KINGSTON MAURWARD COLLEGE
HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY 2012-2015
Introduction
The land-based sector is undergoing a period of rapid change within the UK and the wider world under pressure from competing demand for land uses, some of which are conflicting in terms of broader economic, social, environmental and technological concerns. Historically, ‘land-based’ had come to be restricted in meaning to ‘agricultural’ but increasingly related areas such as marine and coastal resource management are recognised as important elements. In the UK decisions made about the management of land impact on all society since land is often fulfilling multiple uses simultaneously providing and contributing to different economic outputs. Whilst this is not new, government policy and legislation are increasingly forcing land managers to a holistic view of land management which recognises the multiple interests and outputs from any particular land use and seeks to balance advantageously the potential positive and negative impacts for the wider public benefit.
At the same time, whilst integral and foundational, the land-based element of the productivity supply chain now accounts for a diminishing share of the total added value in modern economies. Economic activity recognises enterprise as relatively more important as a resource to land-based industries than land itself. Innovation, new information technologies, service businesses, self-employment and the skills that underpin these activities have all become increasingly important in rural communities and regions.
These drivers and trends have direct implications for providers of Higher Education (HE) to individuals and businesses seeking to or already working or operating in the sector. Furthermore, the recent publication of the Government White Paper ‘Students at the heart of the system’ raises significant challenges and opportunities for providers of Higher Education (HE) generally and for Further Education (FE) Colleges in particular.
This strategy seeks to establish a vision of purpose and direction for the College that will inform our decision-making and subsequent actions over the next three years to ensure that we can meet the evolving demand for higher level skills as effectively and efficiently as possible within a changing HE landscape.
1(a) Brief Description of the College
Kingston Maurward College was established in 1949 and is a major training provider in Dorset with a wealth of educational and skills development experience gained from working alongside public, private and voluntary partners in delivery of learning to young people, adults and individual businesses. The College’s mission is to provide inspiring and challenging training and development opportunities to equip people with the knowledge and skills to succeed in life and work.
We are a specialist college supporting individuals and organisations working in modern land-based industries, conservation and across the rural economy. We recognise that the sector is a diverse, vibrant and expanding one and believe that we can provide excellent resources, human and physical, in a modern, fit for purpose environment. Our estate of 300 hectares including commercial farms, state of the art Learning Resources Centre, laboratories and practical workshops, caters for all levels of learning and our curriculum is designed to respond to the evolving nature of environment and land-based industries and local businesses. We recognise the drivers of change in the sector such as climate variation, renewable energies, conservation, tourism and the need for more sustainable work practices and we seek to enable more young people and adults to play a key role in managing the emerging rural landscape, encouraging sensitive animal and land stewardship and production and meeting the demanding environmental targets of tomorrow.
We are committed to raising learner aspiration and achievement and developing progression pathways to HE with provision tailored to needs. We start at the beginning and see our work with local children and young people as vital to developing awareness and understanding of our role and the opportunities we can offer from Foundation Level to Degrees. Our distinctive, flexible and responsive HE course offer will continue to build upon our FE areas of strength in land-based and rural sustainability providing natural, coherent routes for continuing skills development. We will meet local and regional higher skill needs by working with businesses and communities to actively support the creation and development of new markets. As a provider collaborating with other stakeholders, we will shape, respond and adapt our HE offer to anticipate change, positioning ourselves to secure value for money with regards to public investment.
Curriculum
We currently offer a diverse portfolio of part-time and full-time courses of mainly vocational education and training across 9 distinct Academy areas: Agriculture; Animal Conservation and Welfare; Arboriculture; Business Skills and Professional Development; Countryside Management; Equine; Floristry; Horticulture; and Outdoor Adventure and Sports. Our considerable commercial activities provide direct and first-hand experience of actual industry practices and issues for learners and at the same time provide for a diversity of income streams to the institution that reduces vulnerability to sudden changes in demand in particular industry areas.
The curriculum extends from Further Education Entry Level 1 to HE for both full and part-time students and includes work-based learning. On average we run 25 full-time programmes and just over 650 part-time courses per year, with around 900 full-time students, of whom our HE students account for about 15%, and 4,000 part-time learners, of whom over 94% are adults.
We have a well developed schools link vocational programme for Years 10/11 which welcomes 250 students per year from across the sub-region and this provides a strong platform for progression. Governors recently formed a Soft Federation with the Thomas Hardye School (an upper school which provides continuation through Sixth Form provision, which has been Independently assessed as one of the best state schools in the country).
The fact that we are already a Partner Institution of Bournemouth University and provide University validated courses at HE level strengthens our 14-19 offer. Our HE programme of Foundation Degrees and BSc (Hons) programmes provide significant opportunities for students to maintain participation in learning to gain the higher level skills needed for the economic growth sought.
1 (b) Higher Education Programme
Higher Education provision is currently structured around six of the College’s nine Academy areas: Animal Conservation and Welfare; Agriculture; Arboriculture; Equine Studies; Horticulture; and Outdoor Adventure and Sports. Delivery encompasses Foundation Degree Science (FdSc), Foundation Degree Arts (FdA) and Batchelor of Science (BSc) programmes and are available in both full-time and/or part-time mode. The College also offers a number of Level 4 qualifications, including Farm Management and Floristry.
FdSc/BSc programmes include:
♦ FdSc Animal Behaviour and Welfare (full and part-time delivery)
♦ FdSc Equine Behaviour and Welfare (part-time delivery)
♦ FdSc in Marine Ecology and Conservation (full and part-time delivery)
♦ BSc (Top-up) Animal Behaviour and Welfare (full-time delivery)
The above programmes are delivered within an overarching framework: Integrated Animal and Environmental Sciences (IAES). This is consistent with Bournemouth University’s strategic move towards all undergraduate programmes being delivered in a framework structure.
FdA programmes include:
♦ FdA Outdoor Adventure Management (full and part-time delivery)
♦ FdA Tourism and Park Management (part-time delivery)
HND programmes include:
♦ HND Equine Management (currently under development)
We are also looking to expand our HND provision within the areas of ecology, conservation, farm management and business studies.
Teacher Training qualifications (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector - Certificate and Diplomas PTLLS/CTLLS/DTLLS) are currently delivered by the College’s Business Studies and Professional Development team which provide a basis for improving the quality of teaching and learning of College staff and provide a robust programme that supports continuing improvement. Additionally, delivery of the International Masters Programme at KMC, but through Plymouth University, is under development. The ability to deliver a postgraduate level qualification will significantly raise the national and international profile of our HE provision.
A key premise remains the need to be responsive to employer needs and thereby improve graduate employability. To this end we are looking to expand the existing model for the FdA in Tourism Park Management (established to provide progression for employees from the NVQ level 3) to other key areas within the land-based sector. We will also investigate the potential for delivering Higher Apprenticeships which will serve to build on the high quality work that we already do within this area.
A top-up (Level H) programme was introduced in 2007 as a progression for the FdSc in Animal Behaviour & Welfare, to enable students to obtain a full honours degree. The development of top-up programmes for the FdSc Marine Ecology and Conservation and FdA Outdoor Adventure Management programmes are currently being investigated, not least due to the high demand for such programmes from both existing students and new applicants. However, the future of such developments remains unclear because of the prevailing strategic direction of our existing HEI.
The majority of the HE programmes delivered at the College are managed by Bournemouth University’s School of Applied Sciences. As a consequence of the recent publication of the Government’s White Paper and the subsequent implementation of the Core and Margin Model, the University has stated its intention to phase out franchised provision. Whilst this has presented several challenges it is believed that long-term, this will place the College in a position of greater strength.
Historically, the College has worked with a single HEI (Bournemouth University) for validation of programmes within the HE portfolio. However, due to the changing role of FE Colleges in delivering HE and the recent successful bid for directly funded numbers through HEFCE, we are now in a position to seek additional HEI partners. Possibilities include the Royal Agricultural College (RAC), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Plymouth University.
HEFCE and Higher Education
Following publication of the White Paper, ‘Students at the heart of the system’ HEFCE has become the ‘lead regulator’ for HE and will play a pivotal role in delivering the Government’s vision for the future of Higher Education in England. In July 2011, HEFCE published their strategy statement. ‘Opportunity, choice and excellence in higher education’ (HEFCE 2011/22).
Aim:
We will continue to support core strengths in higher education: building on a reputation for excellence and diversity in learning and teaching, world-leading research and an enviable record of knowledge exchange.
Objectives:
a. Learning and teaching
· to continue to develop a more risk-based system that assures the quality of higher education in institutions which are authorised to recruit publicly funded students, including a wider range of further education colleges and private providers
· to extend and enhance the information about higher education that is available for students, prospective students and others with an interest (including careers advisers, students’ families and employers)
· subject to consultation in early 2012, to target teaching funding towards high-cost subjects and activities, such as widening participation, which have a clear public benefit and which may not be fully funded by tuition fees
· to work with partners to develop the best way of understanding and responding to subjects which prove vulnerable as a result of the reforms and other changes, monitoring the demand and supply for key subjects, understanding the higher-level skills valued by employers and taking steps to address these issues
· to support the continuous improvement of teaching, learning and assessment, diverse forms and modes of provision, the effective utilisation of learning technologies and the increased accessibility and use of open educational resources
· to develop an approach, through consultation with the sector, to managing student numbers which meets the Government’s twin aims of increasing competition and driving up quality, while ensuring that the costs associated with student support are affordable
b. Research
· to maintain the strength and dynamism of the research base through the selective allocation of institutional grant funding based on quality-assessed outcomes, and by working closely with other funders, including the Research Councils
· to implement the Research Excellence Framework in 2014 as a basis for future funding allocations and to help provide robust public information about the achievements of the higher education sector
· to support institutions in training and developing the next generation of excellent researchers
· to encourage and enable institutions to undertake excellent research funded from a variety of sources including international research agencies, business and the research charities
c. Knowledge exchange
· to ensure that higher education plays a full part in supporting economic recovery and growth, demonstrating this and the many wider contributions that serve the public interest
· to allocate innovation funding in the period 2011-2015 to meet the Government's ambitions for reform and HEFCE’s long-term objective of embedding knowledge exchange activity as a central mission of universities, drawing on excellence in learning and teaching and research
· to ensure that funding allocated through HEIF delivers value for money, developing a robust evidence base to demonstrate achievements in knowledge exchange which will inform the future direction of policy and practice
The Strategy Statement
'Opportunity, choice and excellence' sets out the principles, priorities and practices that will guide HEFCE as they implement the Government’s Higher Education reforms. This strategy statement identifies three key principles – opportunity, choice, and excellence:
Opportunity
The main premise behind this principle is that ‘people with the potential to benefit from successful participation in higher education should have the opportunity to do so’. Widening participation is a key theme within HEFCE’s strategy statement and is an area in which the College excels. The statement further highlights the vital role of FE Colleges in targeting students from those socio-economic backgrounds that tend to be neglected by more traditional HEIs.
According to HEFCE, Higher Education must play ‘a full part in supporting economic recovery and growth, demonstrating this and the many wider contributions that serve the public interest’. This objective corresponds well with the type of provision offered by the College. Our programmes both reflect the needs of local employers and contribute to the local economy.
Partnerships between universities and colleges allow each to achieve what they could not do individually. The establishment of Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs) brings groups of HEIs and FECs together across areas and regions to offer new opportunities for students following vocational programmes to enter HE and LLNs will be the key mechanism for improving progression.