Dudley College and for Taking the Time to Read Our Annual Review of 2009-10
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ANNUAL REVIEW 2009 - 2010 www.dudleycol.ac.uk PRINCIPAL’s WELCOME MANY THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN DUDLEY COLLEGE AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ OUR ANNUAL REVIEW OF 2009-10. It was, undoubtedly, another challenging year for the college and for the communities and businesses we support here in the Black Country. If anything, these difficult economic times heighten the importance of further education and the significant role colleges play in the social and economic regeneration of their local communities. Last year, through our diverse curriculum, we supported record numbers of young people on full time programmes and apprenticeships. In doing so we were pleased to see our success rates maintained above the national average and improved considerably in some areas. In short, more young people attended the college than ever before and more left us with their target qualification achieved. Like many other colleges we experienced significant cuts in funding for general adult education programmes. In many ways it is disappointing to see these programmes in decline. We are, however, immensely proud of the significant growth we achieved on our programmes to upskill employed adults and to get those out of work back into jobs. Our new employability centre at Brierley Hill operated close to capacity throughout the year. Whilst we know there are further reductions in public funding in 2010/11 and beyond, we remain positive and up-beat about our future. In January 2011 building work starts on our new Dudley town centre campus and in 2012 we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary with the opening of our new campus. If I or any of my staff can be of assistance to you at any time, please do not hesitate to contact us. Lowell Williams Principal 2 DUDLEY COLLEGE ANNUAL REVIEW 09/10 visit us online at: www.dudleycol.ac.uk WELCOME Chair’s WELCOME WELCOME TO OUR ANNUAL REPORT OUTLINING ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR THE COLLEGE. Congratulations to our learners who have achieved success from their courses and to our dedicated staff who have worked so effectively with them. The future will be challenging but we are confident that we can continue to build on the high standards we are setting. We are also hopeful that over the next year we will make real progress on new college buildings around the Broadway campus to create a new Learning Quarter close to the Town Centre. These new facilities will benefit future learners and help regenerate a significant area of Dudley Town Centre. As well as thanking our staff for their efforts, I also recognise the contribution of the Principal and his Senior Management Team as well as my colleagues on the College’s Governing Body (the Corporation) who give so generously of their time. Viv Astling Chair of the Corporation visit us online at: www.dudleycol.ac.uk DUDLEY COLLEGE ANNUAL REVIEW 09/10 3 OUR MISSION OUTSTANDING LEARNING WHICH DEVELOPS SKILLS, RAISES ASPIRATIONS AND CHANGES LIVES. ABOUT US Welcome to Dudley College - a ‘GOOD’ college in every sense of the word. I hope that our latest annual report gives you a taste of the progress and achievements that we have made over the last twelve months, as well as a true insight into college life here. VISION Our vision for the future is: By 2014 we will be recognised locally, regionally, nationally and internationally as a provider of high quality, successful education and skills training. Dudley College will be known as ‘a great place to study and work’. Success rates will be high and above national averages at all levels and for all ages. Teaching will be routinely good, and very often outstanding. Learners and staff alike VALUES will report high levels of satisfaction with the college, certainly above In achieving our aims and in delivering our mission we will: averages for the sector and in l Put the learner at the heart of all we do. line with the ‘best in class’ in the l Act with integrity and mutual respect. public and private sector. Ofsted, l Communicate clearly and openly. and others, will report that Dudley l Value each and every individual. College is Outstanding. l Recognise innovation and success. l Support and encourage team working. This vision has been enacted in our l Be a model of good equality and diversity practice. updated mission statement. l Reduce the college’s impact on its environment. 4 DUDLEY COLLEGE ANNUAL REVIEW 09/10 visit us online at: www.dudleycol.ac.uk ABOUT DUDLEY COLLEGE OUR FIVE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES: To focus ourselves in taking the next steps, we have identified five key strategic priorities that underpin our mission and that will drive our operational actions. l Priority One – A culture of high expectations, high achievement. l Priority Two – Towards an outstanding college. l Priority Three – Curriculum innovation. l Priority Four – Effective employer engagement. l Priority Five – Investing in our people. Our strategic priorities translate into a set of objectives which on achievement will ensure that our local community will recognise Dudley as a proactive college which serves their needs and supports the economic, social and personal development of local people. Our learners will comment that our provision is welcoming and inclusive. By 2015 we will be operating from new, inspirational buildings fit for education in the 21st Century. Our intention is to create a new building to house the proposed Dudley 6th Form Centre with learning delivered collaboratively with the college’s local partner schools. The Dudley 6th Form Centre will be a new beacon of aspiration for the north, centre and west of the borough giving learners a real choice regarding A level provision. Also within our estates strategy, we shall seek to establish a new higher education centre close to Dudley town centre, developed in partnership with our higher education partner university, the University of Wolverhampton. Employers will recognise the college as a key partner in driving their business performance and meeting their skills needs. Our services to employers will be flexible, responsive and effective and the college will enjoy very high levels of employer responsive provision. The college will be at the heart of regeneration strategies, and will champion collaborative initiatives, working to address the skills challenge in the Black Country and the wider West Midlands. We will continue to work closely with our local schools, community and voluntary organisations, franchise partners and business intermediaries. visit us online at: www.dudleycol.ac.uk DUDLEY COLLEGE ANNUAL REVIEW 09/10 5 2009-10 HAS BEEN A GOOD YEAR FOR US: (KEY OUTCOMES) l We have ensured that teaching and assessment across the college is maintained at a high standard (80% of staff achieved ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ grades). l We further developed our support mechanisms especially for young people to maximise their opportunity for success. l We have broadly maintained overall success rates and improved considerably in some curriculum areas. l We established a dedicated employability skills centre to enhance the work opportunities of unemployed adults. l We have completely re-engineered our curriculum offer for learners with learning difficulties/disabilities. l Threshold services have been redesigned to better meet the needs of learners. l Student social spaces have been extended or expanded. l Learner and staff feedback surveys showed that overall satisfaction levels have improved. l Significant investment has been made in a new ‘virtual learning environment’. l We have adopted a consistently high quality and uniform approach to how the college is managed through a rigorously applied performance management framework. l We have trained all business support staff in the ‘internal customer’ concept. l All teachers and assessors have received safeguarding training. l We completed the feasibility study for the new learning quarter for the town and are now progressing the new build plans vigorously. l We have developed strong relationships with some key employers. l Good financial health has been maintained. Our diverse curriculum has been maintained, both in terms of academic and vocational l Engineering. subjects, aimed at meeting the needs of both l English for Speakers of Other Languages. young people and adults, and employers and l Hair and Beauty. local communities. l Health & Social Care. The curriculum was particularly strong in l Humanities. the areas of: l Management & Professional programmes. l Retail. l Accounting. l Skills for Life. l Art and Design. l Teacher Training. l Business Studies. l Work Based Learning. l Childcare. 14 new products were developed this year to enable l Construction and Environmental Technologies. us to meet very specific training needs identified by l Creative and Performing Arts. local employers. 6 DUDLEY COLLEGE ANNUAL REVIEW 09/10 visit us online at: www.dudleycol.ac.uk ABOUT DUDLEY COLLEGE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM Lowell Williams, Principal, joined the college in March 2008. The day to day management of the college is organised through a Directorate, comprised of the Principal and six Directors: of Learning, Finance, Student Support, Standards, Performance and Development, Personnel, and Estates and Capital Projects. ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT The Academic Management Team is led by the Director of Learning and the Director of Student Support. Five Heads of Centre report to the Director of Learning and one Head of Centre reports to the Director of Student Support. They are supported by 21 Curriculum Managers, and together they are responsible for the delivery of teaching and learning across a range of qualifications. In addition, ten Advanced Practitioners assure the quality and development of good practice in teaching and learning. COLLEGE STAFF We directly employ over 770 teaching and business support staff. All staff have the opportunity to operate across a broad range of activities and the college is fortunate in the adaptability and flexibility of this, it’s biggest resource.