The Directors Comment

The 2007 AoC Conference was, on the surface, a rather quieter affair than previous years. The two preceding events had had Foster and Leitch providing them with a focus but this year’s event came at a time when the changes to the government structure of the education sector are still being determined. I feel that there are still issues to be resolved about how the DIUS and DCSF will function with the education and training sector.

One comment by Sue Dutton, in her speech as AoC acting Chief Executive, was that “FE always seems to be entering a new dawn”. This view has echoes in HE – the THES recently devoted a whole page to debating when “the golden age” of HE really was.

These views do have some substance. Although the AoC Conference didn’t have the obvious focus of some years there were clearly some very big issues being considered that could see us entering an era where the sector could change significantly.

Clearly self-regulation will help shape the structure of the sector in some very profound ways and has to be seen in conjunction with the reputation management of the sector overall. The quality of college leadership will be vital and at Capita we are, of course, committed to providing the most effective suite of tools to assist the management process.

Colleges and the HE sector will also have a key role in determining the development of a skills culture at the national level. An important issue here will be how the new Diplomas are received.

Finally, could I say that it has been my great pleasure to visit the winning and runner-up colleges in the Capita Inspire Award. I very much enjoyed my visits to the College of North East London and Sussex Downs and look forward to learning more about the projects throughout the year.

 

Read FE Matters

See our latest events

Get support