that day to a friend which talked about setting fires to avoid exams, in a case first reported by local newspaper The Chronicle.

She also said she had a “fascination with fire” and “excitement at watching bodies burn” in her texts. Sophie Allinson-Howells, Firat’s defence lawyer, said she accepted the incident was “self-destructive” and “doubtless caus[ed] risk” to other people, but that there was no “intent to harm” anyone. She also said Firat has a personality disorder and that the episode “marked a crisis point for her mental health”.

A security guard was called to the building, the court heard, at around 9:50 am after they got a radio message about a fire in the third-floor bathroom. Security found teachers in the bathroom “in the process of tackling the fire by spreading water”, prosecutor Joe Culley told the court.

CCTV footage revealed that Firat, who was 21 at the time of the incident, was the last person in the bathroom before the fire.

Culley said Firat then “denied” setting the fire at the time but later found matches and a lighter during a search of her bag. She was allowed to complete the exam, and the incident did not lead to any exam delays, FE Week understands.

Firat later described herself as a “pyromaniac” to police, according to The Chronicle.

‘It was a matter of luck that nobody was hurt’

On the same day as the incident the security guard was told about another fire in the sixth-floor bathroom, which Culley said started “around the same time” as the first fire, before Firat went to complete the exam.

“[The fires] had been started by toilet paper being set alight,” Culley added.

The CCTV footage also showed Firat had changed clothes before going from the first to the second bathroom. The second fire burnt itself out, according to Allinson-Howells.

The court heard the total cost of the repairs and the cleaning was more than £7,000.

Firat was described in pre-sentence reports as getting feelings of euphoria when setting fires, and did not think about the consequences of her actions when feeling euphoric. The report also identified “disturbing childhood behaviour over a number of years”.

Firat pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 months, suspended for two years, and a four-month curfew, between 8pm and 8am with an electronic tag.

Court recorder Caroline Sellars said she had seen the pictures of the damage and that it was “a matter of luck rather than judgement that nobody was hurt, that the damage was not more serious”.

A spokesperson for Newcastle College said the safety of their students and staff is their “top priority” and that they consider the campus to be a “safe and secure place for all of our community”.

“Incidents of this nature are extremely rare and we responded swiftly to identify this individual,” the spokesperson added.

6% of apprenticeship providers eligible for ‘ludicrous’ expert group

Apprenticeship chiefs have lashed out over the government’s “ludicrous” hunt to appoint “expert” training providers, after FE Week analysis revealed only six per cent are eligible to apply.

Just 90 of the 1,420 apprenticeship providers in England meet the strict criteria set by the Department for Education for its 12-month pilot announced this week.

DfE is searching for 15 providers to take on a “mark of excellence”, which will give those selected “more access” to DfE systems in a bid to reduce the time, resource and cost that providers commit to coaching non-levy paying employers through the digital apprenticeship system.

But, leaders have criticised the extreme criteria they need to meet to apply, as well as the “dangerous” title of “expert” providers.

To be considered, providers must have a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating, an apprenticeship achievement rate of at least 51 per cent in 2021/22, as well as a four-star employer feedback rating.

It also requires providers to deliver at least 30 per cent (and a minimum of 50 annual starts) of its overall apprenticeships provision to small and medium-sized employers (SMEs) and have been providing apprenticeships for at least five years.

This criterion has eliminated most of the 1,420 apprenticeship providers in England from participating, including some of the largest, such as Lifetime Training, Kaplan Financial, BPP Professional and JTL.

Just 90 providers tick all the above conditions, comprising 71 independent training providers and 17 FE colleges. Just one higher education institution makes the cut, despite DfE plans to make three of the 15 “expert” providers HEIs.

The pool may be even smaller as the guidance states providers must also be in “good” financial health and must not have been sanctioned by the DfE following an audit or investigation in the past five years – requirements that FE Week could not analyse.

One leading provider, which did not want to be named, said: “The word ‘simplicity’ simply doesn’t exist in the DfE’s dictionary.

“The stipulation of being judged Ofsted good or better should be sufficient. Instead, the department is also asking interested providers if they have four out of four stars for employer feedback which will result in perfectly good candidates being eliminated at the first hurdle. Ludicrous.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “This small pilot is deliberately targeted at training providers with a track record of delivering high-quality apprenticeships. 

“By enabling expert providers to act on behalf of SME employers, time and resources will be saved, SMEs will be better supported to deliver their apprenticeships, and the system will become more efficient. 

“We will use the learnings from the pilot to develop and implement a wider expert provider status from August 2024.”

One of the largest providers of SME apprenticeships, HIT Training, is ineligible for the pilot as it had a 36.1 per cent achievement rate, according to 2021/22 performance tables. But, managing director Jill Whittaker said she “absolutely will be applying”.

She told FE Week: “Our current achievement rates have significantly improved since 2021/22, we’re over 51 per cent this year.

“Given that HIT is one of the largest providers that work with SMEs, we have been a good provider for 17 years and we have excellent feedback as rated by employers, to exclude us because of achievement rates from a year ago would be quite ridiculous and foolish.”

The DfE’s guidance does say the pilot is designed to be a “light-touch process”, but it makes clear providers “must be able to respond positively” to all the listed criteria.

‘We suggested they think about a better phrase’

Several providers have criticised the title of “expert” for the scheme.

Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said he advised DfE to change the name. “[We] suggested they think about a better phrase because this pilot is really about expertise in administration rather than expertise in delivery.”

Another boss of a large provider excluded from the pilot said: “I’m not sure I agree with the ‘expert’ title, it’s more an advisory panel. It’s very dangerous using the term if down the line the provider runs into trouble with Ofsted, for example.”

Whittaker added: “It’s a bit of a cheeky name because it implies if you’re not on the list you’re not an expert. That is a bit of a worry.”

Another provider boss said: “The conferring of a ‘quality mark’ on these expert providers would be wholly inappropriate if such a kitemark and new group were not also established for providers more focused on the levy-paying market.”

The guidance outlines that providers’ expert status will be revoked if they receive any downgrades in Ofsted ratings, the emergence of a safeguarding issue, the termination of an apprenticeship contract, or if they become the subject of a DfE investigation.

DfE is looking to fill seven of the 15 slots with independent training providers, appoint five places to FE colleges and three to higher education providers to “be reflective of current market share”.

The guidance document stressed that the pilot will not include any further funding, but successful providers could see a growth in starts and cost efficiencies from being involved.

Chosen providers will also get “priority engagement opportunities” with DfE officials through workshops and roundtables.

Association of Employment and Learning Provider director of strategy Paul Warner said the membership body has been “working closely” with the DfE on this new expert apprenticeship pilot programme which has the “potential to be a real step forward”.

He added that the focus on improving efficiency and simplification is “obviously good” but there are a “couple of areas we will need to keep an eye on including the new ‘quality mark’ or if these criteria start to be used in procurements processes”.

The pilot programme is planned to start from October 31 this year. DfE needs responses by September 27 and applicants will be told if they are successful or not from October 16. There will be no route to appeal.

FE needed a movement to improve literacy. Now it’s got one

When I was growing up, my dad struggled to gain skilled employment. The sole reason was functional illiteracy. This was his painful reality and although decades have passed, this is also the painful reality for one in six adults in England today – a whopping 7.1 million people.

I am so proud to say that my dad accessed our local FE college and trained to be an IT professional and is now working for the NHS. Literacy unlocked a brighter future for us, and does for so many others. But we have to do more to make a truly transformative impact.

FE is brimming with people looking to change their stories. If we want to hear our learners tell them, we need to mobilise across our sector to ensure we give them every opportunity. Literacy is so much more than being equipped for the workplace; our learners need literacy for their mental health, for  participating in society and for tucking their children into bed at night.

At Nottingham College, we don’t overlook the desperate need to improve literacy in our city. Ranked eleventh out of 317 districts for deprivation, we know that our literacy levels reflect a population which needs its college to be responsive and collaborative.

We have built a strong partnership with The Literacy Trust, and work to improve vocabulary is beginning. When Read On Nottingham launched their ‘Year of Stories 2023’, we seized the chance to collaborate with other colleges in The Netherlands, Slovenia and Scotland to launch Story Valley, a European, Erasmus+ funded project. The impact on students has been incredible. We saw learners’ self-expression and peer-to-peer relationships thrive.

Now, we are ready for our next steps. Over the past year, I’ve searched for support and found pockets of matched enthusiasm from other FE teachers and leaders, but no real space to bounce ideas and glean insight.

As I connected with FE colleagues from Edinburgh, Manchester and down to Portsmouth, it was clear that there was a literacy-shaped gap in our sector. Literacy advocates were isolated and colleges were crying out for guidance on how to teach disciplinary literacy and build oracy so that our learners could have the voice they need to succeed. 

It was personal. Now it’s political

These teachers and leaders were ready for a movement. We had heard so much about literacy support in the primary and secondary sectors and wondered when it was going to be our turn. There was urgency. Sharing these thoughts with Kayte Haselgrove, an FE enthusiast with the same drive and passion to develop reading, writing and speaking, we agreed that it had to be now.

This summer, Kayte and I founded ‘The FE Literacy Movement’ – a space (finally) to learn about literacy and connect as a sector. If, as Alex Quigley says, literacy is the golden thread which weaves together the curriculum, The FE Literacy Movement will be the needle for our sector.

This isn’t an exclusive club for English teachers but a team effort. We need representation from all vocational and academic areas. We are all ready to mobilise to transform the futures of the people who walk through our doors wanting more from life. For people like my dad in every college.

Our mission is to improve life chances for learners by harnessing literacy as a vehicle for social mobility. It waspersonal, now it’s political.

When the FE Literacy Movement launched on 5September, our online forum already included representatives from 20 colleges dotted across the UK – and this is just the beginning. We discussed all things literacy, the need for more research into resits and for more networking to pool together resources and ideas.

And we were thrilled to share our three-year plan. This year: a spring term networking event with oracy CPD at Nottingham College and a summer term conference at The University of Derby to explore literacy, English, and the subject specialist teacher through research and collaboration.

The online network will be available for all to tap into for support. We are taking bold steps to support FE, teachers, leaders and learners alike. Join us.

You can reach out to The FE Literacy Movement on Twitter and LinkedIn or by email on movement@literacyfe.co.uk

Remembering Henrietta. Why every learner should know about a silenced contribution to medical science

In the year that we acknowledge the landmark anniversaries of the NHS and the arrival of the Empire Windrush, we need to also celebrate and acknowledge one of the most influential Black women in medical history.

You may not have heard of Henrietta Lacks, but a bronze statue of her will be unveiled in October on the site where US Black Lives Matters protesters took down the statue of Robert E. Lee. Another was erected last year in Bristol, a city famous for toppling its own monument of Edward Colston.

Lacks was an African American woman whose cancer cells were taken without her knowledge or consent during a medical procedure to remove a tumour in 1951. These so-called HeLa cells – an abbreviation of her name – turned out to be the first human cells to be successfully cultured and continue to divide outside the body indefinitely. They became invaluable to medical research and contributed to numerous scientific discoveries, including the development of vaccines and treatments for polio, HIV/AIDS, Parkinsons, infertility and coronaviruses.

Her contributions to science are immense, but until recently her family faced challenges and hardships due to the unauthorised use of her cells. Their fight brought attention to the need for informed consent and equitable distribution of benefits from medical research, and her legacy continues to be a significant topic in ongoing conversations about medical research ethics.

Though not directly related to the NHS, understanding Henrietta’s story can shine a light on the continuing inequity in UK healthcare systems, research ethics and patient rights. Indeed, these well-documented inequalities persist in spite of the contribution of minoritised communities to the NHS workforce.

All of which makes the story ideal for your PSD, careers and EDI delivery. Students in health and social care, law and business could discuss it in the context of GDPR, ongoing efforts to safeguard patient rights, the importance of upholding  ethical standards, and ensuring that medical research serves the best interests of patients and society as a whole. And of course, it’s a look back in history shining a light on a largely untold story.

Her story highlights a historical pattern of exploitation

Incorporating Henrietta Lacks’s story into the curriculum can help shape future healthcare professionals who are not only knowledgeable in their fields but also empathetic, ethically aware, and committed to advocating for patient rights and well-being.

The racial, gender and economic elements of social injustice in relation to Henrietta Lacks are significant. Her treatment by medical professionals was deeply influenced by the fact that she was a poor African American woman living in the era of racial segregation and discrimination. It was not until 2013 that the National Institutes of Health allowed her family some control over access to her genomic data.

Henrietta’s cells were taken without her knowledge or permission during a time when medical procedures on African Americans were often conducted without proper informed consent. This highlights a historical pattern of exploitation and disregard for the rights and autonomy of Black individuals in medical research.

It has been compellingly argued that this treatment, including experimentation on minoritised communities, is one of the reasons some were reluctant to take the Covid vaccine even at the height of the pandemic. Research continues to highlight the higher infant mortality rates in some communities and the higher death toll from Covid among patients from minoritised groups illustrating the health inequality that continues to exist in the UK today.  

Lacks’s cells have generated enormous profits for the scientific community and commercial entities. But it wasn’t until last month that a protracted legal battle ended in compensation for her family – 70 years after her death.

Economic exploitation aside, for many years the identity of the cells’ donor was not widely known. Lacks’s contribution to medical research remained largely anonymous – a typical example of the kind of erasure of Black people’s contributions to society that we have only just begun to unpick through our curriculum work.

All of which makes Lacks’s the perfect story to spark conversations about the importance of representation, informed consent, and equitable distribution of benefits in medical research – and more widely.

Let’s work together on the green industry-ready learners we all need

There is little doubt that educating our students about climate change is critical if we are to meet the Government’s targets to be Net Zero by 2050. They need to understand its root causes, possible mitigation options, the adaptations we will have to make in response to it and the areas where innovation is needed.

2050 might seem a long way away to some, but if we don’t embed these kinds of topics throughout all our students’ curricula with urgency, then the decisions-makers, consumers, change-agents, regulators, policy-makers and entrepreneurs of 2030 to 2040 (the decade when all the heavy lifting will be required) will be lost from the sectors that most desperately need them. The damage to society could be irrecoverable.

To achieve the rapid transition we face, it won’t do to treat education as producer of raw materials in the form of green industry-ready learners. We need the expertise of all those leading and teaching in colleges to shape new learning materials and experiences that will inspire, prepare, and support the workforce of tomorrow.

For twenty years of my career in resource management, we were all about waste collection and landfill disposal. Over time, we morphed into a sector that collected, recycled, composted and recovered energy from waste to reduce our reliance on landfill. Now, we are transitioning again into a low-carbon, more resource-efficient and more circular economy (less make, use and dispose).

This will require a doubling of the sector’s workforce, a localising of opportunities to minimise transportation impacts. It also calls for a raft of new skills that we have only tinkered with to date – repair, refill, reuse, upholstery, material substitution, eco-design, chemical processing, anaerobic digestion, behaviour change, regulation, policy development and new collection and harvesting models.

And my sector is only one of the many going through similar transitions. It adds up to a workforce mobilisation on the scale of World War II, but with more complex, complicated and interconnected demands. As such, the need for education, engagement, training and support is unparalleled in recent history.

It’s daunting, perhaps, but the opportunities are huge

It’s daunting, perhaps, but the opportunities are huge if we can link industry needs with education and training provision to get the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time. That’s why I am working so closely with CAPE (Climate Adapted Pathways for Education), the CIWM, the UK Government Green Jobs Delivery Group and others like the Green Alliance, BITC, IEMA and Aldersgate Group, to map out demands and ensure supply is being adequately supported.

Industry simply must support the education sector to enable students to encounter meaningful curriculum content. We will waste the opportunity if education amounts only to calls for climate activism without preparing learners with the knowledge and depth of understanding they need to be part of the solution.

Industry does not, however, necessarily know the best way to support and develop students and future employees. Colleges and training providers therefore have a crucial role to play in shaping industry’s input. Though focused on younger pupils, BASF ScienceXperience is a great example of how a co-creative approach can develop long-term relationships between education settings and local industry, develop a shared direction of travel and meet the needs of all stakeholders.

While the offer from industry to education may not always hit the nail on the head, it is driven by a desire to do the right thing. To take a leaf from sustainable practice in my sector, the solution is not to bin them and buy new ones, but to adapt them to suit our needs.

We know the most effective partnerships focus on curriculum design, the adoption of ‘live’ contexts, making use of real data, case studies, inspirational speakers, work placements, internships and apprenticeships.

And if we can create a circular economy of opportunities for learning and training, we will be well on our way to our NetZero goal. I know my sector is all ears and ready to adapt.