There are four colleges of further education funded by the Black Country Learning and Skills Council in Dudley Borough:
- DudleyCollege of Technology – a general further education college
- StourbridgeCollege – a general further education college
- HalesowenCollege – a tertiary college
- KingEdwardVICollege, Stourbridge – a sixth form college
There are also school sixth forms and 141 different work based learning providers that provide work based learning to learners living in Dudley Borough. 43 of these providers account for 90% of Dudley resident learners. Four providers attract around half of Dudley Borough residents; Dudley College, Stourbridge College, Protocol Skills Ltd and VT Plus Training.
DudleyCollege is the largest further education provider in the Black Country with almost 26,000 learners (these are not all Dudley residents). This amounts to about one quarter of all FE learners attending provision in the Black Country.
The above information is extracted from the Black Country LSC’s Review of Post-16 Educational Provision in Dudley Borough.
Organisational Purpose
Further Education (FE) Colleges deliver educational provision for over 16-year-olds, including work-based training, in-company training, adult & community learning, and some Higher Education. They are funded primarily through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
The LSC has identified in its Review of Post-16 Educational Provision in Dudley Borough that there are a number of key principles underpinning the effective delivery of learning:
- Meeting individual learner need – which involves greater customisation of training to meet the needs of learners and employers at all levels.
- Quality of provisions – ensuring that learning delivered is of high quality from initial information advice and guidance, initial assessment, delivery, assessment through to progression.
- Flexibility in delivery – so that learning is not constrained by organisational or bureaucratic constraints.
- Strategic direction – providing an overview and direction for learning provision in each area to ensure that learner needs are met efficiently. A key principle underpinning this aim is that delivery should be based on collaboration not competition.
Common Purpose with LSPs
- Colleges deliver local targets for improving educational attainment and skills and towards the ‘worklessness’ targets. Colleges encourage young people from all backgrounds to gain the qualifications needed to enable them to progress to work or higher education.
- FE Colleges are significant providers of training and education for people aged over 16. They have a significant role to play in implementing 14-19 educational reforms, working with local authorities to ensure that a full range of curriculum choices are available.
- FE Colleges share LSP interests in developing and implementing adult learning strategies, including improving access to education and training, increasing social inclusion, and developing the skills and knowledge of residents, practitioners, etc, who deliver neighbourhood services.
- FE colleges are an integral part of social and economic regeneration, helping to build capacity to build sustainable communities, and upskilling employees to build competitive companies.
- Cross-cutting interests include equal opportunities, inclusive learning, community cohesion, and sustainable development.
Drivers
- LSC targets (which are linked to Public Service Agreement targets)
- Local needs – of employers etc.
- Community needs
Benefits and Constraints from LSP Engagement
Benefits
- A higher profile for Colleges with influence in Community and Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies and greater coherence in inter-agency planning.
- Facilitating attainment of College objectives including rolling out joint employment and skills planning arrangements with local partners, maximising linkages with regeneration opportunities, and skills development in the public sector.
- Greater awareness of learning and skills programmes and provision amongst local partners, leading to greater take-up of learning opportunities by learners and employers, and improving reach amongst disengaged or excluded individuals.
- Greater focus by partners on LSC targets, including possible collaboration on data issues.
Constraints
- Colleges currently compete for learners, and population projections indicate that the pool of potential 16 to19 learners is decreasing.
- Government priorities currently dictate where funding is spent, this may not always coincide with local priorities.
Relationship with other Partnerships
- Jobs Partnership
- Children and Young People’s Partnership
- Neighbourhood regeneration partnerships
- Regeneration Zones
- Information, Advice & Guidance partnerships
- 14 – 19 Strategy Groups
More Information
Other things you need to know
Whilst competing for learners all the Dudley Colleges work together closely for the benefit of the learners, companies and communities of Dudley
Find out more:
Department for Education http://www.education.gov.uk/
Skills Funding Agency http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/
Young People’s Learning Agency http://www.ypla.gov.uk/
Dudley College http://www.dudleycol.ac.uk/
Stourbridge College http://www.stourbridge.ac.uk/
Halesowen College http://www.halesowen.ac.uk/
King Edwards VI College http://www.kedst.ac.uk/new/
