Further Education Review

COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE

DATE 24 OCTOBER 2007

SUBJECT REVIEW OF FURTHER EDUCATION IN MANCHESTER

FROM CHIEF EXECUTIVE ______

PURPOSE OF REPORT

To provide an update to Executive on progress being made in the creation of a new single Further Education (FE) institution for Manchester.

To advise Executive of the current planned timescale for achieving the dissolution of both existing further education colleges as part of the process of the creation of the new institution.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that Executive:

(i) Note the progress being made by the Learning and Skills Council in taking forward the recommendations arising from the review of Further Education provision in Manchester (ii) Reaffirms the Council’s support for the dissolution of both existing Further Education colleges and the creation of a new, single further education institution which will be capable of delivering significantly enhanced curriculum planning and access for learners across Manchester. (iii) Authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Executive Member for Economy and Employment, to continue to work with the Learning and Skills Council and with both of the existing FE colleges in order to ensure that the process of dissolution of the existing institutions and the creation of the new FE college is taken forward in an orderly and timely fashion. (iv) Urges the governing bodies of both the Manchester College of Arts and Technology (MANCAT) and the City College Manchester (CCM) to work collaboratively in order to ensure the maximum engagement of staff and key stakeholders in the process of dissolution and of the creation of the new FE College.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no financial implications

BACKGROUND REPORTS

Report to Executive, 13 September 2006: LSC Review of Further Education Colleges in Manchester

Report to Executive, 14 February 2007: LSC Review of Further Education Provision in Manchester

Report to Economy, Employment and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 18 July 2007 and Executive, 25 July 2007: Review of Further Education in Manchester

WARDS AFFECTED

All

IMPLICATIONS FOR KEY COUNCIL POLICIES

Employment Yes Anti Poverty Yes Environment No Equal Opportunities Yes

CONTACT

Eamonn Boylan Deputy Chief Executive (Regeneration) – 0161 234 3280 [email protected]

2 1.0 Background

1.1 The Executive has received a series of reports setting out the progress in the review of Further Education (FE) provision in the city and in the implementation of the recommendations arising from that review.

1.2 The Executive has been consistent in its support for the recommendations arising from the reviews conducted by the Learning and Skills Council and has given its full support to the strategy to dissolve both Manchester College of Arts and Technology (MANCAT) and City College Manchester (CCM) as a necessary precursor to the creation of an entirely new unified institution for the city.

1.3 This report seeks to update the Executive on progress made in implementing the strategy and seeks reaffirmation of the Council’s position in respect of creation of the new FE institution.

2.0 Implementation of the recommendations of the FE Review

2.1 Considerable progress has been made in moving forward the strategy for the dissolution of the two colleges and the creation of the new institution. The Executive will recall that the Corporations of both the existing colleges approved the initial proposal for the creation of the single institution at the beginning of June. That proposal was subsequently endorsed by the Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council as the basis for formal public consultation which took place during July 2007.

2.2 The response to the public consultation process was overwhelmingly supportive of the principle of the double dissolution of the existing institutions and the creation of the new college. The City Council, in line with the resolution of the Executive of the 18 July 2007, responded formally to the Learning and Skills Council giving the strongest possible support for the strategy with the view to achieving the establishment of the new institution by the beginning of the academic year 2008/9.

2.3 Following the successful consultation exercise and the summer holiday period both the existing colleges undertook appropriate due diligence testing of the other in order to ensure identification of any key issues that would impact on the business planning for the new institution. This work has served its purpose and identified a range of issues that will need to be addressed in order to underpin the business plan for the new college. These issues relate to the need to invest in the improvement and replacement of buildings and in improvement in management systems to enable more effective accounting for learning numbers and other issues.

2.4 It is the view of the Learning and Skills Council for Greater Manchester that the due diligence work, while highlighting some concerns, has not raised any fundamental obstacle to the delivery of the agreed strategy. The Learning and Skills Council is, therefore, seeking to press ahead

3 with the process of creating a submission to the secretary of State to seek authorisation for the double dissolution and for the creation of the new FE college. It is proposed that the submission be made to the Secretary of State by the end of November 2007. The Chief Executive is fully supportive of the Learning and Skills Councils view and strongly recommends that the City Council continue to work with the Learning and Skills Council and the existing colleges in order to deliver this outcome.

2.5 While to due diligence has not unearthed any fundamental impediment to proceeding with the agreed strategy for Further Education it has served to highlight tensions between the corporations of both CCM and MANCAT. The Learning and Skills Council have proposed to manage this through the creation of a series of bilateral negotiations with the individual college corporations in order to ensure that progress is maintained. The Learning and Skills Council has also promoted a series of engagements with senior staff from within both colleges in order to try and ensure that their support for the delivery of the new institution is secured and to enable them to begin the necessary processes of workforce planning that will underpin the creation of the new institution.

2.6 The Chief Executive and the Executive Member for Economy and Employment are fully supportive of the Learning and Skills Council approach as are other members of the City Council who are members of the corporations of the existing colleges. It is essential that the process of creating the new institution is undertaken with full support and engagement of the existing senior management teams who will be required to provide substantial leadership to the new institution.

3.0 Next steps

3.1 The Learning and Skills Council is currently advertising for appropriately qualified persons to sit on the governing body of the new institution. The Learning and Skills Council will seek to nominate up to 8 members of the new governing body to enable it to become established. It is envisaged that the governing body will then recruit to take its membership up to 15. The City Council will be represented on the new governing body.

3.2 It is still proposed that, subject to the successful outcome of the bilateral negotiations between the Learning and Skills Council and the individual corporations, that the submission to the Secretary of State for the dissolution of the existing colleges and the creation of the new institution be completed by the end of November 2007.

4.0 Recommendations

4.1 Full recommendations appear at the front of this report.