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Employer responsive curriculum Examples of best practice Contents Introduction 4 Context 6 Case Studies Health and Social Care 8 Logistics 10 Creative Industries 12 Active Leisure 14 constructionsite 16 Food and Drink Manufacturing 18 Travel and Tourism Research 20 Introduction Introduction Introduction Leap Ahead Lifelong Learning Network in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and Skills for Sustainable Communities Lifelong Learning Network in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland The two networks represent 43 Further Education (FE) Colleges and Higher Education (HE) Universities. Funded by HEFCE, Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs) aim to increase progression into vocational Higher Education through supporting a wide range of initiatives and development. These include bringing together employers and curriculum teams to ensure that courses meet real skills needs, working to open HE opportunities to a wider community, developing information advice and guidance on HE opportunities to all of those who could benefit, helping understand and resolve barriers to raising skills levels and making the case to employers for investing in the skills of their workforce. Together the LLNs have had a real impact on making the HE curriculum in the East Midlands, working with Universities and FE Colleges to help make HE programmes more responsive to the needs of employers and ensuring that those with high level skills can make a real impact at work and develop their careers. To date across the East Midlands, more than 60 new courses have been developed, more than 600 individuals have benefited from additional growth funding (ASNs) through the LLNs, and more than 3200 places have been created on new employer orientated HE programmes. If you would like to know more about the work of the Lifelong Learning Networks please visit: www.leapahead.ac.uk www.le.ac.uk/ssclln Mike Braund Rose Robinson Director of Leap Ahead Director of Skills for Sustainable Communities 4 5 Context Context The context The East Midlands is the third largest region in England.1 It has a very mixed geographical terrain including coastal areas, rural countryside and urban conurbations and is the third most rural region. This brings challenges to enhance opportunities to involve possible learners wherever they live. When the two Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNS) were set up in 2006, the East Midlands was ‘characterised by a combination of high employment and a predominance of jobs demanding low skills and paying low wages’. So the region recognised the importance of ‘raising skills to enhance economic performance.’ 2 Moreover the key factor to compete in a global market is a higher skills base to support a knowledge-based economy. The East Midlands population of men (19-64) and women (19-59) qualified to level 4 and above is a lower proportion than in the ‘nation as a whole.’ 3 The challenge for the two Lifelong Learning Networks, Leap Ahead and Skills for Sustainable Communities (SSCLLN) was to create opportunities for vocational learners to progress from level 3 qualifications to level 4 Higher Education qualifications. Though the region has a large number of universities and also colleges that provide Higher Education, they are not necessarily in easy reach of all potential learners. Neither do they all offer the types of courses that vocational learners and their employers require. Therefore a critical objective of the LLNs has been to extend the places of learning to more Further Education colleges and to support universities and colleges to create new courses in the priority economic sectors. This document showcases some of the employer responsive curriculum that has been developed by Leap Ahead and SSCLLN. 1 http://www.emda.org.uk/res/default.asp 2 http://www.emda.org.uk/employmentskills/default.asp?nav=07 3 http://www.emra.gov.uk/files/sor2009full.pdf 6 7 Health & Social Care Health & Social Care The employer-led qualification Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care (Palliative and Supportive Care) LOROS provides hospice care in The current programme is delivered Leicestershire and Rutland. Its Education primarily at LOROS by established trained Department provides courses for staff and approved teachers who have specialist who work in a range of occupations that palliative and supportive care, with have an interest in palliative care. As an University of Northampton staff participating innovative organisation it saw the potential in the delivery of core modules. of foundation degrees to give work-based Modules delivered in class are all work- learners the opportunity to access Higher related and assessments use methods Education (HE) qualifications in a bespoke that relate to practical situations such programme. With the support of fdf, a as portfolios, case studies and poster foundation degree was planned. presentations. There are also work- The University of Northampton had an based learning modules that provide the existing Foundation Degree in Health and opportunity for students to carry out in- Social Care and was therefore an ideal depth research into their work practice and partner for LOROS to develop a specialist they have a workplace mentor. pathway in Palliative Care. Both fdf and ‘Help the Hospices’ has helped in the University representatives became promoting the programme and has members of the Steering Group. SSCLLN provided access for students to provided an opportunity to access further Professional Development Grants. Students funding and work with supportive and may do a HE Certificate or Foundation helpful University staff to develop the Degree, and the modules are also offered structure and context of the curriculum, as stand alone units of Continuous provide advice on learning outcomes Professional Development (CPD). and quality assurance. Specialist content was developed using expertise in LOROS In February 2010 four students graduated and members of the Steering Group who with a foundation degree and applications represented a wide range of disease for the programme now exceed places. specific groups and care settings. The Head of Education believes that The success of this initiative was the benefits to LOROS include being recognised by other hospices and recognized as a provider of high quality LOROS saw the possibility of rolling out education in end of life care and recognition the programme nationally and making of the importance of the support worker appropriate amendments to the programme in end of life care with appropriate skills 8 to meet regional requirements. and knowledge. 9 Logistics Logistics Logistics moving forward at Chesterfield College Chesterfield College have responded to This range of activities supports the delivery growing employer demand for online and of e-learning short bite sized modules in flexible delivery by updating their resources Operations Management across a range of for the Foundation Degree in Logistics and curriculum areas. This has resulted in the Supply Chain Management, now recruiting identification and sharing of good practice for its fifth successive year. in the development of interactive online materials and expertise within the college Leap Ahead have worked with Chesterfield and across the Leap Ahead Network. College and local employers to support the growing skills needs of this emerging Employers from a range of manufacturing, sector with its demands of seven-day, distribution and retail businesses including twenty-four hour working. The sector has Wilkinson and DHL have supported the a profusion of small workplaces, such as programme and the positive feedback small engineering services or distribution from learners shows that they have firms. 80% of workplaces in the logistics gained confidence and development sector employ ten or fewer people and the from the course. nature of employment in this sector makes “Participating in the Supply Chain Degree regular attendance at college very difficult, course had broadened my knowledge and which has been the driving force behind this moved me into areas of business I never new development. knew existed”. Dan Poznanski – Alliance Partnership working has enabled the Boots, Nottingham college to enhance the quality of its online “I can now critically appraise situations resources, making them available across rather than make judgements based on a range of related sectors and vocational assumptions”. Simon Webster – Wilkinson. areas. This has provided an interactive online resource including pod casts and video clips to accompany lecture notes and online interactive discussions. 10 11 Creative Industries Industries Creative Preparing students to be performance professionals Foundation Degree Performance (Acting) and Foundation Degree Performance (Dance) The support of SSCLLN contributed to that college staff could take time-out to Leicester College’s success in becoming write the programme modules. The most the founder college for the National Skills innovative element of this development is Academy, bringing together education the acquisition of a local Arts Centre for and employers in the areas of technical students to perform in. The Arts Centre theatre and live music events. Linked to this will provide professional/commercial has been the development of two ground experience for students to take part in breaking foundation degrees with LLN front-of-house activities, technical support funding. The Foundation Degree (Acting) and performance. and Foundation Degree Performance Unlike many performance degrees these (Dance) offer