Item 10(3) Report to the Executive for Decision 7 January 2008 Portfolio: Policy, Strategy and Finance Subject: Proposed Merger between Fareham College and St Vincent College, Gosport Report of: Chief Executive Officer Strategy/Policy: Corporate Maintaining and extending prosperity Objective: Purpose: The Council has been invited to comment on a proposal that Fareham College and St Vincent College, Gosport should merge. This report summarises the proposal and invites the Executive to consider making a formal response on behalf of the Council. Executive summary: The Learning and Skills Council for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has recently published a proposal that Fareham College and St Vincent College should merge from August 2008, creating a new general further education college, which will provide an academic, vocational and occupational curriculum. The intention is subsequently to develop a new campus in a new location, currently suggested as the Daedalus site, by 2010/11. The proposal is available for public consultation until 1 February 2008 and the Council has been invited to comment. Recommendation: That the Executive formulate a response to the proposal on behalf of the Council. Reason: The Council in exercising its community leadership role has a duty to consider the impact of this proposal for the area. Cost of proposals: There are no financial implications for the Council arising from consideration of this proposal. Contact: Barbara Wright, Head of Democratic Services E-mail – [email protected] (Tel: 01329 824585 ) xps-080107-r03-bwr.doc 2 Item 10(3) Appendices A: Risk Assessment Background papers: Public consultation document on the proposed merger between Fareham College and St Vincent College published by the Learning and Skills Council for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, 3 December 2007. Contact: Barbara Wright, Head of Democratic Services E-mail – [email protected] (Tel: 01329 824585 ) xps-080107-r03-bwr.doc 3 Item 10(3) Executive Briefing Paper Date: 7 January 2008 Subject: Proposed Merger between Fareham College and St Vincent College, Gosport Briefing by: Chief Executive Officer Portfolio: Policy, Strategy and Finance INTRODUCTION 1. The Learning and Skills Council for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has recently published a proposal that Fareham College and St Vincent College should merge. The proposal is available for public consultation until 1 February 2008 and the Council has been invited to comment. 2. This report summarises the key details of the proposal. The full document is available to members on request to Democratic Services or otherwise via the LSC website (www.lsc.gov.uk). The Executive is asked to formulate a response on behalf of the Council. Councillors will also be invited to respond individually via the medium of the members’ newsletter. THE PROPOSAL 3. The consultation document sets out the background and rationale to the proposal, which is in effect to merge the Fareham and St Vincent Colleges with a view to creating a new college to serve the communities of Fareham and Gosport by 1 August 2008 and subsequently developing a new campus in a new location by 2010/11. Objectives 4. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) believes that the merger of the colleges is the best way forward to address the post-16 education and training needs of both Fareham and Gosport, as well as meeting the emerging learning and skills agenda for both 14-19 year olds and adults. The LSC believes that through one financially robust organisation a single voice for further education (FE) will be able to achieve objectives that would not be possible with two separate institutions. It will also pave the way for a significant injection of capital investment (circa £60m) through the development of a new FE campus in a central location, providing modern buildings and facilities for Fareham and Gosport’s learners, employers and the local community. Contact: Barbara Wright, Head of Democratic Services E-mail – [email protected] (Tel: 01329 824585 ) xps-080107-r03-bwr.doc 4 Item 10(3) There are a number of objectives cited by the LSC for this proposal, including the increase of participation and success rates through greater choice of programmes and improvements to the quality of facilities; increase in the proportion of young people achieving a level 2 and level 3 qualification by the age of 19; reduction in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training; improvement of access to employer-led training opportunities and strengthening the skills of the local workforce; contributing to the economic regeneration of the area. Rationale for the proposed merger 5. The LSC recognises that both Fareham College and St Vincent College play a key strategic role in the delivery of 14-19 and adult education in their localities. However, it cites a number of significant issues that need to be addressed : In Gosport key issues include performance of year 11 pupils at key stage 4; the narrow range of post-16 vocational provision at levels 1 and 2; low aspirations; post-16 participation rates below the national average; the size of the population not in education, employment or training. In Gosport and Fareham the proportion of young people achieving a level 2 and a level 3 qualification by the age of 19 is below the Hampshire average and whilst there have been some recent improvements in Fareham, the situation in Gosport has worsened. In Fareham there exists an imbalance between the demand for level 3 AS/A2 courses from learners and the current limited offer provided by Fareham College. There is an overall need to improve the collaboration and integration of learning opportunities offered by the colleges and work-based learning providers, including progression and sharing of expertise. Significant outward migration of post-16 learners – the net outflow of learners from the area in 2005/06 was approximately 1,500. There are low levels of attainment in the adult skills base – 41% and 32% of adults in Gosport and Fareham respectively do not hold the equivalent of a level 2 qualification. Furthermore, 15% of adults in Gosport hold no qualifications whatsoever. Both existing sites are inefficient and increasingly uneconomic. Significant levels of investment would therefore be needed to bring them up to the standards expected for the 21st century. 6. The LSC goes on to state that the development of an integrated curriculum for academic and vocational learning in Fareham and Gosport should lead to more effective planning and delivery. This will extend to the expertise of the staff and the specialist resources available within each institution. 7. A larger organisation would have the greater financial capacity to invest and develop facilities whilst at the same time improve cost-effectiveness. Longer term financial viability is more likely to be achieved through efficiencies in space and utilisation within purpose-designed and energy-efficient buildings. An entirely new college build could only be financed and supported from an enlarged financial base. Contact: Barbara Wright, Head of Democratic Services E-mail – [email protected] (Tel: 01329 824585 ) xps-080107-r03-bwr.doc 5 Item 10(3) Benefits and strengths of the merger 8. The main beneficiaries of the merger will, in the first instance, be the learners of the Fareham and Gosport areas who will experience a greater choice of high- quality provision in higher-quality buildings than was previously the case. Local employers will also benefit from being able to recruit new employees from a more comprehensively educated and well-prepared community and will also benefit from having a greater range of programmes for their own employed workforce. 9. The wider community will benefit from having a high-quality further education provider with lifelong opportunities from the age of 16. The new college will also make a significant commitment to the 14-16 agenda and in collaboration and agreement with local schools will provide opportunities for 14-16 year olds. 10. The overall benefits will include a strategic environment for development of a 14-19 curriculum; an increase in the range of vocational and academic provision; development of apprenticeships; a unified system of accessible skills for adults wishing to improve their qualification base; a strong and financially robust institution to meet current and future learning and skills needs. The new college 11. The consultation document sets out the profile of the new college and outlines its strategic vision and objectives. As has been mentioned, it is intended to create a new college campus in a new location as both of the existing sites are considered inefficient and increasingly uneconomic. A recent feasibility study recommended that the new college be located on the Daedalus site, which offers a central location and land for future investment and expansion. The owners of the site, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), has been engaged in initial stages of consultation. Further work in relation to location will be undertaken as part of the capital application process and that will include re-visiting the feasibility study. The development of new buildings will not be completed until at least 2010/11. The newly merged college would therefore continue to operate on the two existing sites until that time. 12. Some consideration has been given to the name and designation of the new college. There have been several names suggested; at this stage, Solent College is the proposed name. As to designation of the college, the LSC has concluded that it should be designated as a general further education college but that a sixth form centre should be established as part of the new college. Timetable 13. Subject to the outcome of the public consultation and due diligence studies, the LSC intends to present a full proposal to the regional board in March 2008.