Associate College Partnership Conference 13 th January 2012 Destination 2012 : The New HE in FE Landscape Andrew Miller Principal and Chief Executive, Swindon College

“I’d always been scared of people with tertiary education and high intellect in case they found me wanting. I thought they viewed me as just a welder who knew a few jokes” Billy Connolly “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” Nelson Mandela

HE in FE in 2012 – Challenges and Opportunities from an FE Perspective HE at Swindon College FE’s contribution nationally Why a local college? – student views The new world of HE from 2012 – opportunities and challenges Questions/Comments

HE at Swindon College 534 students 2010/11 (464 FTEs) Provision offered from Level % of all HE students live in Borough of Swindon Over 50% of provision is work based – does not directly recruit from UCAS Key HE partners:  Oxford Brookes  Bath University

Programmes covered:  Early Years/Classroom Support  Engineering  Sports Therapy  Education/Lifelong Learning  Fine Art/Graphics/Illustration (+ Archaeological Illustration)  Business and Management  Construction/Civil Engineering  Photography/Media Makeup  Youth Work 55% of students over 25 years old 63% female 21% Widening Participation profile New courses planned for September 2012

FE’s Contribution Nationally (AoC’s Figures – Summer 2011) Colleges provide 35% of entrants to HE Half of all FD students are taught in college 67% of colleges teach FDs Colleges deliver 81% of all HNCs and 59% of all HNDs 171,000 students study HE in a college 266 colleges provide under-graduate and post-graduate level courses

Why Their Local College? – Student Views “The course is flexible and allowed me to combine work with studying” (Sports Therapy) “The specific support I needed with dyslexia was so well provided for that it was the natural choice” (Graphic Design) “Due to the costs and impact on my family, choosing to study at Swindon College was right for me” (FD Business, Management and Communications) “Small group sizes and lots of tutor support” (FD Business, Management and Communications) “Friendly helpful staff … one of the tutors taught me on my Level 3 course” (Fine Art)

The New World of HE in 2012 – Opportunities and Challenges White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’ (June 2011). Main goal is to create a system which is:  More responsive to student choice  Provides a better student experience  Helps to improve social mobility Barriers to expansion/more innovation and competition BIS New Challenges, New Chances – consultation with the FE sector (December 2011)

Opportunities Improved status for ‘non-prescribed HE’ with better progression to Levels 5/6 Lower fee structure (but perceptions of quality?) Part-time student growth Niche provision Collaborative business models emerging with other providers – federations/strategic alliances Opening up of awarding powers? UTCs ‘College of further and higher education’ Value for money – FE is an efficient sector

Challenges Student number controls … from 2013/14  Further HEFCE consultation (February?)  HE Bill (Spring 2012) Strategic Planning more difficult Some partnerships with HEIs under threat – relationships strained Competition intense – marketing and positioning your HE offer crucial Quota/off quota/future HE regulations Predicting numbers for September 2012 FE loans for 25+ in 2013

Thank You for Listening Any Questions?