aoc london members' bulletin issue 101 - 110930
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AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin 30 September 2011 Issue 101
Principals’ meeting with Mayoral Adviser Munira Mirza, 26 September Principals from 18 Colleges attended a meeting at City Hall on 26 September with Munira Mirza, Mayoral Adviser for Culture and Youth. Munira took over the Youth portfolio from Pam Chesters whom Principals had previously met. On the agenda were: the GLA’s and AoC’s/Colleges’ response to the August riots; the impact of the withdrawal of the Educational Maintenance Allowance on student enrolment and retention; the GLA’s intention to develop an FE Guide to provide information to employers and parents about London Colleges’ performance; a payment-by-results model for an adult careers service in London; and an ESOL feasibility study being conducted by the GLA. The GLA is keen to work with Colleges on the FE Guide and the ESOL study. Principals expressed their reservations about the FE Guide but agreed to discuss it further at the Principals’ Forum on 29 September. Representatives from London Councils and the Skills Funding Agency were also in attendance.
Heads of Sport meeting, 27 September A packed and interesting agenda for this meeting but only representatives from 11 Colleges. And that’s the key message: how to engage more London Colleges in the network? Attendees discussed a bid to SportEngland for funding to support a project to develop student-led support and community links. The project will be coordinated by the County Sports Partnerships CSPs). Presentations were also made by: Clare Howard on the latest AoC/British Colleges Sport developments; Hannah Crane from SkillsActive; Tim Copley from Proactive; and Tom Gibbins from the National Tennis Centre. If you’d like to find out more about the outcomes of the meeting and the date of the next meeting, please contact Rebecca Breen.
Regional Committee and Principals’ Forum, 29 September, Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College
The Regional Committee meeting discussed the draft London Colleges’ Manifesto for Mayoral and Assembly elections in 2012. It was agreed to make a number of amendments and represent it for further discussion at the Regional Forum on 12 October. Beverly Aboagye, Regional Procurement Manager, gave a presentation on AoC Procurement Development Team for London (AoC-PDT) and their programme of work over the next four months. The Committee made a number of suggestions regarding the programme of work and it was agreed to present a further report to the next Regional Committee in December regarding funding the continuation of the AoC-PDT service for London Colleges. The meeting also received updates from the AoC Board, Governors’ Council, Marketing Committee, AoC London officers and a 2012 update.
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The Principals’ Forum followed the Regional Committee and included funding updates from Jill Lowery, Director Area Relationship Team Skills Funding Agency and Mike Pettifer, Regional Director, YPLA. Notes of which will be circulated shortly. The forum also provided an update from the Urban College Group including their work following the London riots. Membership of this group is still open so if you are interested in joining this AoC National group, please let Rebecca Breen know. There was also a presentation by Stephen Evans, who has been working on AoCLR LSIS-funded project, entitled: How London’s Colleges can best deliver for London’s people and employers in this rapidly changing context. Slides from this presentation and his full report will follow in a future bulletin.
Outcome Incentive Payments: Feedback request London Councils have asked for feedback on Outcome Incentive Payments. Please see their message below: London Councils are keen to hear what work has been undertaken by colleges to date in terms of developing plans as part of the Outcome Incentive Payments, in order to get more people in to work in their local area. We would be interested to hear whether you have engaged with your local authority yet to work with them to help produce the plans, or whether you will be looking to engage with them in future. We would like to hear information on how this work is progressing and whether anything has worked well, or where there may be any sticking points that we may be able to assist with. From the responses that we receive we would like to look at whether we could share any best practice with other colleges and local authorities. Please contact Nicola Lowis ([email protected] 020 7934 9916) if you would like to share your thoughts or discuss in more detail."
AoC Briefing on letting premises following civil unrest AoC produced a briefing for Colleges regarding the letting of premises following the civil unrest. This was sent out to Colleges on 23 September. Please find the full briefing attached to this email.
Access HE AccessHE is the new post-Aimhigher organisation supporting access to higher education (HE) for learners in London from under-represented backgrounds. It is an independent non-government organisation working with over 30 universities inside and outside London. Schools and colleges can join AccessHE for FREE in 2011-12 and can nominate a member of staff to become an ‘AccessHE Advocate’. Each Advocate will receive FREE, accredited training. Contact [email protected] to join. AccessHE is a division of the London universities and HE Colleges representative organisation London Higher. It is supported by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) and the government’s Advocate for Access to Education, Rt Hon Simon Hughes MP.
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WorldSkills 2011 update WorldSkills London 2011 is here!!
If you don’t book now, you will not have another chance for at least 20 years.
The big event starts next week with the Opening Ceremony at the O2 on Tuesday, 4 October.
The competitions start on 5 October with Junior WorldSkills visiting in the morning. The full
programme is now accessible online, allowing you to book last minute for any activities you
might not have been aware of. You can also print out your itinerary.
http://www.worldskillslondon2011.com/schedule/
Geoff Russell sent invitations to all Principals last week for a reception he is hosting on Friday,
7 October from 12.30- 2pm in the auditorium at ExCel. This will be an opportunity to find out
about the legacy from WorldSkills and the contribution it will make to quality improvement in
the sector. Please send a substitute if you can’t attend yourself.
Part of the legacy activity is the extension of the Capital Equipment Fund from the middle of
October. A brochure of all the equipment and resources being offered will be put up on the
WSL2011 site and Colleges with current contracts with the Skills Funding Agency will be able
to bid for items. Grants of up to 50% will be available on many of the items. Equipment varies
from milling machines to work benches, making the offer on high value items very attractive.
Regional Skills Festival/Have a Go and Colleges Week
A number of Colleges have run Have a Go in College
activities this week as part of their Colleges Weeks
activity. Have a Go activities were run successfully in
Havering College of FE and HE this week: Students and
staff from the College headed to The Brewery Shopping
Centre in Romford to teach key life-saving skills to
members of the public. The college also offered
restaurant and cinema goers the opportunity to try out
hairdressing skills such as hair braiding, basket weaving
and hairdressing skills.
The Have a Go campaign continues after WorldSkills
London to the end of February, so if you would like to
run Have a Go activities at any recruitment or open days
and have some funding to support these, please contact
Colleges Week (beginning 26 September): as well as
running Have a Go events, many Colleges have been
supporting Team UK on Facebook and Twitter. Please
support the London WorldSkills competitors. Photo credit: Havering College of FE and HE
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The results of the survey undertaken with Year 10s on their awareness of post-GCSE options
was featured in a snippet on Monday’s ‘Today Programme’, as well as 35 radio stations across
the country. For information on all strands of activity, please see www.collegesweek.org
Olympics 2012 Ian Ashman, Principal, Hackney Community College, has written a paper for LOCOG Employment and Skills Group on Colleges and 2012 jobs. If you would like a copy of the paper please contact Rebecca Breen. Ian has requested that Colleges send him the name of their 2012 jobs coordinators: please send names and contact details to Ian Ashman. Mission Accomplished for John Ruskin College Student The Rotary Club of Croydon East sponsored one of our Level 3 Science students, Aisha Pervaiz on a week long course at Imperial College London at the beginning of August, which enabled her to work with NASA personnel on a once in a lifetime opportunity. During the programme she joined teams of other young people from across England and Scotland to come up with an idea to be carried out in space. The best idea was selected and will be built, launched from Kazakhstan and taken to the International Space Station. Photo credit: John Ruskin College
The NASA personnel involved, included a former astronaut, an astronaut Space Shuttle Mission Commander, a former Director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, a lead NASA astronaut trainer and a satellite communications expert. New Generations chairman from Croydon East’s Rotary Club, Cliff Quartly said “This was a unique opportunity for Aisha to experience at first hand, the essence of NASA team building, how space exploration benefits the earth, the environment of space and the experience of being in space. We are very pleased indeed to have had the opportunity to give this amazing chance to a gifted student from one of the Borough’s colleges. This could be a life changing experience for her. On completion of the course Aisha commented, ‘This was an incredible and astonishing experience for me which enhanced my confidence and presentation skills as well as developing my knowledge about life in space. I would like to thank the Rotary for sponsoring me and making me aware of this unique opportunity which will definitely help me with my future career in Biological Sciences’.
Student Success Stories of the Fortnight
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Date Event/meeting Attendees Agenda
16 Sept London Councils KA Meeting discussed: ESOL research and potential for follow up work, Update on the FE Guide, Outcome Incentive Payments and SFA expectations of colleges and training providers
20 Sept Kevin McGladdery KA Regular one to one meeting to discuss LSIS Governor events
22 Sept LEST 2012 KA Partner updates; ODA Learning Legacy; Olympic Park NSAFC report, Construction Skills
22 Sept London Literacy, Language and Numeracy Group
JS This meeting at City Hall discussed the sustainability of ESOL in London and LSIS support for Literacy, Language and Numeracy.
23 Sept Operational Sub-Group Meeting at London Councils
JS The meeting discussed the development of a
Learner Voice website, impact of bursaries,
several consultations and an ESF update.
23 Sept Marketing Committee Meeting
JS & RB The meeting discussed the WorldSkills /Colleges Week campaign; londoncolleges.com update; Colleges’ response to London riots and the Marketing Managers’ Network meeting in December.
26 Sept London First
KA Regular catch up with Mark Hilton
26 Sept Principals’ meeting with Munira Mirza
KA Agenda included:
Response to the recent civil disturbances
16-18 Bursary & EMA
FE Guide
Careers Service in London
GLA ESOL Feasibility Study 27 Sept Strategic Group for
Sport KA Updates; funding bid to Sport England
27 Sept Head of Sport network meeting
KA The agenda included:
National Strategy Update “Growing Sport, Growing Colleges”
Sport England funding updates
Working with NGBs and employers – proposal for the provision of relevant workforce qualifications
BCS update
Olympics opening ceremony
Developing Tennis in East London
FE and Riots 27 Sept Graeme Atherton KA Catch up meeting regarding Access HE
29 Sept Regional Committee AoCLR The agenda included discussion of the London
Recent meetings
AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 30 September 2011
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meeting team Manifesto for Mayoral elections and updates from the AoC Board, Governors’ Council, Marketing Committee, AoC London, AoC Procurement Manager and 2012 update.
29 Sept Principals’ Forum AoCLR team
The agenda included: Funding updates from Jill Lowery, Skills Funding Agency and Mike Pettifer, Regional Director, Young Person’s Learning Agency followed by discussion; Response to Riots; Enrolment update; Presentation by Stephen Evans on AoCLR LSIS-funded project
Date Event/meeting Attendees Agenda
4-8 Oct WorldSkills London AoCLR team
Visit the WorldSkills website for more
information: www.worldskillslondon2011.com/
7 Oct Clerks' network meeting
JS Agenda to be confirmed
11 Oct Abi Lammas KA Discussions on:
Regional Response Fund Activity
Regional communication and collaboration strategy
LSIS National and Regional update 12 Oct AoCLR Regional
Forum AoCLR team
Agenda to be confirmed
WorldSkills London 2011 – Sunday 4 October to Sunday 9 October, at the O2 and ExCel centre. Please contact Rebecca Breen for more information.
AoCLR Clerks' network meeting – Friday 7 October, 2pm-5pm at Westminster Kingsway College, Victoria Campus. Please contact Judith Smyth for more information.
AoCLR Regional Forum – Wednesday 12 October, 5pm-7pm at Westminster Kingsway College, Kings Cross campus. Please contact AoC London Region Events for more information.
AoCLR Business Development Managers’ network – Wednesday 12 October (PM) at City and Islington College. Please contact Judith Smyth for more information.
Management Strategies to Improve the use of Learning Technologies Conference -
Wednesday 12 October at etc.venues Paddington, London. The impact of digital technology on learning continues to evolve and mapping that evolution is complex. This
Events and Dates for the Diary
Future meetings
AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 30 September 2011
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conference will bring together experts in the use of learning technologies and will showcase innovative practice that is already achieving good results in Colleges. To find out more information please visit www.aoccreateevents.co.uk/technologyalt2011.
Mind the Gap! Seminar. Supporting and guiding young people on their journey through the new employment and skills landscape – Thursday 13 October, 1.45pm to 4.20pm at Mary Sumner House in Westminster. More information: http://tiny.cc/kxgw8
AoCLR Vice Principals Curriculum & Quality network meeting – Monday 17 October, 3pm-5pm at AoC offices, Stedham Place. Please contact Rebecca Breen for more information.
Applications, Admissions and Student Support Conference 2011 The new FE and HE landscape - An AoC National Conference. Wednesday 19 October 2011 - Aston Business School Conference Centre, Birmingham. www.aoccreateevents.co.uk/admissions2011.
AoCLR Finance Directors’ network meeting – Thursday 10 November, 9am-1pm, Venue tbc. Please contact Rebecca Breen for more information.
AoC’s Annual Conference and Exhibition: 15, 16 and 17 November 2011. Registration is now open for AoC’s flagship event of the year which takes place between Tuesday 15 and Thursday 17 November 2011 at the ICC in Birmingham.
AoSEC (Association of South East Colleges) is our sister organisation in the south east region. AOSEC runs 22 professional development networks which bring together staff from across the south east to hear and discuss updates on areas relating to the curriculum or their job role. Colleagues from London Colleges would be welcome to attend these networks. There is a charge for membership of the networks. Colleagues can find out more information and book online via http://aosec.org.uk/page/programme_activities/5. Full details of the network package for 2011/12 can be seen at http://aosec.org.uk/page/network_renewal_2011/12/131 For more information please contact Lisa Mullock: [email protected]
Looking back to inform the future: Ofsted's Annual Report and a new inspection
framework for 2012 - Tuesday 6 December 2011, Prospero House, London. www.aoccreateevents.co.uk/aocofsted2011
Routes into Languages – College Language Ambassadors From this September, Capital L Routes into Languages, based at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), will be extending its Language Ambassador scheme to include Year 12&13 students and would like to invite a nominee from each College to coordinate the scheme in your College, giving your students the opportunity to acquire employability skills and experience, and motivating them to explore the value of language learning, by promoting it to others.
Policy and other documents
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Capital L Routes into Languages will provide each College with the necessary resources, which have been developed by SOAS and their partner institutions. These resources can then be adapted, if necessary, by you and your College ambassadors. SOAS Language Ambassadors will be pleased to assist you with the interview process at your College, and training will be provided at SOAS. If you are interested in starting the scheme at your College, please register by filling out this online form by 14 October 2011. Please also find the student application form and role description attached. Find more information about the scheme.
Laser Learning
Laser Learning was launched in 2010 following the success of sister company The Childcare Company and its Laser training system. The company licenses its combined portfolio and learning programme to other training providers at low cost, meaning that learners all over the UK can now access the benefits of Laser online training in Childcare, Health and Social Care, Playwork and Supporting Teaching and Learning. If you are interested in finding out more about Laser Learning, please visit the website (http://www.laserlearning.co.uk/)
The Intelligence e-Group Despatch If you would like to view the latest issues of the Intelligence e-Group Despatch please follow this link. The Despatch is produced by Mike Cooper, from Education Development which works in partnership with AOSEC, LSC South East, LSN and City & Guilds Institute/Centre for Skills Development to provide a regular free electronic newsletter updating colleagues on latest developments in post-compulsory learning and skills and much more. For your free subscription to the Intelligence e-Group Despatch, e-mail Mike Cooper, giving brief details of your organisation and role.
GLA news
Get online, stay in touch for London 2012
London Mayor opens new generation primary school in Havering
Work hard, aim high – Mayor backs drive to get young people in care into jobs
If you wish to contact the AoC London office to give feedback on this bulletin, to request additional information where we have offered it, or to provide suggested content for future issues, please email Rebecca Breen. Kate Anderson Judith Smyth Regional Director Executive Manager [email protected] [email protected] Rebecca Breen Cyheme Bilouta Regional Coordinator Team Administrator (part-time) [email protected] [email protected]