In November, leaders from across the education, skills and policy landscape gathered at Westminster for the launch of new findings within FE Skills Research. Hosted in partnership with Rt Hon Lee Barron MP for Corby & East Northamptonshire, the event brought together researchers, authors and education leaders to explore how the UK’s Further Education (FE) sector can adapt for the future of education policy.
The launch provided a forum for discussion around key themes shaping the future of FE and skills training. This included the role of technology and employer partnerships to strategies for lifelong learning and workforce development. Attendees shared their own experiences and current insights into how FE can meet evolving learner and workforce needs by future forecasting, with a focus on innovation and the emergence of AI tools.
Key speakers included Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee, Chief Executive at University Vocational Awards Council, Professor Ross Renton University Principal and professor at ARU Peterborough, and Dr Kerry Scattergood, Adult Literacy specialist and FE Research Lead at Solihull College & University Centre, and chair for the Research College Group, who led discussions on emerging themes such as the future of skills policy, leadership in FE, and the impact of Maths and English policy reforms.
Lewis Cooper, Director of Public Affairs and Campaigns, at the Association of Colleges commented: “We need to build to move an organised system within post 16 and skills. Colleges are anchored institutions, and we need to treat them as such. We need to move to more vertical alignment with universities, schools and others of how we can work better together. However, the white paper doesn’t have all the answers, and the government is looking to us to help them achieve that. It’s been fantastic hearing everyone’s inputs today.”
Robin Webber-Jones, Executive Director of Curriculum at The Bedford College Group said: “We’d like to thank everyone who attended the event, all with one shared goal, to improve the future of Further Education. A young person’s socioeconomic status should not affect their education. Research has shown that those from disadvantaged backgrounds are seen to achieve half a grade lower than their peers. The research within the book has collaborations from people all around the world and also across the whole country, which means it includes all the perspectives needed to create answers”.
Further discussions around the research findings and their implications are set to continue, with this being the first of many events to drive real change within the future of Further Education.
If you would like more information about the new research and how to access it, please visit Practitioner Research in College-Based Education – University of Northampton.
