FULL TIME AND PART TIME ADULT EDUCATION LEARNERS

FULL TIME AND PART TIME ADULT EDUCATION LEARNERS DIVERSE STRATEGIES FOR OUR KEY CLIENT GROUPS AN EXTRACT FROM: LOCALLY RESPONSIVE, REGIONALLY VALUED, GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE: A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DUDLEY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY 2016-19

CONTEXT VISION 2 The period 2013-2016 was a troubled time for adult education nationally. Government austerity measures fell heavily on adult education budgets. Significant cuts led to decreases in adult participation, particularly in 2014-15, and forced the redundancy of many teaching and support staff delivering adult education. Despite these difficulties the college maintained a significant provision for adult learners. We remain the largest college provider of adult education programmes in the Black Country. By some distance, with an extensive curriculum offer across three distinct strands (described below). In 2014-15 over 3,000 adults, most from communities very local to the college, participated in learning. The success rates of our adult learners have remained consistently high, with an overall success rate of 89% with success above national rates at all levels of learning. Success rates on functional skills programmes in mathematics and English are also high and well above those reported nationally. Over 600 adults improved their functional skills in 2014-15. Many of those adults taking or retaking GCSEs in mathematics (61%) and English (50%) achieved grades A*-C (or 9 to 5 in the new GCSE grade system) in these vital qualifications. Alongside these essential skills our adult education programmes also supported the development of those technical skills required by many local employers. Over a third of our adult programmes are in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. Our adult education provision is diverse and inclusive. Some 42% of our adult learners are from ethnic minority groups with 20% of learners reporting a learning difficulty or disability. 86% of our completing adult learners progressed to a positive destination, either higher or further training or directly into employment. Learner satisfaction with our adult education programmes has remained very high over recent years. The November 2015 budget gives some optimism for a period of stability in the funding of adult education, with no substantive further budget reductions forecast. The new West Midlands Combined Authority will have an increasing influence in the mix and balance of future adult education programmes funded across the region. Adult education remains a powerful tool for re-engaging those adults marginalised in society by language barriers, disadvantage or mental health challenges. We therefore recognise the need to build upon our previous successes and to target the use of our adult education funds carefully. There are opportunities to improve on the number of adults achieving high grades in English and mathematics GCSEs. The progression of adults into positive destinations varies with their level of study. More can be done to ensure adults on level one programmes move more quickly to a positive destination, particularly into employment or an adult apprenticeship. With limited public funding available our professional and technical updating programmes for adults need to be closely aligned to regional skills needs. Further developing the culture and acceptance of the use of adult learning loans will help to address this challenge. We will give these areas a high priority over the life of this strategic plan. We remain the largest college provider of adult education programmes in the Black Country. Our vision for full time and part time adult education learners is this: By 2019 there will be a very close and effective working relationship between the college and the new West Midlands Combined Authority. Our adult education provision will have been carefully planned and developed in partnership with the combined authority, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Job Centre Plus, employers, community groups, Her Majesty s Prison Featherstone and other local stakeholders. Dudley College of Technology will be widely recognised for the valuable contribution we make in transforming the lives of adults in the region. Adult participation in learning will increase during the life of this plan, supported by our adult education allocation, learning loans and non-core funding. All of our core funding will be used locally. Adults participating in our professional and technical updating programmes, offered through the vibrant Dudley Business School, Dudley Advance and Advance II and across the wider Dudley Learning Quarter, will progress in their careers. These more skilled adults will improve workplace productivity contributing positively to the regional economy. An extensive network of college and community based essential skills programmes will support at risk adults on the margins of society. An increasing number of adults will engage in this provision, improving their essential and employability skills, gaining GCSEs in mathematics and English, English language speaking and functional skills qualifications. A growing number of these adults, particularly those on level one programmes, will progress quickly into Apprenticeships or other employment. Teaching on our adult education programmes will be active, exciting and inspiring, focusing on the needs of individual learners. Our teachers will make best use of the latest available learning technologies. Our adult learners will comment that our provision is welcoming and inclusive. Dudley College of Technology will be widely recognised for the valuable contribution we make in transforming the lives of adults in the region. 3 For more information i log on to www.dudleycol.ac.uk dl l

4 The college is committed to supporting the learning needs of local adults. In partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority, Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and other Black Country further education colleges, we will develop and deliver an adult education programme which meets the needs of local people and local employers. We will ensure that the entirety of our limited adult education allocation is used locally on provision for local people. Our adult education provision can be broadly categorised into three strands, described below. We will prioritise the use of our adult education funds on strands one and two. STRAND 1: PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL UPDATING PROGRAMMES FOR ADULTS. These programmes will help adults develop skills for progression in their careers or for entry into higher education. This strand includes a wide range of technical skills updating programmes (from accountancy to welding), professional qualifications offered through the Dudley Business School and dedicated access to higher education programmes. We will ensure programmes in this strand are aligned to West Midlands Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership priorities. We will also ensure programmes in this strand are complementary to the college s apprenticeship and higher skills provision, allowing adults clear progression opportunities. Programmes offered in this strand will contribute to the development WHAT WE WILL DO of the higher level skills and knowledge required by local employers. We will extend our short technical updating and job change programmes in key priority sectors such as electrical installation, engineering and manufacturing, building technologies and digital technologies. This will be supported by the development of Dudley Advance II and other advanced technologies training facilities across the Dudley Learning Quarter. We will develop a suite of new professional programmes to support individuals working in the sport and leisure industry, including coaching, personal training, leisure management, aiound swimming trainer programmes. The development of the Priory Road 3G Football Complex will support this provision. We will re-launch the Dudley Business School offering a range of programmes including leadership and management, performance management, accounts for nonaccountants, employment law, enterprise and entrepreneurship and marketing on the web. Our programmes will be accredited by recognised awarding bodies including Association of Accounting Technicians, Charted Management Institute, Institute for Leadership and Management and Chartered Institute for Purchase and Supply. Following the success of our hospitality and catering full time and apprenticeship programmes, we will introduce advanced level qualifications in patisserie and confectionery and food and beverage to serve employers and employees in the local hospitality industry. To support this we will have created a new silver service training restaurant serving the local community. We will review our access to higher education curriculum offer to adults to ensure it is job focussed. This will include an expansion of our specialist science programmes, including growing our access to healthcare pathways and professional updating for the nursing and health care sector. To support this we will have conducted a feasibility study for the creation of a new dedicated health and life science centre in the Dudley Learning Quarter. We will engage with adult learners to review our approach and to assist in the redesign of our e-systems, such as BlackBoard and ProMonitor, to most appropriately support a blended learning experience. In doing so, we will be positioned to review our delivery model allowing further flexibility, distance learning and short block delivery to best meet study and support needs for adult learners. We will review our admissions policy to ensure bespoke initial advice and guidance is available for adults to include promotion of advanced learning loans and higher Apprenticeships. We will include in this a review of exit guidance to fully support progression for adults on to Apprenticeships and higher study, particularly those adults completing level one programmes. We will build on good practice in areas such as engineering by developing meaningful relationships with employers to support curriculum design and delivery. We will create a new distinctive brand for our professional and technical updating programmes for adults, supported by a revised marketing approach. Where required we will agree bespoke sector focused routes to market approaches for the marketing of our professional and technical updating programmes for adults. We will further develop our destination and impact assessment methodologies to better assess, longitudinally, the career impact of adults participating in professional and technical updating. In doing so we will work in partnership with other further education colleges, the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Skills Funding Agency. STRAND 2: ESSENTIAL SKILLS PROGRAMMES FOR ADULTS. These are programmes aimed at developing essential skills for adults many of whom are disadvantaged or socially marginalised. These programmes will support adults in progressing into employment or further study. This provision includes adult basic skills, employability, mathematics, English and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programmes. These programmes remain a key priority for the college and the West Midlands Combined Authority as we collectively strive to ensure more adults are able to contribute positively to society. We recognise there is a significant need for these programmes and will work to secure funding from diverse sources, such European Social Fund and European Structural Investment Fund, to extend this provision beyond our adult education allocation. We will offer an extensive programme of English and mathematics, from entry level functional skills to GCSE level at the college s main Broadway campus and in a number of community settings. We will continue to promote community cohesion through the provision of English language classes to those in our community whose first language is not English. We will expand our provision to support those seeking citizenship and to engage our hardest to reach communities to further promote inclusion. This will include going out into local communities including Lye, Brierley Hill and Dudley Port. As part of this we will have become a Secure English Language Test training centre to support adults who are claiming citizenship in the UK. As the Black Country hub for the Talent Match programme, we will continue to support our community and reduce unemployment by working closely with Job Centre Plus to deliver employability programmes to help get adults back into employment. These programmes will focus on interview skills, career planning, job searching and personal development. The majority will be short courses to enable learners to progress quickly into employment alongside the development of a relevant technical skill. To ensure this provision has an effective impact we will develop sector based work academies aligning employability training with current job market vacancies. We will work with Her Majesty s Prison Featherstone in the delivery of education programmes which support the rehabilitation of offenders who will be released into the local community. We will specifically deliver motor vehicle, engineering, employability programmes and seek opportunities to maximise success in English and mathematics. Through effective partnerships we will develop on-site training facilities that meet the needs of these learners. 5

6 We are very aware that we have a key role to play in meeting the needs of adults with learning difficulties, disabilities or mental health issues. The college will continue to work closely with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in offering provision for learners with any form of learning difficulty or disability to enable them to achieve positive outcomes. We will introduce supported internships to support adults with learning difficulties and disabilities progressing into employment. We will work with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and parents to develop a fee paying programme to support adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, aged over 24 years, to live independently or gain employment. We will use the expertise we have in our initial advice and guidance team to put in effective exit strategies for adults at the end of their programmes to ensure we maximise their progression into positive outcomes. This will include the creation of a team of specialists working with our adult learners to support their progression and will work very much in partnership with local stakeholders. This will include the creation of enhanced student advice and guidance services at the college s main Broadway campus which will bring together the services currently offered by the Employment Hub and student services. This will enable adult learners to receive appropriate initial advice and guidance and progression support and the addition of an enlarged teaching space/ conference facility. We will continue to explore the opportunity of developing a children s nursery facility in the Dudley Learning Quarter. This facility would not only support adult learners with children who wish to study at the college, but would also provide real work experience for our full time learners on child care programmes and apprenticeship and employment opportunities for the local community. Working closely with other further education colleges, providers and the West Midlands Combined Authority we will develop and agree a suite of metrics which assess the impact of adult education programmes. Working in partnership with other further education colleges and local authorities we will bid for and secure funds from non-core sources, such as the European Structural Investment Fund and European Regional Development Fund, to support essential skills programmes for adults. We will work with other further education colleges and the West Midlands Combined Authority to support the efficient delivery of adult learning across the region. Working closely with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council where opportunities arise we will consider the rationalisation of local adult education provision. We will introduce new and regular careers fairs for adult learners encouraging adults to progress directly into employment. We will extend our reach week arrangements to adult learning programmes to ensure adults have the best chance of success. We will revise our staffing structures to ensure there is a new dedicated team to work with Job Centre Plus in the development and management of employability programmes. STRAND 3: YOUNG ADULTS COMPLETING FULL TIME PROGRAMMES. This provision is for a small group of learners usually aged between 19 and 21 years old who complete their full time technical education programme alongside full time learners aged 16-18 years. These learners have often first presented at college aged 16, 17 or 18 years with poor exam results from school. They therefore follow a level 1 or 2 remedial qualification before progressing to advanced level provision. By the time they reach advanced level training they are beyond 18 years and are therefore classified as adult learners. We will continue to support these young adults using funds from our adult education allocation. All actions for full time learners aged 16-18 years, detailed earlier, apply to this group. In addition: Where appropriate we will introduce a fast track process to enable these learners to move more quickly through level 1 and 2 remedial programmes. We will provide these young adults with the opportunity to plan for their next steps through a formal qualification in personal and social development which will be delivered as part of our tutorial programme. We will review our current support processes to ensure they best meet the needs of these young adult learners. As part of this, we will develop enhanced out of office and online support services for adults. OUR PLANNED STRATEGIC OUTPUTS Each year we will set specific targets for performance. By 2019 we will have delivered the following strategic outputs for our adult learners. LEARNER ENGAGEMENT: At least 2,000 adults per year will be completing professional / technical updating programmes, many of whom will be supported through learning loans. At least 1,700 adults will complete essential skills qualifications supported by the Skills Funding Agency or West Midlands Combined Authority. 100% of our core adult education budget will be spent locally.. OUTCOMES FOR LEARNERS: Our success rates will be above national rates at all academic levels. Our overall success rate for adult learners will be 90% or higher. 70% of adults taking GCSE English or Maths will achieve A*-C grade (or 9 to 5 in the new GCSE grade system). STAKEHOLDER SATISFACTION: Learner satisfaction will be above average in comparison with other good or outstanding general further education colleges nationally. Overall satisfaction will be high evidenced by a rating of 80 or above in an independent survey conducted by QDP. 7

TO FIND OUT MORE 8 LEARNER DESTINATIONS: At least 90% of our completing learners will go on to a positive destination when they complete their programme of study. At least 40% of previously unemployed adults will have found employment following the completion of the programme of study. IMPACT ON REGIONAL SKILLS AND ECONOMY: At least 50% of our adult learners are studying programmes in STEM subjects, linked to demand for local skills. The college operates a policy of openness and transparency in all of its activities. Further information about the college is freely available from the following sources: For a full version of our strategic plan Locally responsive, regionally valued, globally competitive: A Strategic plan for Dudley college of technology 2016-19 visit our website at www.dudleycol.ac.uk/strategicplan.aspx Information on Governance can be found on our website at www.dudleycol.ac.uk/governance Information on a wide variety of live performance indicators and our Annual Strategic Impact Assessment Report can be found on the Dudley Dashboard. This includes the latest data on learner success, destinations and performance. It contains a range of information relating to the diversity of our learners and staff, our financial performance and latest inspection reports. Visit www.dudleycol.ac.uk/dashboard The college s published annual report and consolidated financial statements can be found at www.dudleycol.ac.uk/aboutus/collegeaccounts To contact a member of our senior management team, their contact details can be found at www.dudleycollege.ac.uk/aboutus/seniormanagementteam The college s Freedom of Information Officer is Andrew Comyn, Vice Principal Finance. For further information on any aspect of the college s operations, please contact: Lowell Williams Principal Dudley College The Broadway Dudley West Midlands DY1 4AS Tel: 01384 363221 9 TO FIND OUT MORE Email: lowell.williams@dudleycol.ac.uk