Tuesday afternoon - Strand two breakout sessions

2.01 - Maximising opportunities: Unlocking the potential of tailored learning in the sector

Lead organisation: Association of Colleges, Department for Education and HOLEX

Speakers:

• Sarah Haworth - Director of Tailored Learning - Adult, Nelson & Colne College
  
• Caroline McDonald - CEO, HOLEX
• Charlotte Piper - Department for Education

Attendees will take away new information on the broader benefits of learning as valid funding outcomes for the ASB, which should help them to maximise their income while delivering what the locality requires. The new funding system expanded the scope for Tailored Learning (TL), allowing all colleges to allocate up to 5% of their funding to TL. This increased flexibility enables colleges to offer more programmes focused on employability and initial support, as well as areas such as well-being, confidence building and social cohesion. Participants will hear from colleges who are delivering Tailored Learning successfully. DFE will be there to answer questions.

2.02 - Tech-powered inclusion: Widening participation and increasing accessibility for learners

Lead organisation: Mindful Education

Meeting the needs of all learners is a complex task for college teams. To provide a truly inclusive learning experience, it will almost always require up-front planning, the right technology, staff training, and ongoing support.

In this session, delegates will hear from a large college group, online accessibility experts, and a leading edtech company about their experiences in using technology to increase accessibility and widen participation.

Attendees will take away key insights from recent surveys of ESOL and SEND learners, gain an understanding of common participation challenges, and learn about best practice delivery.

2.03 - Positive About Care Experienced

Lead organisation: Exeter College

Speakers:

• Mike Blakeley - Executive Director of Partnerships and Apprenticeships, Exeter College
  
• Hayley Lyon - Business Development Manager, Exeter College

Positive About Care Experienced (PACE) aims to provide opportunity and employment for care experienced young people (CEYP) in Devon. There is considerable evidence that those in the care system are facing significant challenges in finding suitable employment with training (e.g. apprenticeships) across the county - and we recognise that more needs to be done to facilitate opportunities for these exceptional young people. In partnership with our apprenticeship employers and Devon County Council, we have created a network to support and inspire these young people.

2.04 - College funding in light of the budget and the forthcoming spending review

Lead organisation: Association of Colleges

This AoC session, involving DFE policy officials, will cover the implications of the 30 October 2024 budget, discuss likely changes to college funding for the 2025-6 academic year and explore what this will mean for decision-making in the coming years. With the Chancellor planning to set longer-term public spending budgets in the spring 2025 spending review, this session will be a chance to ask questions and suggest answers for what should come next.

2.05 - Culture, people and behaviours - A movement not a mandate

Lead organisation: Barnet and Southgate College and Nottingham College

Speakers:

• Neil Coker - Principal and CEO, Barnet and Southgate College
• Janet Smith - Principal and CEO, Nottingham College

This session will explore some of the foundations, strategies and actions needed to shift organisational culture in order to create the right working environment to successfully deliver strategic priorities, recognising the inherent but unseen connection between organisational values and behaviours, the importance of leadership in shaping culture and how changes in organisational culture are reliant on multiple and diverse influences. This session will give you the opportunity learn from others, select strategies and clear actions to apply in any setting and to be able to create your own roadmap for culture change.

2.06 - Leadership legacy: Cultivating future leaders from within

Lead organisation: NCG

Speakers:

• Jane Button - Principal, Southwark College
• Gerard Garvey - Executive Principal, NCG
• Philip Lloyd-Williams - Leadership Hub Director, NCG

The Leadership Hub at NCG shapes the leadership culture across our 7 colleges. This case study session highlights our low-cost, high-impact approach to leadership development. Over the last 3 years, we have engaged over 500 staff through our multi-level in-house leadership programmes, action learning sets, coaching, tailored programmes, and our annual Leadership Summit. The session explores how this essential part of our organisational culture is helping to retain high-quality staff by developing and preparing them for promotion opportunities in both teaching and non-teaching roles, advancing current leaders and developing future leaders for NCG.

2.07 - Developing your leadership talent through collective action

Lead organisation: Association of Colleges and The KWP

Speakers:

• Gerry McDonald - Group Principal & CEO, New City College
• Dr Kate Webb - Managing Director, The KWP Ltd

The College Collective is a growing movement of FE colleges working together to provide leadership development and sector-led consultancy. By working together across institutions, over the last three years this innovative, award-winning initiative has created pathways for developing future leaders in thirty-six colleges, across all disciplines, curriculum and non-curriculum alike, by providing opportunities to become AoC Associate Experts in their fields, developing their own experience by working with peers in partner colleges. In this panel session, AoC Associate Experts will discuss how cross-institutional collaboration has expanded their leadership horizons. Attendees will learn how to build leadership development that break down traditional boundaries, fostering a more connected and resilient education sector. This session is ideal for senior leaders aiming to enhance talent development strategies and drive growth and mutual benefit across the sector.

2.08 - Learnings from WorldSkills Lyon 2024

Lead organisation: WorldSkills UK

Speakers:

• Michelle Bibby - Director of Pedagogy and Insight, City of Liverpool College
  
• Rosie Boddy - Technical Training Officer, Coleg Cambria
  
• Emma Roberts - Director of External Affairs, WorldSkills UK
  
• David Russell - Senior Director, Government Relations UK, Pearson

Join us to understand how the performance of Team UK at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 gives us fresh insights on the development of world-class skills in the UK and which countries are leading the way in technical education. You'll have the chance to hear directly from Team UK and the people who supported them to place tenth in the world. Attendees will hear how to use skills competition training techniques to raise aspirations with learners.

2.09 - The importance of embedding youth social action in further education: Best practice examples of student engagement, development and connectivity

Lead organisation: Association of Colleges

Speakers:

• Anne Draper – Youth Social Action Apprentice, City of Bristol College
• Ellesia Hanna – Youth Social Action Apprentice, Nottingham College
• Armani Illingworth – Youth Social Action Apprentice, Lancaster and Morecombe College
• Phoebe McMullen – Youth Social Action Apprentice, Bournemouth and Poole College
• Charlotte Smith – Youth Social Action Apprentice, Long Road Sixth Form College

Funded by the Pears Foundation, phase two of the Youth Social Action Programme aims to embed social action in colleges across England. Funding Youth Social Action in colleges is a great way to invest in a broader, enriched student experience as part of a young people's guarantee. Youth Social Action Apprentices from member colleges will showcase best practice examples from across the programme on the importance of embedding youth social action in FE, including the benefits it has on the students, the college and local communities.

2.10 - Navigate today’s policy changes to forge tomorrow’s pathways

Lead organisation: City and Guilds

Speakers:

• Patrick Craven - Public Affairs, Partnership & Engagement Director, City & Guilds
  
• Anita Crosland - Senior Manager, Strategic Portfolio Planning, City & Guilds

Join us to explore how to effectively leverage the latest policy changes over the short and long-term, supporting your college’s plans, ambition and vision. This session will assess the new political landscape and what it means for the sector, exploring key policy announcements such as the growth and skills levy, local growth plans, and qualification reforms as well as discussion on partnership and influencing approaches to help drive and shape future policy changes.

2.11 - Engaging the disengaged – Providing opportunities for NEETs

Lead organisation: Gateway Qualifications, Harlow College, Milton Keynes College and Youth Employment UK

Speakers:

• Maria Bowness - Group Director: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Milton Keynes College
• Tracy Mucci - Director of Supported Education, Harlow College
• LJ Rawlings MBE - CEO, Youth Employment UK
• Paul Saunders - Commercial Director, Gateway Qualifications

Find out how colleges can help tackle the rising number of young people disengaged from education and employment. With the latest ONS data estimating that almost 900,000 young people are now classified as not in education, employment, or training (NEET), tackling this issue will be key to the new government delivering its five missions to rebuild Britain. Hear from LJ Rawlings MBE, CEO at Youth Employment UK about the changing nature of NEETs, how the future landscape could affect young people and the support and best practices available for all of those working in this broad and complex area. Plus, discover what’s working and get practical tips from colleges that are striving to ensure no young person is left behind.

2.12 - Developing an effective academic progression programme

Lead organisation: Association of Colleges

Speakers:

• Dave Brown - Vice Principal, Bexhill Sixth Form College
  
• Fionnuala Swan - Vice Principal - Academic, Nelson and Colne College Group

This session will present findings from the DfE academic progression pilot currently being delivered in 14 schools and colleges across England. The Academic Progression Programme has been designed to explore best practice in supporting students onto Level 3 academic qualifications through a foundation year. The session will draw upon colleges’ experiences and learnings from delivering the pilot, sharing ideas about how to create a framework and a set of principles to support positive progression for students who may have just missed out on the requirements for an academic 16-18 programme of study and aspire to complete academic study at Level 3 and beyond.

2.13 - Embedding sustainability and climate education in the curriculum; What's next?

Lead organisation: Lancaster and Morecambe College and Myerscough College

Speakers:

• Maggie Cawthorn - Sustainability Lead, Lancaster and Morecambe College
  
• Sarah Urmson - Sustainability, Energy and Transport Lead, Myerscough College
  

Embedding sustainability and climate education will soon be a requirement for the FE sector including the need for a named Sustainability Lead. The session will consider ways of achieving this and introduce good practice to develop a curriculum that promotes environmental behaviours as well as knowledge and skills. It explores how to embed sustainability and climate education in a variety of vocational areas using case studies from Lancashire FE colleges and will look at what preparation teachers will need to achieve this.

2.14 - Elevating the value of teaching in FE for a fairer society

Lead organisation: The Education and Training Foundation

Speakers:

• Professor Kevin Orr - Visiting Professor of Education, University of Huddersfield
  
• Dr Vikki Smith - Executive Director, Education and Standards, Education and Training Foundation

The role of high-quality teaching in the UK’s Further Education (FE) and Skills sector is critical for fostering social cohesion and addressing inequalities. This session will explore how teaching can serve as a catalyst for social change, helping to build social capital and empower communities, but education alone cannot transform society. We will discuss the ethical and intellectual dimensions of teaching in an unequal society, while reflecting on how we value teaching and the sector itself. How do we truly recognise the contributions of educators and the FE and Skills sector, especially when students' choices may not align with government priorities.

2.15 - Bespoke approaches for neurodiverse learner journeys into mainstream education and into work

Lead organisation: Bridgwater and Taunton College and Coleg Cambria

Speakers:

• Jane Irons - Deputy Head of Foundation Learning, Bridgwater and Taunton College
  
• Lorna Whitford - Head of Foundation Learning, Bridgwater and Taunton College
  

Two colleges will share their unique approaches to supporting learner success in mainstream education and the workplace.

Coleg Cambria will provide an overview of their bespoke programme; incorporating enhanced transition, a tailored curriculum and individualised assessment to equip autistic learners with the tools needed to achieve L3 qualifications, employability and life skills.

Bridgwater and Taunton College will share employment models, personalised support and employer partnerships that lead to sustainable employment outcomes for a range of neurodivergent young people.

Participants will gain insights into low-cost, impactful strategies for mainstream FE and actionable strategies for designing curriculums that lead to sustainable employment outcomes.