FEATURE: West Nottinghamshire college flies the flag for diversity

A Nottinghamshire college has been recognised by equality charity Stonewall as a top employer for promoting lesbian, gay, bi and trans diversity amongst its staff. Samantha King reports.

This year, West Nottinghamshire college was voted as the 60th best employer on Stonewall’s list of 100 LGBT-friendly organisations, rising 33 places from last year, where it placed 93rd. 

The college, which is based in Mansfield, has climbed the top 100 list rapidly since it first took part in the charity’s voluntary audit in 2015 and came 143rd. 

Louise Knott, its vice-principal and chair of its equality and diversity steering group, said: “As a college, equality and diversity is deeply embedded within our culture and ethos, and over the last three years we have really focussed on LGBT+ equality. Our result this year is a clear indication that the hard work has paid dividends. 

Many choose their transition to college to come out

“For many of our students, coming to college at the age of 16 serves as a bit of a watershed, where they feel they can start to be themselves. Many choose their transition to college to come out.

“Therefore providing a safe and welcoming space for them to do this is essential.”

Now in its 13th year, Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index celebrates the efforts of employers to create inclusive workplaces, and is compiled through an annual audit of workplace culture.

There is also a confidential staff survey as part of the process, asking employees whether they were comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation at work, if they saw visible LGBT role models in the organisation, felt supported by their managers and were confident in reporting homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.

“We have invested a significant amount of time not only in terms of our support for students, but also in creating an environment where our staff feel comfortable being themselves and are role models to our student body,” Knott added.

“We have found that our clear focus on LGBT+ equality has moved our organisational culture on significantly, and in fact has helped with many of our other equality and diversity strands. Our work will continue and we hope to move up the Top 100 ranking even further next year.”

Jacub Sabo-Dutton, a trans activist, speaks at the college 2016

More than 430 employers from across the public, private and third sectors submitted their entries for consideration; the college was one of only two FE institutions that made it onto the list, with Newham college of Further Education in east London placing 72nd.

Duncan Bradshaw, Stonewall’s director of membership programmes, said “West Nottinghamshire college and all those who have made this year’s Top 100 Employers list have done a fantastic job, and really do put equality and inclusion at the forefront of their work. 

“With continued efforts and hard work, we will continue to work towards a world where all lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff are welcomed and accepted without exception in their workplaces.”

Stonewall was founded in 1989 by a group who campaigned against a piece of government legislation – Section 28 – preventing the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools. It achieved charitable status in 2003 and has since helped in equalising the age of consent and allowing same-sex couples to adopt.

To be considered for Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, click here.

 

Main image: (L-R) Louise Knott, Alex Belcher, chair of student LGBT network , and Jane Hawksford, chair of staff LGBT group

Derwen college plants tree avenue for 90th anniversary

Derwen college is marking its 90th anniversary year by planting trees every month throughout 2017.

The first tree of the year – an Acer davidii George Forrest, commonly known as Snakebark Maple due to its patterned trunk – was planted on January 19 by the land-based studies team, who came up with the quirky idea to mark the milestone.

The specialist college, based in Shropshire, was founded in 1927 by Dame Agnes Hunt, so the team dressed in traditional 1920s attire as they planted the tree as a nod to the era.

It is hoped that the trees will eventually form an avenue that future students can walk down, with a different group of students getting involved with the planting each month.

Peter Evans, programme manager for land based studies at the college said: “The idea is that we will plant a tree that represents that particular month, for example flowers, coloured leaves or bark – and the planting will form an avenue of trees. 

“The students thought this would be just one way to continue the legacy of Dame Hunt into the future.”

The college will be marking its 90th year with a series of events including a 1920s ball and a week of further celebrations in June – for its official birthday week. 

 

Main image: The first of the 90th birthday trees planted 1920s style

Students tackle crime in Blackpool with poster campaign

Four students from Blackpool and The Fylde college have produced a poster campaign to help tackle violent crime in the area.

Angel Page, 17, Jonathan Woodhead, 31, Mitchell Gibson, 16 and Daniel Fraser, 31, who are art and design students at the college, have produced the posters in partnership with Blackpool council and Lancashire Constabulary.

The series of posters aim to remind people to stay safe – particularly when drinking – and have been placed in various locations around Blackpool, including licensed premises, the local hospital and around the college itself.

Hard-hitting: Posters produced for the campaign

Cllr Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool council, said: “Our research highlighted that 16- to 24-year-olds were more susceptible to being victims or perpetrators of violent crime so we wanted to engage with people in that age group to come up with ideas which would raise awareness of the consequences.”

Sue Crosbie, employability team manager at the college, said: “The students drove the project forward and came up with the designs themselves, which had to be hard-hitting to really drive the messages home.

“It was good for them to get the opportunity to get first-hand experience of a professional campaign, with an extremely important message attached to it.”

There are plans to roll out more of the posters across Blackpool throughout the year. 

AoC: Membership fees overhaul consultation to avoid £1 million overspend

A consultation on the future of the Association of Colleges has set out plans for an overhaul of membership fees, to help prevent a £1 million overspend on its 2017/18 budget.

The document was unveiled this morning as AoC chief executive David Hughes admitted to FE Week that it needs to reform to balance the books – in part because membership numbers are set to drop with widescale college mergers. It currently has 308 members.

But he still insisted there are no plans to scale back its operations.

Mr Hughes said: “I have actually been overwhelmed with responses from members. Lots and lots have said they think it’s really good value for money and want us to carry on.”

Speaking to FE Week he said: “We represent almost 100 per cent of the eligible colleges, who deal with three million learners and what they want is a professional organisation to represent their interests, and provide them with support.

“The membership side of the business, it feels about the right size. I think we are about the right size, but we need to look at them and see what we want them to do over the next three years.”

The consultation with members proposes reducing the rebate for largest colleges, “as mergers reduce college numbers”.

The proposal is for a new AoC membership fee structure “of a single fee per college set at 0.1 per cent of turnover with a reduced rebate for the largest colleges”.

The document conceded that the current organisation is “not affordable” on fee levels, and “rolling forward as we are” would lead to a £1 million overspend on £6 million budget in 2017/18.

A fee cap of £38,500 would achieve overall income of £5.53 million, the document explained.

However, 89 colleges would see an increase in fee of more than 10 per cent, whilst 68 colleges would have a reduction of more than 5 per cent.

The proposal therefore “is to limit increases and decreases to 5 per cent”, which would decrease overall income to £5.25m in 17/18 (see proposals from the consultation document below).

 

Mr Hughes explained any decision on future fees will be made by the board, having considered the consultation response.

“Most boards try to reach a compromise that everyone is happy with and that is what we’ll do,” he explained.

Mr Hughes added: “If we did nothing we would probably overspend by £1 million.

“It is down to a combination of things. The number of mergers that will happen will mean that our income will go down considerably over the next three years.

“The dividend we get from AoC Create has also gone down because there are fewer projects around.”

He said it would be “interesting” to see how people will respond to the consultation.

“We had to propose something for fees because members were saying very clearly ‘we don’t want to keep cutting AoC, we want it to be effective’. This proposal tries to strike a balance.

“The majority of members will see either a reduction or the same fee, most of the changes are within a few hundred quid.”

AoC is also looking at rationalising its regional structure, as previously discussed with FE Week.

It currently has nine regional offices, which Mr Hughes explained could go down to “five maybe six”, with a new person possibly in place nationally to lead regional team.

Three of the current regional arms are external, contracted partners (EMFEC, ACER, AoSEC).

When asked what might happen to them, Mr Hughes said:  “We are not trying to cut them loose or undermine them. We are trying to see how can we make this work.

“There might be some compromises to be made. One thing that members want us to do is to continue the networks regionally.”

Mr Hughes added his organisation will be “consulting but not quite as formally” on commercial arm AoC Create and other subsidiaries over the next year.

He said: “We are not reviewing Create, and AoC Sport and the charitable trust, as part of this review – simply because you can’t do everything immediately. We will be doing that over the next six month, but not quite as formally.”

Vince Cable talks education policy with students as part of NUS research programme

The former minister for business, innovation and skills, Sir Vince Cable, has paid a visit to Dudley College as part of a national research programme exploring how changes to the education system can impact upon learners.

Headed up by Dr Cable, the programme is being carried out on behalf of the National Union of Students (NUS) – for which Cable is an ambassador – and will look at how the introduction of the post-16 skills plan and other substantial changes to the curriculum affects students.

 

During his visit to the west Midlands-based college, he met with senior staff about how they’re working to meet the needs of employers, and spoke with over 40 students from across a range of course areas who shared their day-to-day experiences of further education.

Students shared their thoughts on what changes they wanted to see during a discussion with the former minister, proposing the idea of work experience A-level programmes, and more support for learners with mental health problems.

Commenting on Dr Cable’s involvement in the project NUS vice-principal Shakira Martin said: “Dr Cable and I come from very different backgrounds and we usually speak to two very different audiences. I’m delighted that through his support for this work we can create one voice speaking about the future of further education.”

 

Main image: The Cable guy: Sir Vince leads a discussion with students

Epping Forest College hires finance director despite £338k IT scandal

The deputy chief executive of a major London college who abruptly left his post last summer over financial irregularities was recently appointed the finance director of another college in the capital, which insists it had full knowledge of his situation when it hired him.

May ‘Dare (pictured) left his job at Hackney Community College in August after he allegedly spent £338,000 of its money on IT supplies from a company which he secretly owned.

Some of his ex-colleagues have even accused his former employer of attempting a cover-up, though the college said the irregularities were discovered during an audit a few days after its merger with Tower Hamlets College last summer, and one day after he had gone on annual leave.

Gerry McDonald, the current group principal and chief executive officer of New City College Corporation (which now incorporates Hackney Community College, Tower Hamlets College and Redbridge College) told FE Week he left after “routine desk-based checks” found that the huge sum had been spent on equipment from his company, Newton Rachel Limited.

Mr McDonald said he “used his own company to purchase IT equipment on behalf of the college”, but “did not declare this to the then principal or the board”.

Despite this, some of Mr ‘Dare’s former Hackney colleagues told FE Week that the new college had tried to suppress news of the scandal.

One complained to FE Week that it was “almost as if the people who have taken us over feel no compunction to respect the need to keep things in the public domain”, while another said that “if Mr ‘Dare has sidestepped procedures in the use of public funds, and been allowed to avoid answering allegations that he personally benefitted, it’s just wrong”.

Last month, he accepted a job as the director of finance and operations at Epping Forest College, though a spokesperson told FE Week that he had made staff there aware of the dispute with his former employer “at the point of interview and before appointment”.

Mr McDonald strenuously denied any cover up concerning Mr ‘Dare’s departure, which was first reported in Private Eye.

He told FE Week that Mr ‘Dare, who sometimes goes by the name Kunle Oluwadare, “went on pre-arranged leave on August 5, before we had the opportunity to put the allegations to him. He then resigned, while on leave during the following week”.

FE Week also asked Ian Ashman, Hackney Community College’s former principal, up to the merger in August 2016 and current president of the Association of Colleges, about the allegations. 

He said: “The college has properly reported the situation to the authorities and undertaken an investigation. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to make further comment.”

FE Week understands Newton Rachel Limited was set up in October 2013, with Mr ‘Dare and his wife as the sole directors and shareholders.

He was employed by Hackney Community College for almost 24 years from its inception in 1992, and was made deputy chief executive of corporate services in April 2016.

An employee told FE Week that staff at Hackney Community College had been informed of Mr ‘Dare’s abrupt resignation in August, and were told that “financial irregularities’” had occurred.

They were sent a subsequent email by Mr McDonald, seen by FE Week, which said that the college had concluded an investigation into the matter and found “financial regulations were breached in relation to the procurement of IT equipment between 2013 and 2016”. 

Mr McDonald said that the college had not sought to recover the £338,000, because the goods it was used for had been received.

He also stressed that “no settlement agreement was or is in place”, adding: “We have referred the matter to the police who are dealing with it as an alleged fraud and possible abuse of public office.”

FE Week asked the Skills Funding Agency on what action they had taken in response to the scandal, and the impact on Hackney Community College, but a spokesperson said the agency had not intervened.

She said: “An independent investigation commissioned by Hackney Community College was conducted last year.

“The SFA is satisfied that the college implemented the recommendations and that no further action is required from the college at this stage.”

FE Week contacted Mr ‘Dare’s new place of work, Epping Forest College, to find out if managers had been aware of his previous dealings when he was appointed director of finance and operations on January 3, 2017.

A spokesperson told FE Week that “at the time of the appointment” the interview panel had known he was involved in an ongoing employment tribunal case with Hackney Community College.

On January 6, FE Week reported that Epping Forest College had been rated ‘inadequate’ across the board, in an Ofsted report that warned of safeguarding failings.

Mr ‘Dare told FE Week that he did not wish to comment ahead of his tribunal.

A University and College Union spokesperson said: “The episode involving May ‘Dare and computer supply contracts exposes the need for rigorous checks in our colleges.

“Concentrating so much power in so few hands is not healthy and we are also unconvinced that outsourcing these types of roles is always necessary.”

FE Week also contacted the college’s auditors, TIAA, but was told: “We do not comment on work undertaken on behalf of our clients”.

The Metropolitan Police was unable to comment.

 

HACKNEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE COMMENTS

The email sent to Hackney Community College staff by principal and chief executive Gerry McDonald informed staff that the incident involved May ‘Dare working alone.

It said there was “no evidence or reason to suspect that any other staff member/s were involved in this breach”.

It also acknowledged faults on the part of the college, saying that “processes and procedures in relation to procurement had been applied inconsistently”, and “there were not sufficient checks in place to ensure that financial regulations were followed”.

Mr McDonald’s email concluded that financial regulations at Hackney Community College had subsequently “been reviewed, to include more specific separation of duties and tighter processes across purchasing and procurement”, which would be “supported by systematic audits, management and governance checks”.

 

EPPING FOREST COLLEGE COMMENTS

A spokesperson for Epping Forest College told FE Week that an incomplete employment tribunal called by May ‘Dare against Hackney Community College had influenced the decision about his employment at the college.

FE Week understands from Hackney Community College that this tribunal was called on the grounds of constructive dismissal, which is when an employee is forced to leave their job against their will due to their employer’s conduct.

“We felt the case between Hackney Community College and Mr ‘Dare had not yet been satisfactorily concluded, and not wishing to prejudge the outcome, the college agreed to appoint him on a temporary basis until his employment tribunal case was resolved,” he said.

He added that Epping Forest College also received a letter from Mr ‘Dare’s solicitor, which confirmed the tribunal is scheduled for March 2017.

CONEL first London college to offer basketball BTEC

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London will become the first college in London to offer a course in basketball.

The London-based college will launch its BTEC level three diploma in basketball from September this year, developing it in partnership with the London School of Basketball.

The new course will offer a basketball curriculum aimed at those interested in the sport both practically and theoretically, with topics including sport-specific coaching, physical education theory, sports psychology and physical application.

CONEL already runs a basketball academy from its sports centre in Enfield with the LSB, and there are plans to integrate aspects of this with the new course. 

In order to raise the profile of the academy – which recently appointed former Team GB coach Jay Williams as head coach – the college has launched a tournament for year 10 and 11 pupils at schools across Enfield, hoping to scout new players for the start of the next academic year.

Nhamo Shire, director of the London School of Basketball, said: “The performance of the academy so far this year has been remarkable. All the players have improved dramatically in a very short space of time.”

 

Main image: Ballers: The college’s 2016/17 elite squad

First ever procurement process for adult education budget contracts finally launched

The first ever procurement process for adult education budget contracts has finally been launched by the Skills Funding Agency.

FE Week reported two weeks ago that the procurement process had been given the ministerial green light, from secretary of state for education, Justine Greening, and was expected to begin within days.

The Skills Funding Agency first wrote to training providers in October and told them that their current AEB contracts would come to an end this July, rather than having them automatically renewed as before.

Invitation to tender for education and training services – Adult Education Budget 2017 to 2018

Now letters have been sent out and a new document, called Invitation to tender for education and training services – Adult Education Budget 2017 to 2018, has revealed the funding and timetable arrangements.

FE Week also, for example, today spotted an invitation to tender for education and training services – Adult Education Budget 2017 to 2018, for the North East, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West on the SFA’s Contract Finder site.

The key section in the new guide document on funding states: “The minimum funding that is available is £110 million, for the funding year 2017 to 2018. The funding year covers the 12-month delivery period from August 1, 2017, to July 31, 2018.”

It adds: “Please note that your response to this invitation to tender must be submitted through the SFA’s e-tendering portal before 5pm on February 27.”

Notification of tender results will be announced on May 19, while applicants must be ready to deliver on the contract start date (1 August 2017).

Source: Invitation to tender for education and training services – Adult Education Budget 2017 to 2018

Anyone already pre-qualified for AEB funding can apply via SFA tendering site – and a section from the letter sent out to providers explained what happens if they don’t apply.

It said: “In our October letter, we referred to the part of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 that allows us to directly award contracts up to a predetermined threshold level of £589,148 for one year.

“If you are unsuccessful in securing a new contract through the procurement, or you choose not to tender, we will offer you a new contract up to the value of your current 2016 to 2017 AEB allocation or this threshold value, whichever is the lower.”

The new guide document stated that applicants must be able to “demonstrate their readiness to deliver the service immediately when the contract starts”.

“Delivery must not be delayed in any way, such as by not having the appropriate staff, processes, premises or relationships that need to be established,” the document added.

Providers must also “have a track record in delivering high quality education and skills provision for those targeted by the AEB”.

It also explained: “An applicant must only contact the SFA by using the online message board attached to this specific ITT on the e-tendering portal.

“This is to ensure that the SFA can maintain the integrity and robustness of the tendering process, and guarantee that answers provided to questions are consistent.”

Government pushes for more over-60s apprentices

Over-60s are being encouraged to do more apprenticeships, in a new government report looking at how to boost employment prospects in later life.

The report by the Department for Work and pensions, called Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach, was unveiled this morning.

It refers repeatedly to retraining opportunities for people aged over 45, and even for those approaching or past conventional retirement age.

Apprenticeships are referred to as an “all age programme”, and the report said: “We know that older people can and do access apprenticeships”.

“In 2015/16 over 57,700 (11.3 per cent) of those starting an apprenticeship were aged 45-59 and 3,500 were 60 years and over (just under one per cent),” it said.

It reflects recent refocusing of skills policy away from most policy concentrating on 16 to 19 year-olds, towards adult education, and any moves to drive up apprenticeships for older people would need to buck the trend over the last five years when start levels remained relatively stable.

For example in 2011/12 there were 62,200 45 to 59-year-old starts, and 3,680 for over 60s. This compared to just over 57,000 for 25 to 59s, and 3,560 over 60s for 2015/16 (the last full academic year).

Government statistics showing apprentice starts

And prior to 2007 government funded apprenticeships were only available to people under the age of 25.

But the government’s industrial strategy green paper published last week committed to exploring “ambitious new approaches to encouraging lifelong learning”.

It said this “could include assessing changes to the costs people face to make them less daunting; improving outreach to people where industries are changing; and providing better information”.

Apprenticeships and skills minster Robert Halfon then exclusively told FE Week that the government was firmly committed to boosting training for older people, saying “We wouldn’t have put this [review commitment] in the industrial strategy if we weren’t serious about it”.

The Fuller Working Lives report has now lamented that older workers can often be overlooked when it comes to new training opportunities.

“Someone in their early 50s, however, can potentially stay with their employer for 15-20 years or longer,” it added.

“There is a clear case for investing in their future and, in so doing, that of the business.

“Some employers are already recognising the importance of retraining, with Barclays and Whitbread among those running apprenticeship schemes for older people and other employers have schemes in development.”

It stressed that recent DWP polling showed that only 15 per cent of respondents not currently retired and under 60 years old would like to stop work altogether and retire between the ages of 60 and 65.

It also refers to work being done by business communities, through local enterprise partnerships.

“DWP is working with a number of employers and LEPs who have recognised the importance of the ageing demographic to productivity and growth,” the report said.

“For example, Enterprise M3 and Coast to Capital LEPs have launched an apprenticeship scheme for older apprentices in Surrey which aims to help older claimants into work.

“In 2014-2015, only a minority of LEPs had identified older workers as an important group within the workforce. Now almost all LEPs recognise that older workers are crucial to filling skills gaps and are planning projects to support older workers.”