November 2002

The ACM/ABSSU Workforce Development Basic Skills Project

Regular readers will recall that ACM is currently leading a project through which colleges offer basic skills training to their own employees. As a result of this project all colleges are now able to draw down LSC funding for such training. The participating colleges have completed the planning and development stage and are delivering the training to their staff. A full report will eventually be published which will give guidance on the issues that the project has identified as crucial. These include:

• Approaching and counselling the target group – who should do this and how?
• The training is paid for by the LSC, but who should pay for the employees’ time?
• Integrating the training into vocational skills training – colleges have commonly linked the basic skills with IT but in other cases the training is linked with other vocational skills, such as report writing for security staff.
• Raising the status of basic skills training.

Success for All

The Association’s full response to the DfES Success for All consultation is enclosed with this newsletter. Our key messages are that:

• ACM supports the Government’s goals of inclusivity, high standards and responsiveness to employer and individual need;
• colleges need more money for pay;
• world class outcomes need world class inputs;
• the plethora of funding streams should be consolidated into a single funding stream linked to negotiated institutional targets;
• adults and employers are looking for short bursts of training that address specific needs; we need a framework to enable this;
• structurally, colleges need the flexibility to respond to local circumstances;
• in the longer term we need to develop a coherent, inclusive, challenging curriculum framework with clear progression opportunities for 14 –19 year old learners.

ACM FUNDING CAMPAIGN

As part of its continuing lobbying campaign of funding and pay, the Association is encouraging its Principal and Chief Executive members to seek support from their local Members of Parliament.  The campaign has already achieved results, with excellent media coverage to the presentation of a petition at 10 Downing Street and the announcement of a further £32m funding for TPI and the introduction of the College Pay Initiative.  Many Principals will already have contacted their local MP but for those who have still to do so below is a draft letter to MPs outlining the issues.

Dear (name of MP)

College principals across the country are writing to their local Member of Parliament to appeal for their support in our national campaign to achieve a better pay deal for our staff. All of us are members of the Association for College Management, the trade union and professional association which represents the interests of college managers in national negotiations.

I am writing to you because I am convinced that progress towards our shared goals for post 16 education – an excellent, world class service that promotes economic prosperity, social inclusion and personal empowerment – will be seriously undermined unless there is an immediate increase in funding that enables colleges to pay staff to the same levels that colleagues in schools are paid. At present all the evidence indicates that staff in colleges are paid substantially less, on average, than staff in schools. The recruitment and retention of both teaching and support staff is increasingly problematic due to these comparatively poor pay levels in colleges. I am appealing to you to help us persuade the Government to address this issue effectively and decisively. We had high hopes of the recent Spending Review – we were bitterly disappointed. The Government has recently announced a further £32m funding for pay initiatives in the sector. This is a welcome start but barely touches the surface of the funding crisis.

In common with other college principals I am committed to working with the DfES and the LSC to further improve standards particularly with regard to the inclusion, retention and achievement of learners. But at present the post 16 agenda – basic skills, workforce development, HE targets, 14 – 19 programmes – is under threat because the sector does not have the resources it needs to ensure a valued, skilful, qualified workforce in our colleges.

I am urging you to take up this issue in the House and at every other appropriate opportunity. I am very appreciative of your support.

Yours………………..

If you require any further briefing or information please do not hesitate to contact me at peterpendle@acm.uk.com or by telephone on 0116 275 5076.