A sixth form college in Eastleigh that teaches almost 5,000 students has been judged ‘outstanding’ for the first time by Ofsted.
Barton Peveril College achieved the top grade in a report published today that said students “rightly recognise the sensible steps that leaders have taken to create a calm and purposeful environment that is strongly focused on learning”.
The education watchdog found that learners and staff are “very respectful, and there is a high level of trust” which enables learners including those with high needs to feel “able to develop their own identity”.
Learners at the college, which has been judged ‘good’ consistently by Ofsted over the past 20 years, also “benefit from consistently high-quality teaching” and benefit from an “extensive range of high quality extra-curricular opportunities” such as photography, counselling, yoga, and gardening.
Barton Peveril College principal Rob Temple said the judgment is a “wonderful endorsement of the extraordinary efforts and skill of our teachers and support staff, and of how the students have responded to the high expectations we have of them”.
“The inspectors were unanimous in praising our studious young people – they found them to be exceptionally well behaved, thoroughly enjoyed their interactions with them and said they were a credit to the college,” he added.
At the time of the inspection, there were around 4,600 learners studying full-time education programmes, such as A-levels and vocational qualifications, for young people at the college. Ofsted said learners come from a wide area, including Southampton.
According to the report, leaders have “high aspirations for learners to achieve and move on to university”. The college has implemented an “ambitious curriculum” that “closely reflects the needs of learners and other stakeholders”.
Teachers were praised, with inspectors calling them “highly qualified subject specialists who plan interesting and engaging lessons”.
Ofsted said the college also makes a “reasonable” contribution to meeting skills needs.
Skills and universities minister Robert Halfon has told vice chancellors to publicly clarify whether or not they will accept T Levels as valid entry qualifications for their universities.
In a letter sent to vice chancellors today, Halfon said there were “too many instances” where T Level students are unsure whether they can apply for university courses because of unclear entry criteria.
He said: “We know that many Higher Education institutions have already assimilated T Levels into their admissions process, and provided a public statement on their entry requirements. However, there remain many instances where students are unsure if they can apply to a course at a university they are interested in, because the entry requirements for T Levels are unclear.
“This places such students in a difficult and uncertain position, as their UCAS choices naturally hold long-term implications for their future.”
Halfon goes on to say that vice chancellors should publish a statement on their institution’s website which “sets out your approach to entry requirements for students with T Levels for 2022 and beyond”.
The letter comes just one week before the UCAS application deadline for 2023 undergraduate courses.
“This should include details of the entry requirements for relevant courses, so students can easily access correct and transparent admissions information for this UCAS cycle” he wrote.
The DfE launched a list of higher education providers accepting T Levels last December. At that time just 66 of the country’s 140 universities were listed.
As of January 12, there were 133 higher education providers listed. Of those, 104 were universities, 26 were FE colleges offering HE and three were institutes of technology.
However to get on the list, universities and HE providers only have to have a “minimum of one” course accepting T Levels as entry qualifications and, incredibly, the list doesn’t tell students what those courses are.
As T Levels were introduced in 2020, just one cohort have so far completed the course and progressed. Just over a third (36 per cent, 370 students) of that cohort won a place at university last year.
Do more degree apprenticeships
Halfon has also repeated his call for more universities to offer degree apprenticeships.
Degree apprenticeships are rising in popularity, but Halfon wants more universities, particularly the “most prestigious” ones, to provide the courses.
He said: “I want to see many more degree apprenticeships, delivered by a wider range of universities. Our most prestigious universities should lead by example, building parity of esteem between high-quality technical courses and academic degrees.”
Halfon makes his case by suggesting “If your university is serious about social justice, I ask you to seriously consider offering degree apprenticeships alongside other courses.”
There is currently little evidence though to support Halfon’s claim that degree apprenticeships improve social justice.
Social mobility charity The Sutton Trust released the latest in a long line of research reports highlighting poor uptake of degree apprenticeships from people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The research found that people from lower income areas were actually less likely to do a degree apprenticeship than go to university for a traditional course.
More than £75 million of government levelling up funding is to go to further education projects in England – including new campuses and expanded provision for existing colleges.
The government on Wednesday evening unveiled more than 100 projects sharing £2.1 billion for its second round of the Levelling Up Fund.
The fund aims to support local infrastructure and regeneration schemes, such as town centre revamps, bringing vacant spaces back into use, bolstering transport or highways infrastructure and cultural restoration projects.
Among the headline schemes in the FE sector is a new £40 million carbon neutral education campus for Blackpool and The Fylde College (existing campus pictured) to replace its aging town centre facilities.
According to the bid announcement, the new “multiversity” will be located in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway business district and offer courses in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence.
A CGI image of what the new ‘multiversity’ in Blackpool could look like.
Project bosses said it will accommodate around 2,300 learners, with higher-level qualifications among those on offer, and is envisioned to be open in 2026.
Councillor Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council said: “The new learning environment would facilitate upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning within the town. Our town revitalisation plans will also be supported by bringing many students into the heart of Blackpool.”
Elsewhere, a Somerset Training Academy for Health and Social Care is to be formed with the £19.7 million overhaul of the Grade II Listed former hospital building in Bridgwater, empty since 2014, as well as an annexe of the new academy in Minehead.
Councillor Duncan McGinty, leader of Sedgemoor District Council said: “We are absolutely delighted that the bid was accepted and look forward to work starting on this fantastic project. We hope that work will start late Summer 2023, subject to the necessary planning and listed building processes.”
The government’s announcement said the academy will train up vital health and social care staff.
For Oldham, £20 million will be used to fund new spaces for green businesses and establish a new learning centre offering vocational courses in environmental skills.
The centre is set to be a community learning space ranging from forest school provision for pre-school age children, curriculum support for key stages 1-4, and vocational and technical courses delivered in partnership with The Oldham College.
The centre is set to expand the land management-based curriculum the college delivers in partnership with Oldham Council’s environmental team, which will include courses in arboriculture, horticulture, hospitality and ecology among others.
Cooking, beekeeping, photography and woodworking courses are also planned.
Another area to secure funding for a new campus is Dover, which will use £18.1 million to develop brownfield land that will include an education facility delivering training in the creative and digital industries, which also aims to boost job opportunities in the region.
Dover MP Natalie Elphicke said: “The exciting new creative and digital campus will create new jobs and skills opportunities in our area.”
And £20 million has been announced for Swale, with a portion of that funding being used to expand the course offering at Sheppey College for 14-18 year-olds.
In Telford, a share of its £20 million allocation will go towards a new skills and enterprise hub at Telford College, from which it will deliver sixth form provision.
The multi-million pound centre will be a part of the area’s Station Quarter regeneration, and feature close links to the business community, according to local leaders.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been approached for more details.
Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove said the “transformational” projects would help ensure that “no matter where you are from you can go as far as your talents will take you”.
Margate Digital EKC Campus indicative plans. Image credit: EKC Group
The announcement follows the £1.7 billion dished out to more than 100 schemes in last year’s first round of Levelling Up Fund cash.
In FE the first-round bids included £20 million for a new college of medical sciences in Bolton that will include 900 apprentices a year, as well as a new digital technology campus in Margate, Kent, offering diplomas from levels 2 to 5, funded from a £6.3 million allocation.
Other headline schemes from round one include a £20 million city learning campus in Wolverhampton offering A-levels and higher education courses, while £9 million in Sunderland is going towards a construction skills academy.
Round one also allocated cash to plans for a skills village and the revamp of a former grammar school for training and apprenticeships in the hospitality and leisure sector, both in Rotherham, and a new sixth form college and adult education centre in the Castlegate area of Sheffield, funded from a share of that area’s £20 million bid.
According to the latest government figures, just under 1.5 million students in England have special educational needs and disabilites (SEND). These rising statistics highlight the importance of inclusivity for every student in further education. Our experience working across mainstream and specialist colleges has shown the essential role of design in making colleges more accessible – but expensive adaptations often aren’t feasible. Is it possible to create an inclusive college within these constraints?
This year, the government revealed its green paper for educational reform for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The paper acknowledges that too often their outcomes fall behind their peers, and sets out proposals to identify students’ needs more efficiently and meet them more consistently.
While this paper is needed to reset the SEND system, it can only be seen as a preliminary framework. They are ambitious proposals, but they’re only the first step in providing a robust and stable education system for young people with SEND – something that may take years, if not decades, to realise.
Despite the obvious challenges of meeting these needs, introducing well-considered changes can have an almost immediate effect on the way young people with SEND cope within their learning environment. These students should have access to resources that can help them develop life skills, ranging from finances to cooking and self-care, in addition to support from staff with counselling and therapy. These services can provide a setting where young people with SEND can be themselves, learning in an environment that suits their needs while allowing them to be with their peers and friends.
While providing support for SEND students is important, a well-designed college should welcome all students – with many affordable changes you can make which will benefit everyone.
Well-considered changes can have an almost immediate effect
To help students navigate a building independently, designing within a single storey is desirable but not always practical. Clear circulation routes and one-way systems can help those struggling in crowded spaces. Timetabling can help with this, by staggering students’ movements throughout the day. Simple landmarks that help students to orient themselves can play an important role in aiding independent navigation, as can simple, clear signage. Vinyl graphics can be a cost-effective way to achieve this.
Many young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty processing sensory information, as their senses can be intensified or dampened. This can be addressed with a biophilic design approach. Research shows that people are often calmed by hints of nature, so natural colours and materials alongside indoor plants and greenery can help support struggling students.
Noise can also pose a challenge for people with ASD. Deadening reverberations can be vital. When retrofitting an older college, replacing ceiling tiles with class A acoustic tiles provides excellent value for money, as does using acoustic wall boards.
When designing an SEND school or college, we always seek to integrate natural environments into everyday learning by blurring the boundaries of inside and outside and providing inspirational external learning spaces. Spaces within existing facilities can also be adapted in order to create external classrooms, breakout areas and sensory gardens for everyday learning and activities.
Although outdoor classrooms are becoming more common in schools, and for younger children, they also carry huge benefits for young people and adults in the context of further and adult education colleges. Outdoor spaces relieve stress and anxiety, can help develop social skills and motivate learning. Green spaces help to facilitate informal discussion, providing a social space where students can safely test boundaries and develop emotional skills, while also providing quiet social areas for individuals and small groups.
Internally, places of refuge are also important, as there will be times when students with ASD will want to be alone. It is beneficial to have ‘calm’ rooms adjacent to classrooms and incorporate quiet seating areas off the corridors for reading and respite.
While the government’s green paper is a great framework for these aspirations, we must acknowledge that these are long-term objectives – and they demand long-term thinking. It is up to everyone working with the further education system to act now, creating spaces that have a positive impact on the young people who learn in them.
In the context of apprenticeship standards, observation offers an opportunity to study the unstructured and natural performance of an apprentice. It has a great deal of face validity. An independent assessor can witness first-hand the ability of an apprentice to conduct tasks in the real world in direct relation to ‘Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours’ assessment criteria.
While it can present a great chance for the apprentice to display their competence, as assessors and educators we must uphold the validity of assessments involving observation. There are several ways we can achieve this.
Encourage the best environment for success
An element of chance always remains in observations. However, we should consider, in the sphere of what we can control, how to provide the best opportunity to meet the required assessment criteria.
For example, if the apprentice is working front of house in the hospitality sector and they need to demonstrate particular abilities in dealing with the public, then the observation should be scheduled for a busy shift. This will give the apprentice the best shot at practising the necessary customer interaction.
Remain mindful of the assessor’s presence
We need to be aware that the independent assessor is not completely removed from the scene, and this may affect performance in several ways.
Firstly, there’s the factor termed reactivity, where people may try to give a good impression rather than performing as they naturally would if unobserved. So, assessors must be aware of their presence and stick to observational assessment best practice. When new independent assessors join a team there should be careful training programmes put in place to minimise their personal impact on observations.
Secondly, an independent assessor hovering in the background making notes may not also always be welcome. Say the apprentice is handling a verbal complaint from an upset customer, the complainer and employer would not appreciate the presence of a lurking assessor. In these scenarios, it’s important that assessors tactfully retreat out of view, and even out of earshot, but observe and follow up afterwards by asking pertinent questions.
Be self-aware of unintentional biases
Unintentional biases, such as confirmation bias or affinity bias, could mean an assessor is influenced by previous evidence. For example, they may have a more favourable opinion of a particular apprentice because they appear to have similar qualities or characteristics that resonate with the assessor. Therefore, when starting an assessment, they could unconsciously decide that the apprentice will be strong or weak based on personal preconceptions.
Additionally, theories such as growth mindset show that our brains are pre-disposed to note flaws and imperfections before appreciating what is accurate and correct
The risk of bias could lead the independent assessor to find evidence which supports that bias and fail to see evidence that does not. Valid, fair, credible, and reliable assessment practices rely on the independent assessor remaining true to the relevant standards and assessment specification as set by the EPAO.
Training independent assessors to be self-aware of their potential biases is key to our ethos at Professional Assessment Ltd. By encouraging our staff to face up to their biases, they can make assessment judgments based on the presented evidence that are both as fair and as accurate as possible.
Relax
Independent assessors need to determine competence against an agreed set of standards. However, assessors ultimately want apprentices to perform well and see what the apprentice is really capable of. High levels of anxiety rarely enhance performance, so an independent assessor should do their best to put an apprentice at ease during an observed assessment.
Overall, the advantages of observation can be maximised by careful planning of activities with apprentices and proper training with independent assessors from the outset, so all stakeholders can benefit from higher levels of face validity and from this naturalistic assessment.
My college stands opposite a Royal Mail sorting office and a train station. I have seen plenty of pickets over recent months, and soon it will be our turn. The UCU have already voted in favour of strikes and the NEU announced this week that it will be joining them. No one casts their ballot lightly, whether they voted for or against action, and the implications are as potentially divisive in the staffroom as in the negotiation room.
Many of the teachers I know feel uncomfortable with the prospect of strikes, fearing we will not have the sympathy of the public. Commuters might be miffed by missed trains, most of us probably hardly even notice missed post, but people will certainly be annoyed if their children have to miss school or college because their teachers are on strike. The post-Covid context makes it all the more likely that teachers will be blamed.
As a result of media denigration (even before strikes), some of my colleagues never tell new acquaintances that they are teachers. Hackneyed jibes about long holidays or early finishes mean that for them, teaching is the job that dare not speak its name. Instead, they vaguely refer to management, academia or finer-sounding titles like lecturer to throw people off the scent. This dissembling is driven by a strange teacher shame.
And yet, many of us maintain that teaching is one of the very noblest of professions and properly should be recognised and remunerated accordingly. After all, the lesson of Covid is surely that teachers are essential. At a time of great concern for the economy too, improving colleges is vital to our future prosperity.
Becoming a hindrance runs counter to our profession’s principles
One key problem, it seems, is that education’s benefits accrue in the long term. Another is that education is rather more complex than the input-output model politicians, the media and management culture would often have us believe. So many factors contribute to a student’s educational success that it is impossible to tease them apart. Paying teachers more now for a benefit that may not manifest for many years (or paying them at all for results that are evidently mostly guaranteed by parental prosperity) easily appears as an unnecessary expense.
In spite of all of that, our latest PM has pointed to education, and especially further education, as a silver bullet – and he is right. Where else will our nurses come from? Or our programmers? Our engineers? Our musicians? Or even our bankers?
Still, the strikes will be unpopular and that will play to a narrative many of us have internalised. Choosing to become a hindrance runs counter to the principles of a profession which is all about going the extra mile. We must not blame those who, given all of this, opt not to join the picket line. We are striking for the health of the whole educational system, which won’t be helped by pushing colleagues away. If we can’t win their hearts and minds, what chance do we have of winning over a disgruntled public?
We must also consider all of our colleagues who are not on strike and have no option to. Many are on lower pay – counsellors, administrators, cleaners, estates and security staff and many more. When you walk in through the doors of my college, it is Maryam you first meet. She sets the tone for the whole college with her cheery welcome and quick wit. I’d pay her fifty thousand a year, if I could.
Senior managers do a noble job too, striving to make pennies stretch into pounds. We all have to work together again regardless of the result of this action, and our students deserve motivated professionals and positive working environments no matter what.
And this, in the end, is the winning argument. Our learners deserve more than is being invested in them. To make that argument, we must consistently model that this is our priority. And that means celebrating the whole profession – including those who can’t or won’t be striking with us. They’re worth more than perhaps even they realise.
New census data shared last week by the Office of National Statistics has revealed apprenticeships were the highest level of qualification for 5.3 per cent of England’s population (2.4 million people). That proportion has nearly doubled since the 2011 census, when only 3 per cent reported an apprenticeship as their highest level of qualification.
In 2011 the option to choose an apprenticeship in the census was also new, highlighting the growing number of people opting for an apprenticeship over full-time college or university. Over the past decade, perceptions of apprenticeships have been transformed. The antiquated belief that apprenticeships were either for tradespeople like plumbers and electricians or those going into manufacturing have been blown out of the water by forward-thinking companies revamping their early careers programmes.
Employers are upskilling people in regional offices through more structured frameworks and training programmes and school leavers who can’t afford or don’t want to go to university are being paid to earn and learn. It’s been a remarkable turnaround in perceptions since the last census and the feedback from apprentices backs up the value of these courses.
Research from over 6,000 reviews on RateMyApprenticeship in 2022 shows apprentices rate their experiences an astonishing 8.4/10 on average. A mammoth 97% of apprentices who use the service would recommend their scheme to a friend. But for the apprenticeships sector to sustain this upward trend in uptake, three factors will be crucial: quality, innovation and adaptability.
Apprentices have consistently rated their experiences between 8.1 and 8.4 out of 10 over the past five years. Employers and training providers (at least those being reviewed) are doing an exceptional job of ensuring apprentices are gaining from their experiences. As the number of providers and learners grow, competition must drive quality up, not down. And it must be seen to do so to encourage even greater numbers of school leavers to choose an apprenticeship route to qualification over more traditional routes.
The future lies in collaboration, not competition
Which brings us to innovation. It’s not a matter of academic vs vocational or universities vs employers anymore. Seeing universities open their doors to support degree apprenticeship training shows that the future lies in collaboration, not competition.
And there’s plenty of scope for development. With well-documented issues across the healthcare industry, Health Education England recently launched a new medical doctor degree apprenticeship. Initiatives like this, solving today’s real problems and creating 200 new roles for apprentices to train as doctors over the next two years show what’s possible.
Meanwhile, we’ve seen a rise in the volume of sustainability apprenticeships within environmentally conscious businesses. Today’s young people are extremely climate-conscious, so this is a perfect example of using apprenticeships to match employer demand with workforce supply. AstraZeneca are currently recruiting for a global sustainability level 4 apprenticeship. The advert is a testament to this desire for change: “We truly value early talent– their thoughts, ideas and contributions,” it reads. “Throughout the programme, you’ll be encouraged and inspired to speak up, have a voice and make an impact.”
Similarly, forward-thinking employers are using apprenticeships as an avenue to bring digitally savvy young people into social media roles. In 2011, 4Studio’s advert for a social media apprentice to ‘coordinate, manage and build Channel 4’s social media presence across Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok’ would have been nearly unimaginable. That was the year Snpachat was launched, and Tik Tok was still 5 years away.
While that’s a sign of the incredible progress that’s been made, it also stands as a warning to apprenticeship providers and those developing industry standards. There’s no telling what the jobs market will look like in another decade, and challenging the out-dated myths around apprenticeships must also mean not allowing new ones to form.
But the biggest challenge of the next ten years is surely capacity. With more people looking to choose the apprenticeship route over full-time study, the next census will show one thing above all else – whether we have seized the opportunity to bridge the gap between work and education, and ushered in a true culture of collaboration to deliver the skills our economy needs.
Staff at The Sheffield College are set to go on strike this week in the first of four planned days of industrial action over an “insulting” pay offer.
The University and College Union (UCU) this morning announced that over 200 staff at the college could walk out this Friday, January 20, before further demonstrations on January 30, February 7 and February 9.
In addition, staff will work to rule from Monday next week, which means they will only work to their contracted hours, refusing to work additional hours or cover for other colleagues.
There are 226 UCU members at the college who are eligible to strike. The union reported that its ballot had a 59 per cent turnout, with 87 per cent of those who voted wishing to strike.
The college advised students to attend as normal with the campus and facilities open as normal.
It said that all exams will go ahead as planned, and said that alternative provision will be organised for students whose class does not have a tutor on those days.
It comes after a 2.5 per cent pay offer from the college was rejected, with the union dubbing it “insulting” while the current cost of living crisis continues to bite. Inflation is currently running at more than 9 per cent.
The union claimed that the college can afford a bigger pay rise because it is running at a surplus, with more than £9 million in its bank account and reserves in excess of £52 million, according to 2020/21 accounts.
But the college said that for 2021/22 the college had a deficit, not a surplus, that will be reflected in the next set of accounts.
Paul Simpson, executive director of people at The Sheffield College, said that from 2017/18 to 2021/22 the college provided a pay award above that recommended by the Association of Colleges.
He added: “Whilst we understand concerns about the increased cost of living and rising inflation, these unprecedented wider economic pressures are also impacting on colleges.
“We are not able to provide a greater pay award than the one already offered for 2021/22. We are in negotiations about 2022/23 currently and will continue to work with our trade union colleagues to seek a resolution.”
UCU regional official Julie Kelly said: “It’s frankly insulting that Sheffield College thinks it can get away with offering staff just 2.5 per cent when inflation is soaring and our members are being pushed into poverty. The college has millions in the bank and it can afford to make staff a realistic offer that will help them make ends meet.”
According to accounts for 2020/21, the college employs 995 people with 423 of those being teaching staff.
Those accounts reported an operating surplus of £224,000 before other gains and losses.
In July last year, the UCU published a report which said eight in 10 staff at colleges in England were worried about finances, with seven in 10 considering leaving the sector unless pay is increased.
The Association of Colleges has recommended that colleges give staff a 2.5 per cent pay rise – but the UCU had demanded 10 per cent with a £2,000 minimum uplift.
David Hughes, AoC chief executive, previously said college leaders want to increase staff pay, but “the money is simply not there”.
“The modest increase in funding rates last year contributed to our increased pay recommendation this year, the largest in over a decade, but this funding has largely been eaten up by soaring inflation and spiralling energy costs,” he added.
Crunch talks have so far failed to make enough progress over this year’s pay offer, according to the Association of School and College Leaders which is currently deciding whether to do its own formal ballot for strike action.
However, ballots at the NASUWT and NAHT unions failed to meet the legal threshold for strike action.
Meanwhile, 70,000 UCU members in the nation’s universities have voted for industrial action after talks over pay, pensions and working conditions broke down.
University staff will walk out on February 1 with threats of a further 17 strike days in February and March if no agreement is reached. Staff had been given a 3 per cent rise, with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, which represents university leaders, proposing a 4 to 5 per cent rise, but the UCU says it wants a more meaningful offer.
The Sheffield College has been approached for comment.
I’m proud to have been conferred this week as a fellow of London South East Colleges for my work in supporting their students into careers. As an HR professional within international hospitality, I am seeing first-hand the challenges employers everywhere face with recruitment, and I am seeing them across every area of our business. After the pandemic decimated our industry, we are now beginning to rebuild, economically and culturally, and to do this we need people joining us who have passion as well as the right skills and knowledge.
This is no easy task, particularly with Brexit severely compounding post-pandemic recruitment issues. But attracting staff into hospitality has always been challenging. With a long-standing perception of low pay and unsociable hours, the sector is often wrongly viewed as less aspirational, career-wise, than other industries.
The reality is that our business can offer employees fantastic progression, travel and training opportunities in a wide range of specialisms. To communicate this to young people, and secure a pipeline of skills, engagement with FE providers has never been so important to us.
Unfortunately, after such a long and unprecedented closure period, relationships may have been lost just when re-opening the channels of communication with colleges has become vital. There are several reasons for that, such as key contacts moving on both sides. The first lesson towards a more sustainable engagement is therefore to ensure such relationships are nurtured by the whole organisation (college and business), rather than just one committed individual.
When we began working with London South East Colleges pre-pandemic, a particularly successful initiative was the ‘student takeover’. This saw 20 students spend two weeks at our County Hall property, rotating around departments and getting direct experience of working in a real-life hotel environment.
The real prize is securing skills pipelines for months and years ahead
Pleasingly, the programme resulted in permanent appointments. But while short-term gain in terms of instant recruitment is a huge positive, the real prize is securing skills pipelines for the months and years ahead and achieving that is about nurturing relationships. So it was all the more pleasing for us that every student gained meaningful experience, and crucial that it helped change their perceptions of what working in our industry is really like.
When it comes to fostering that sustained and meaningful organisational relationship, it’s equally important that the people teaching the students who come to us are also aware of the real-life, day-to-day running of the business and the breadth of career opportunities on offer. While most FE tutors are industry professionals, they may not have worked in the setting for some years, and hospitality – like so many other sectors – is constantly changing in response to technology and other trends.
We addressed this by inviting tutors take part in our staff orientation and spend a week with us. The experience gave tutors a new perception to take back to the classroom, enabling them to excite and inspire their students ahead of their period with us and to make sense of their experience afterwards.
The key, with staff and students alike, is to identify enthusiastic and passionate people and to give them the dedicated time they need. When it comes to students, our experience teaches us that a shorter period of intensive, compressed work experience over a 2- to 3-week period is more useful than one day a week over a more protracted placement.
Dedicated and planned work placements are such a vital part of a curriculum, helping students to identify the opportunities open to them and the sorts of skills they need. Sadly, our hotels regularly get requests from schools for work experience placements but rarely from colleges.
In the hope of changing that, it’s important to note that the hospitality sector isn’t just looking for young people interested in careers in hospitality. This makes for a neat partition of the curriculum, but the reality is that we need to fill roles in specialties from HR, marketing and business administration through to maintenance engineering and events management.
The same will be true of other sectors, and the silver lining in these difficult times may be that meeting the challenges we all face gives rise to new and more sustained relationships between employers and colleges.
