HE in FE Partnerships: Case Study Locally based HE in FE University of Plymouth Colleges

1. HE in FE Partnerships: Case StudyLocally based HE in FEUniversity of Plymouth Colleges Mark Stone, HELP CETL Director Higher Education Learning Partnerships Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning

2. University of Plymouth - Commitment to Communities • Service to the Region • Commitment to Widening Participation • Supporting local enterprises • Commitment to increasing opportunity through local partnerships

3. Good partnerships add value • Transparent and secure funding • Shared Planning and Strategy • Collaborative access to funding sources • QA support and enhancement • Professional Development • Learning Resources • Students Union support • Curriculum Development

4. 15 yrs growth and achievement • Largest HE/FE partnership in UK • Queens Anniversary Prize 1994 • National Foundation degree pilots • Somerset Nti • New CUC buildings across Cornwall • Excellent QAA reviews • Strong student retention & progression record • Major Widening Participation successes • 2005 HE in FE focused CETL

5. Successes - Local HE • A network of Partner Colleges providing HE in FE in every FEI across Cornwall, Devon and South Somerset • 5,000+ students • Clear progression paths from FE3, NVQ and Access courses to HC, HND FdA and some BA programmes • Further progression to UoP top-up honours degrees

6. Regional context and issues • TTWA’s amongst UK top 20 for unemployment • Few major employers, (health/education/utilities) • Specialist SME’s and the self employed (Land Based; Engineering; Marine & Env. Science; Creative Arts & IT) • Many micro enterprises, particularly hotels and tourism (12.5% vs..... 5.7% nationally) • Earnings 31.8% below national average • Much part-time low pay (50% under £250/week)

7. Regional context and issues • Not convinced of value of staying on post 16. Little family experience of HE • Serious worries over debt • Strong desire to remain in own communities • Much HE seen as irrelevant to employment prospects • HE remote and often ‘invisible’ • Limited SME’s support for HE day release • Lifelong Learning - Self-improver

8. The UNIVERSITY and its Partner Colleges CITY of BRISTOL COLLEGE Associated Partner College NORTH DEVON COLLEGE EAST DEVON COLLEGE Accredited Partner College SOMERSET COLLEGE of ARTS & TECHNOLOGY Bristol DUCHY COLLEGE Minehead Cannington Bridgwater ST AUSTELL COLLEGE Barnstaple Taunton TRURO COLLEGE BICTON COLLEGE Tiverton Bude CORNWALL COLLEGE Okehampton Bicton Exeter SCHOOL of MARITIME OPERATIONS HMS DRYAD Sidmouth Exmouth Weymouth Newton Abbot Bodmin Dartington Duchy WEYMOUTH COLLEGE Schumacher Liskeard Torbay PLYMOUTH Saltash St. Austell Brixham Dartmouth Redruth FALMOUTH COLLEGE of ARTS EXETER COLLEGE Truro Camborne Penzance SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE Falmouth Helston BRITANNIA ROYAL NAVALCOLLEGE Culdrose Jersey HIGHLANDS COLLEGE - JERSEY PENWITH COLLEGE RN SCHOOL OF METEOROLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY RNAS CULDROSE DARTINGTON COLLEGE of ARTS PLYMOUTH COLLEGE OF FE PLYMOUTH COLLEGE of ART & DESIGN JOHN KITTO COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHUMACHER COLLEGE ESTOVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE RN HYDROGAPHIC SCHOOL HMS DRAKE

9. BUT could do better! • Low community profile, poorly communicated market niche • Lack of understanding of terms ‘HE’ ‘Partner College’ • QA lacks local management involvement • Planning becoming unwieldy • Variable practice between faculties…… • Diffuse staff and student identity • University of Wisconsin Colleges

10. University of Plymouth Colleges Mission University of Plymouth Partner Colleges (UPC) will provide high quality dispersed Higher Education to serve the peninsular sub-region of the South West, to widen participation and further economic development

11. UPC - a new era • High profile University brand for colleges • Unashamed celebration of dispersed university and its niche for local study • UPC Faculty Board - Planning, Strategy, Deliberative, QA processes • College based QA - local Joint Boards of Studies • Focused support: Quality Enhancement, Curriculum Development, Academic Community, Student Progression

13. Benefits to Colleges • Enhanced and clearer profile for university level provision - recognition in the community • Ownership and involvement in planning strategy, and quality assurance • Staff engaged in academic communities; course development; critical friendship • Streamlined administrative processes

14. Benefits for students 1 • A clearer understanding of the benefits of local university level study • Improved course provision • Assurance of UoP quality and progression • Access to UoP facilities -Library, Students Union; Sport; Earn & Learn • Access to learning materials via the University e-Portal

15. Benefits for students 2 • Less expense by studying from home • Fees differential? • Clear link between Foundation degree and employability • Small group sizes, known college environment, dedicated teaching staff

16. Benefits to the Region • Local provision for local needs • Enhanced opportunities for Widening Participation and Social inclusion • A comprehensive portfolio of foundation degrees, meeting local economic development needs • Development of a seamless provision of services to business and employers

17. Economic Development • Expand Employer Forums as vehicle for Fd planning and implementation • Engage with Sector Skills Councils and RDA to gain development support • Collaborate to meet local Knowledge Exchange requirements

18. Curriculum • Replace HND with Fd & embed HNC into Fd where appropriate • Employer engagement with new Fd’s to respond to demonstrable need and demand • Part-time, distance, work based and e-supported learning routes • Distance Learning top-ups in selected subject areas • Develop core curricula that are adapted to local delivery by Colleges through validation not franchise • Professional development of UPC academic staff including scholarly activity

19. Subject ‘Forums’ • Faculty led, cross-partnership, with focus on the enhancement of quality; curriculum development; student progression; staff development • Aiming to create a culture of academic community extending across the university and its partners, with an ethos of ‘critical friendship’

20. HELP CETL support for UPC Vision • To invest heavily in developing HE in FE staff and teaching expertise • To provide uniformly high quality student learning opportunities and infrastructure across the region • To inspire teaching and learning communities to research their practices and to share & disseminate activities & learning materials within the region and beyond • Enhanced student learning experiences

21. Realising the vision • Rewarding and recognising staff • recognise existing expertise & excellence • build capacity in pedagogic research and scholarship • Supporting dynamic and effective physical and virtual regional and national Communities of Practice • Facilitating Development Activities • bring together, and call on the experience of, major partnership networks from across the UK and other relevant national and international organizations, including the HE Academy

22. Key Contacts • Ian Tunbridge Dean of University of Plymouth Colleges itunbridge@plymouth.ac.uk • Mark Stone Director of the Higher Education Learning Partnerships Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (HELP CETL) University of Plymouth Colleges m2stone@plymouth.ac.uk