Expert Programme s1

HE in FECs Expert programme

Sources of information (at July 2009)

Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Action on Access The national co-ordination team for A range of publications, www.actiononaccess.org widening participation and Aimhigher. conferences and events Provides support to those working to widen participation through its support for regional partnerships and institutions. Aimhigher The national programme supporting Has a practitioner website: www.aimhigher.ac.uk widening participation in higher education. www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/ www.hefce.ac.uk/widen/aimhigh/ Funded until 2011. home/

Directgov’s university and higher education pages are the home for aimhigher information.

Alliance of Sector Skills The collective voice of the 25 SSCs. www.ssc alliance .org Councils Replaced the Sector Skills Development Agency in 2008. Association of Colleges The representative organisation for A range of publications; monthly www.aoc.co.uk (AoC) further education. Has an HE in FE group Curriculum and Quality Briefings which discusses policy and practice, and an annual HE in FE conference. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Association for Promotes collaborative working by FE Conducting a HEFCE Leadership, www.acp.ac.uk Collaborative Provision of and HE institutions in England for the Governance and Management higher education in delivery of HE in FE, through a forum that (LGM) funded project ‘The ability further education in encourages debate, sharing of good to deliver’ – A Case Study on England (ACP) practice, mutual support and impartial Models of Governance in Existing advice. and Proposed University Centres Centre for Excellence in Fosters and supports leadership Offers programmes, events, www.centreforexcellence.org.uk Leadership (CEL) improvement in the FE sector. support services and bespoke Merged with QIA in October 2008 to consultancy become LSIS (see below). Council of Validating An organisation with HE and FE A range of publications, including www.cvu.ac.uk Universities membership, to promote and share good a handbook on quality assurance practice in collaborative provision. Has an annual conference. Department for Business, In June 2009 the Department for DIUS documentation can be www.bis.gov.uk Innovation and Skills Business Innovation and Skills was accessed through the new created by a merger of the Department department’s website or the www.dcsf.gov.uk for Innovation, Universities and Skills historic DIUS website. (DIUS), see below, and the Department The portal www.direct.gov.uk includes for Business Enterprise and Regulatory information and advice on higher Reform (BERR). education, including on student finance

A separate department, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), leads on children and young people. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Department for DIUS was one of two departments that ‘The future of higher education’, www.dius.gov.uk Innovation, Universities replaced the DfES in 2007. It had White Paper, 2003 and Skills (DIUS) responsibility for all post-19 learning in ‘Further Education: Raising Skills, further and higher education. Improving Life Chances’, FE White Paper, 2006 In June 2009 DIUS was merged with the ‘World Class Skills: Implementing Department for Business Enterprise and the Leitch Review of Skills in Regulatory Reform (BERR) to create the England’, 2007 Department for Business Innovation and ‘Higher Education at Work’, 2008 Skills (BIS) (see above) Consultation: the government response to ‘The Leitch Review of Skills’, 2006 ‘Innovation Nation’, White Paper, 2008 With DCSF: ‘Raising Expectations: enabling the system to deliver’, Consultation, 2008 Guidance to colleges seeking www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/dap/FDAPGuida Foundation degree awarding nceCriteria.asp powers. Edexcel Incorporates BTEC, the awarding body A range of publications, including www.edexcel.org.uk for higher national qualifications. Colleges regular policy briefings. can offer programmes off the shelf; HEIs Handbooks for centres and can develop programmes under licence. external examiners of HNs. The Europe Unit A sector-wide body working in the Has a detailed explanation of the www.europeunit.ac.uk interests of UK higher education and relationship between national addressing European issues. arrangements for credit in HE in England and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Foundation Degree Announced in the 2003 White Paper, set A range of publications to support www.fdf.ac.uk Forward (fdf) up in 2004 with a contract subsequently employer/provider partnerships Join the JISC e-mail forum: extended until 2011. Remit to promote and other aspects of work-based www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/FOUNDATION- employer engagement in higher learning. DEGREE-FORUM.html education and support the target of Quarterly journal: ‘Forward’. 100,000 foundation degree students by 2010.

GuildHE The representative organisation of www.guildhe.ac.uk colleges of higher education. Higher Education The Academy’s purpose is to support and The Academy has developed the www.heacademy.ac.uk Academy (HEA) enhance teaching and learning in higher Standards Framework for education. It has 24 subject centres and a Teaching and Supporting Student www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/institution senior adviser for HE in FE who leads on Learning in Higher Education, and s/heinfe activities and events. Holds an annual provides a register of practitioners conference in July. and an accreditation service for HEIs’ training programmes. Research observatory. Dedicated section of website on HE in FE. Directory of HE in FE. Monthly e-briefing on HE in FE. Higher Education and Was the official gateway to UK www.hero.ac.uk Research Opportunities in universities, colleges and research the UK (HERO) organisations. This site is now closed but accessing it provides a page of links to the relevant information located on a range of sites. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Higher Education Funding HEFCE is responsible for all public All publications and circular letters www.hefce.ac.uk can be used to access Council for England funding of prescribed higher education in can be accessed on the HEFCE all funding guidance (HEFCE) England whatever the providing web-site. institution. It is not formally a planning Historical documents relating to Dedicated HE in FE pages: body, but some of its initiatives affect HE in FE: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/heinfe/ planning. ‘Review of indirect funding agreements and arrangements Predecessor funding bodies were the between higher education Universities Funding Council and the institutions and further education Polytechnics and Colleges Funding colleges’ (HEFCE 2003/57), Council. 2003 LLNs: several circular letters and progress reports, from 2004 Teaching funding review Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (see HEFCE 2005/17). One CETL at the University of Plymouth (HELP) is specifically for HE in FE. ‘Supporting higher education in further education colleges. Policy, practice and prospects. 2009/05 and the supplement ‘Writing higher education strategies’ Institute for Learning (IfL) The professional body for teachers and www. ifl .ac.uk tutors in further education. FE teachers need to register with the IfL and follow continuous professional development for a minimum of 30 hours per year. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Joint Information Systems JISC supports further and higher A range of publications, including www.jisc.ac.uk Committee (JISC) education by providing strategic good practice guides, see guidance, advice and opportunities to use www.jisc.ac.uk/collections ICT to support teaching, learning, research and administration. JISC is funded by all the UK post-16 and higher education funding councils. Leadership Foundation The organisation provides support and Reports and reviews www.lfhe.ac.uk for Higher Education advice on leadership, governance and (LFHE) management of HE. Learning and Skills The funding body for the learning and A range of publications for www.lsc.gov.uk Council (LSC) skills sector, which includes FE and non- guidance and information. prescribed HE. The LSC has a planning function. It is government policy to replace the LSC in 2010. The Skills Funding Agency will take on funding responsibility for post-19 education and training, but will not have a planning function. (The Young People’s Learning Agency will manage the performance of local authority funded provision for 16-18 year olds in colleges.) Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Learning and Skills Formerly within the Learning and Skills Parry G and Thompson A, 2002, www.lsneducation.org.uk Network (LSN) Development Agency. From 1 April 2006, ‘Closer by degrees: the past, the LSN continued LSDA’s research, present and future of higher training and consultancy work. HE in FE education in further education research publications were inherited from colleges’ the predecessor organisation. Parry G, Davies P and Williams J, 2003, ‘Dimensions of difference: higher education in the learning and skills sector’ Parry G, Davies P and Williams J, 2004, ‘Difference, diversity and distinctiveness: higher education in the learning and skills sector’. Learning and Skills The Learning and Skills Improvement Offers programmes, events, http://www.lsis.org.uk Improvement Service Service is the new sector-owned support services and bespoke (LSIS) body, formed from Centre for Excellence consultancy. in Leadership (CEL) and Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning (QIA) to develop excellent and sustainable FE provision across the sector. Learning and Skills A grouping of people and organisations Regional and national meetings, a www.lsrn.org.uk/ Research Network involved in research. newsletter and a national (LSRN) conference. Lifelong Learning UK The SSC for education and training. The standards for teacher training www.lluk.org (LLUK) Replaced FENTO (the national training qualifications for FE in England. organisation for FE). These have been replaced by a framework covering teachers, tutors and trainers and leading to qualified status and a licence to practise, implemented in 2007. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Lifelong Learning The LLN National Forum brings together www.lifelonglearningnetworks.org.uk Networks National Forum the 30 LLNs operating across England to share and disseminate good practice. Mixed Economy Group MEG represents those further education Chair: John Widdowson, Principal of New (MEG) of colleges colleges which have a significant, College Durham, e-mail: established, strategic and developmental John.Widdowson@ role in the provision of higher education. newdur.ac.uk Members have at least 500 FTEs of HE. National Institute of Adult NIACE’s remit covers adult and A range of publications that www.niace.org.uk and Continuing Education continuing education, with a particular impact on HE in FE (NIACE) emphasis on widening participation. National Student Survey A survey of students in their final year of a Results available on Unistats (see www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/nss/ (NSS) course leading to an undergraduate below). www.unistats.com www.thestudentsurvey.com/ qualification in the UK. Commissioned by HEFCE and Reports published by HEFCE. administered by Ipsos MORI. First survey took place in 2005 and extended to include directly funded students in colleges in 2008. Netskills The quality internet training service (partly Netskills has designed a www.netskills.ac.uk/accreditation funded by JISC). Professional Development Certificate in e-learning. It is accredited by BTEC at level 4 of the NQF. Office for Fair Access OFFA is an independent, non- Guidance and all approved www.offa.org.uk (OFFA) departmental public body which aims to Access Agreements promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for under-represented groups in light of the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006-07. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Office of the The regulator of qualifications, ‘Regulatory arrangements for the www.ofqual.gov.uk Qualifications and examinations and tests in England. Set Qualifications and Credit Examinations Regulator up in 2008 separate from the QCA (see Framework’, 2008 (Ofqual) below). Detail on all approved The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and qualifications on the National Learning Bill is scheduled to make Ofqual Qualifications Framework (NQF) a separate organisation and transform the and the new Qualifications and QCA into the QCDA. Credit Framework (QCF) can be obtained through the national database of accredited qualifications (NDAQ) (previously known as openquals): www.accreditedqualifications.org. uk/index.aspx Office for Standards in The inspectorate whose responsibility Guidance for inspection. www.ofsted.gov.uk Education, Children’s includes inspection of FECs, covering Reports on colleges on its web- Services and Skills provision up to level 3 and LSC funded site – frequently referred to in (Ofsted) non-prescribed higher education. Its remit QAA reviews. Initial teacher includes the inspection of schools and training, including that for teaching children’s services. It brought together, in in the lifelong learning sector, is April 2007, four formerly separate reported separately. inspectorates. Open University Offers an institutional approval and www.open.ac.uk/validate/ Validation Service programme validation service for (OUVS) providers of higher education. Quality Improvement Formerly within the Learning and Skills www.qia.org.uk Agency for Lifelong Development Agency. It transferred, Learning (QIA) along with CEL (see above), to the new Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) in 2008. Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Quality Assurance QAA is responsible for assuring the Academic Infrastructure (four www.qaa.ac.uk Agency for Higher quality and standards of higher education components) Education (QAA) in England. ‘The handbook for Integrated http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/IQER/defa Quality and Enhancement ult.asp The new method of review for FECs, Review’, 2008 Integrated Quality Enhancement and ‘Integrated quality and Review (IQER) started a five-year cycle in enhancement review: a guide for 2008. students’ Supplementary guidelines on preparing the self-evaluation for Developmental Engagement in student assessment’ ‘Information bulletin 2008 – Findings from the IQER pilot reviews: Assessment’ ‘Higher education credit framework for England’, 2008 ‘Learning from reviews of foundation degrees carried out in 2004-05’, 2006 ‘Learning from higher education in further education 2002-07’, 2008 Guidance to colleges seeking www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/dap/FDAPGuida Foundation degree awarding nceCriteria.asp powers Organisation Summary Publications Accessing the organisation Qualifications and Set up in 1997, the QCA was responsible Guidance on the range and www.qca.org.uk Curriculum Authority for agreeing the programmes included in development of qualifications www.qcda.gov.uk (QCA) the National Qualifications Framework Qualifications and (NQF). The regulatory function for the Curriculum Development new vocational Qualifications and Credit Agency (QCDA) Framework (QCF) is now the responsibility of Ofqual.

The QCA is now operating some of non- regulatory functions as the QCDA. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill is scheduled to make Ofqual a separate organisation and transform the QCA into the QCDA. Society for Research into An independent organisation which aims www.srhe.ac.uk Higher Education (SRHE) to improve the quality of higher education through encouraging debate and publication on issues of policy, the management of HEIs, the curriculum and teaching and learning methods. Unistats Brings together key sources of official www.unistats.com information about the quality of HE in UK universities and colleges. Replaces TQI. Universities UK (UUK) Formerly the Council for Vice Chancellors www.universitiesuk.ac.uk and Principals, UUK is the representative body for universities. Universities Vocational A not-for-profit organisation with FE and Undertakes research, has a range www.uvac.ac.uk Awards Council (UVAC) HE membership. Has a particular interest of publications on vocational in workplace learning. Organises an education. annual conference.