Wednesday morning - hot topics

Mental health support - solely a college responsibility?

Colleges already support students beyond education and enrichment, often acting as the first emergency responder to increasingly complex mental health issues, but how far should colleges go to meet a health care shortage?

Chair: Jen Hope - Area Director (E&W Midlands) Senior Policy Lead - Mental Health, Association of Colleges

Will the Curriculum and Assessment Review make things better for college students?

The Curriculum and Assessment Review from age 5 to 19 chaired by Professor Becky Francis is now under way. Given that there will be limited scope for additional funding, what direction of travel do colleges want to see and what changes would make the most difference to our students?

Chair: Eddie Playfair - Senior Policy Manager, Association of Colleges

Panel members:

• John Laramy CBE - Principal and CEO, Exeter College
• Lisa O’Loughlin - Principal and CEO, Nelson and Colne College Group

National skills priorities or local skills needs - what comes first?

For too long, our post-16 education and skills system has suffered from poor coordination, fragmentation and inefficiencies. The new government plans to tackle this by establishing Skills England- to drive growth and productivity by developing a single picture of national and regional skills needs.

But what does this mean for the local skills landscape and the devolution agenda? There’s been significant investment into local skills planning- through LSIPs, SDF and LSIF, and colleges have become more accountable for meeting those needs. Join the debate with our expert panel to discuss whether Skills England will mark a step towards re-centralisation, or whether it will provide some much-needed coherence to our skills system.

Chair: Emma Meredith - Director of Skills Policy and Global Engagement

Panel members:

• Ben Blackledge - Chief Executive Officer, WorldSkills UK

Are public sector rules stifling innovation in colleges?

The rules that the Department for Education introduced in 2022 prevent colleges from borrowing, require prior approval in several important areas including a catch-all requirement that stifles innovation. This session will explore the situation.

A national pay review body for colleges - is this the answer?

Yet again pay and industrial relations remains a hot topic that impacts on us all in the sector. The Trade Unions are keen to discuss the future of Pay Bargaining at a national level and Workload at a local level. The issues are changing on a weekly basis. The aim of this session is to discuss in a safe and open environment the current trade union issues and how we deal with them as a sector.

Chair: Chris Nicholls - Area Director (NE & Y&H) & National Lead Workforce, Association of Colleges

Panel members:

• David Alexander - Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Gateshead College
• Gerry McDonald - Group Principal & CEO, New City College

Is FE ready for a future of inclusion?

How can senior leaders, truly create an institution where every voice is heard, every individual is valued, and equity is a reality, not just an aspiration?

Can colleges change policy for the better?

It is likely that the government's fiscal decisions will limit funding for colleges over the next couple of years. How then can we work together to make running a college easier, better and more efficient? What would make a real difference in persuading policy makers to support colleges? What policy wins do we want to aim for given that having better investment is always our number one priority?

Join David Hughes and members of the AoC 2030 group to discuss.

How can the growth and skills levy change our apprenticeship system for the better?

Since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 we have seen a marked reduction in the number of young people, SMEs and those from the most deprived areas accessing apprenticeship opportunities.

Complex systems, EPA, off the job requirements and an increase in higher apprenticeships are just some of the reasons for the reduction in apprenticeship starts and lower achievement rates. The goal to reform the Apprenticeship Levy into the new Growth and Skills Levy sits at the heart of Labour’s mission to boost skills in the UK. Join the debate to discuss what the Growth and Skills Levy should include, how increased productivity will be measured, and what actions need to be taken to ensure that apprenticeships are more accessible