Learning and skills: the agenda for change - the prospectus

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeLearning and Skills – theagenda for changeForeword by Bill Rammell, Minister of Statefor Higher Education and Lifelong Learning,Department for Education and SkillsFurther Education is the engine room for skillsand social justice in this country. It equips businesseswith the skills they need to compete and opensup opportunities for people of all ages and fromall groups in the community to build the platformof skills and qualifications to get and keep jobs,to develop in their jobs to skilled, well-paidemployment and to progress to higher education.Thus far an unsung hero, FE is well placed to keepBritain working.FE’s moment has come. It has a leading role in theGovernment’s strategies for both Skills and 14–19and supports wider policy drives in health and socialmobility. Over coming months, we will have the benefitof advice from Sir Andrew Foster’s Review of FurtherEducation Colleges, which will have further implicationsfor the sector, and Lord Sandy Leitch’s Review of Skills,which will set the long-term perspective of the skillswe need for competitiveness. And our continuingSuccess for All strategy has already had a majorimpact on FE, on which we now want to build.The context for these developments is first of allinternational. The UK still lags behind its economicpeers on productivity, on the agility to developand exploit new markets, and on innovation. The paceof change in world markets means that we need fast,efficient dynamic responsiveness in further educationso that we can close and indeed leap overour skills gaps.That urgency exists at national level too. Last year300,000 young people left school with fewer than fiveGCSEs and there are still millions of adults who cannot read, write or deal with numbers to a basicstandard. These are statistics not just about academicattainment but about social exclusion and dauntinglyhigh barriers to meaningful employment. They arestatistics that illustrate the challenge for a dynamicfurther education sector to tackle.I warmly welcome the lead that Mark Haysomand the LSC have taken together with the FE sectorto develop the agenda for change in responseto the challenge of developing an effective, efficientand dynamic sector. This is the first step on a journeythat will radically change the whole post-16 landscape.The reviews by Sir Andrew Foster on Further EducationColleges, and Lord Sandy Leitch on Skills will providefurther advice which will enable the Governmentto develop and deliver the transformation we musthave for a successful future underpinned by economicprogress and social mobility.The agenda for change is therefore central to decisionsthat will follow in the autumn and into next yearbut it also sets out important areas where earlyprogress can begin now. I look forward to hearingfrom Mark Haysom how the agenda is receivedand how it can be taken forward. I therefore wishthe Learning and Skills Council and all its partnerswell in taking forward the agenda for change.Bill RammellMinister of State for HigherEducation and Lifelong Learningi

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeForeword by Mark HaysomChief Executive of the Learning and Skills CouncilSince I arrived at the Learning and Skills Council, I havebeen asking “What must the FE sector do to stepup to the enormous and exciting challenges we face?”From my viewpoint, what we need is a networkof colleges that put customers first, that operateas the nerve centre of the skills agenda and takethe 14–19 reforms out of policy and into practice,and where the disincentives to collaborate fade away.Colleges as famous for the quality of what they provideas for how they run themselves as businesses.A network famous for its world class buildingsand technologies. A simplified system where wasteis minimised so funding can be deployed to front lineeducation and training. A sector that plays a broad rolein enhancing local communities. And a system wherelearners and employers can find their way aroundand are equipped to make good choices.But this view is in no way the exclusive propertyof the Learning and Skills Council. In a series of regionalmeetings in 2004 and again in 2005 we discussedand developed it at length with college principals,and I continue to be struck by the breadth of supportit enjoys across the sector.Nor is the LSC itself exempt from the challenge.We have heard the feedback. As the leading governmentagency in the FE sector we know we cannot simply saythe words and expect providers to provide, employersto engage and learners to learn. We know we haveto play an active role, and more importantly we knowthat role has to be rebalanced. We know we haveto move away from micro-management to support;from complex to simple funding; from focus on inputsand data to focus on quality outcomes; fromtransactional deals at local level to workingpartnerships; from adding overhead to the systemto adding value.And how will we add that value? We know thatif the learning and skills market is to work effectivelyyou have to have something between big governmentand local communities. If it’s all top down you endup with a local system that is merely a unit of nationalpolicy with no autonomy or sensitivity to local needs –it means college principals with no room for manoeuvre,employers whose entrepreneurial energies arelimited by prescribed national skills that may notbe relevant, it means learners constrained in theirchoices and opportunitiesfor personal development.Yet if it’s all bottom up you get duplication of coursesor enormous gaps in provision, unused buildings,disenfranchised groups, unsatisfactory transportarrangements and a haphazard range of provisionthat may or may not further the national and regionalagenda for productivity and social advancement.Our role, therefore, is to get that balance right,to work creatively with local colleges, to tunethe system so it really sings.That is why we have developed an agenda for change.It is not just a response to present circumstancesbut an attempt at shaping the future. We haveorganised it around six themes:1 We will work together to create collegesvalued by employers as the partnerof choice for developing the skills they need.2 We will work together to improve the qualityof provision, funding excellence and promotingthe very best to serve as beacons to others.3 We will radically simplify our fundingmethodology and allocation process,making it more transparent and moreresponsive to changing needs.4 We will sweep away the complexity that causescolleges to divert resources to collecting dataof variable benefit.5 We will develop our capital investment strategyto free back-office resources and supportimproved management systems and processesto thus improve our business excellence.6 We will work with colleges to identify waysin which they can secure their reputationas pivotal to delivering the educationand training needs of the UK.The six themes add up to a programme that will beginto revolutionise the sector, and since autumn 2004,more than 100 key people from within it have beenworking with us and others to identify ways of makingit happen. We are now moving ahead with urgency.This Prospectus sets out important steps in the wayforward – and provides you with an opportunity to haveyour say on our ideas. While I am clear that this is verymuch the right direction of travel, I fully recogniseiii

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changethe importance of the outcomes of the Foster andLeitch reviews for our work and that the Governmentwill need to take account of the agenda for changetogether with recommendations from the Fosterand Leitch reviews in setting an overall strategyfor the sector.And while we’ve developed the vision so far largelywith college principals, I am now very clear thatwe need to explore the same messages with collegegovernors, and also right across the post-16 sector.And at every stage we must ensure that it worksfor the customer – learners and employers – helpingthem get the education, training and skills that willreally equip them to achieve their ambitions.And how will we know we have made a difference?We will be looking to have shifted the dial on a numberof key areas:• the majority of provision will be rankedas good or higher• employers and learners rate highly the trainingthat is available and which they receive• colleges collaborate with schools and a wholerange of other providers to deliver the very besteducation and training opportunities• college facilities and processes are amongthe very best pushing money to the front lineand improving outcomes for learnersand employers; and• the sector is typified as one of strong,confident colleges, highly regarded by allof their stakeholders both locallyand nationally.This Prospectus sets out what is really justthe beginning of a transformation agendafor the sector. I welcome your further viewsand your collaboration as we take that agendaforward. In future years, we will work with youto build on agenda for change and to turnour aspirations into reality.Mark HaysomChief Executive, Learning and Skills Counciliv

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeExecutive SummaryThis Prospectus sets out proposals for a dynamicprogramme of change. A detailed technical annexon data comes at the end, and further technical paperson funding, capital and other areas will follow.In our work so far we have focused largely on workingwith FE college principals. But we do believe thatthe issues and approaches have wider applicationacross the whole post-16 sector, and in some caseshave begun to explore this. A common strategy acrossthe whole post-16 sector must make sense in termsof ensuring we are working most effectively withall our partners, to the benefit of young people, adults,employers and communities, and the economy at large.Therefore, while this Prospectus is addressed specificallyto the FE sector, we are arranging dialogue withrepresentatives of the other sectors with whomwe work to take this agenda forward more widely.This will include discussions with, for example,independent providers, voluntary and communityproviders, University for Industry, Local Authoritiesand schools, and the relevant Trade Unions.As we take the agenda for change forward, we willof course take into account the emerging findingsof the Foster Review of Further Education Collegesand the Leitch Review of Skills. And the Governmentwill need to take account of the agenda for changetogether with recommendations from the Fosterand Leitch reviews in setting an overall strategyfor the sector.Skills for EmployersWe need to bridge the productivity gap with ourinternational competitors. To do that, colleges –and other training providers – will have to go furtherin offering employers the opportunity to preparethe skilled employees they require. At present,too few employers see these sources as the answerto developing the workforce, and they look elsewhere,or worse, they stop looking at all.We need to change that perception and positionthe post-16 sector as the partner of choice foremployers looking to develop their workforce.To achieve this, working with the Department forEducation and Skills (DfES), we propose to:• create a nationwide network of colleges –and other providers – focused on the needsof employers• develop with employers a Quality Markfor those colleges – and other providers –so that employers know they meet exactingstandards and that the services they providewill be of high quality and responsiveto the real needs of their businesses• increasingly make employers awareof the benefits of working with thesequality-marked colleges – and otherproviders – so funding flows accordinglyin line with employer choice; and• as set out in the Skills White Paper of March2005, develop the National Employer TrainingProgramme (NETP) as a powerful, demand-ledmechanism for changing the way in whichtraining for adults is delivered.QualityWe have a number of outstanding colleges deliveringhigh-quality provision to learners, employersand communities. But we also see that some are stillunder-performing and that improvement is unevenlyspread across the sector and across subject areas.Our ambition is that colleges are famous forthe consistent delivery of outstanding quality.Working with the new Quality Improvement Agency(QIA) and our partners, we plan to supportimprovements in quality among all providersand across subject areas, building on what hasalready been achieved through the Success for Allreforms, and the future development of thatreform programme.To achieve this we propose collectively with our manypartners to:• develop a culture of self-improvementand peer-referencing where colleges learnfrom each other and work togetherto improve qualityv

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change• place quality improvement at the heartof the colleges’ and the LSC’s review process,linking funding and planning more explicitlyto quality improvement• create ever more effective measuresof success that place the learnerand employer at the heart of performancemeasures; and• develop skills and motivation amongthe workforces of both collegesand the LSC itself.FundingThe present funding process is complex, bureaucraticand causes difficulties for colleges, other providersand the LSC itself.For college funding, we look to find a new approachwith streamlined processes, a focus on the plan,greater equity of funding methodology across differentproviders and a new level of certainty that will enablethem to plan more effectively.To achieve this we propose to:• link funding explicitly to college plansand move the LSC away from the micromanagementof funding• explore the scope for extending proposalsfor simplifying FE funding to other sectorsso enabling the LSC to fund whoever is mostsuited to deliver the provision required,thus ensuring ‘contestability’• radically simplify the funding formulaby introducing the concepts of a standardlearner number and a provider factor which,together, will be sufficient to drive fundingdecisions; and• introduce core and commissioned fundingwhere the core guarantees funding basedon the previous year’s allocations andthe commissioned element provides fora degree of flexibility to meet changingneeds, summing together to a plan drivenby demand.to meet their priorities; the broker acts on behalfof the employer, able to direct resource to whicheverprovider can best meet the employer’s needs; and thatthe broker can make those decisions in real time,securing rapid, flexible response in meetingthe employer’s training needs.The combination of our changes to fundingarrangements and the development of the NETPwill make the funding system truly flexible,responsive and demand led.DataGood quality data is essential to the effectivemanagement of colleges. However, the current datarequirements imposed on the sector are bureaucraticand too often ask for information of little real use.We plan to identify what data is truly conduciveto effective management and then declutterthe way in which it gets collected.To achieve this we propose to:• create a consistent set of data definitionsand managemant information (MI) reportsto be used by all organisations across theeducation and skills sector, including theintroduction of a Unique Learner Identifier• work with partners, including DfESand the Qualifications and CurriculumAuthority (QCA) to create a recordof learning for each individual whichcan be accessed by learners, and by collegesand other providers acting on behalfof the learner• collect only that data which colleges needto manage their own business• have all data collected from colleges by one‘data partner’ to avoid multiple requestsfor information from various bodies; and• make a simplified and more coherent linkbetween the collection of data and thesimplified funding methodology.At the same time, as set out in the Skills White Paperof March 2005, we will introduce the NationalEmployer Training Programme, based on the coreprinciples that: the employer should be able to actin effect as purchaser of the training they need, so thatthey can secure the design and delivery of trainingvi

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeBusiness ExcellenceColleges are businesses as well as educationand training providers, and to respond to bothlearners and employers they need lean and agileunderpinning business mechanisms.We plan to help colleges become better businesses,reduce their administrative overheads and thusrelease resource for front line delivery.We propose to:• introduce new benchmarking and valuefor money measures to stimulateimprovements in business performance• continue capital expenditure to improvethe estate, and so drive up learner recruitment,retention and achievement; and• encourage collective procurement to deliverbetter value for money.ReputationAn improved reputation for colleges is the ‘goldenthread’ that ties all the elements of agenda for changetogether. Research suggests that while colleges enjoythe esteem of their local communities, that esteemfails to aggregate nationally. And as already noted,employers are not yet in the habit of seeing collegesas the answer to their workforce needs.We plan to help colleges secure the reputation thatmost deserve, and at all levels – local, regional andnational.We propose to:• promote the examples of best practice thatexist in many colleges• amplify the excellent reputation collegeshave locally on to a national stage• develop a marketing and communicationsstrategy to promote the sector to all of itsaudiences and especially to those, suchas employers, where we will have somethingsignificantly different to promote• build on the reputation held by colleges –and other providers – along with the LSCin promoting equality of access and diversityof provision; and• undertake regular research to track changingperceptions of the sector.vii

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Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeLearning and Skills – theagenda for changeTheme One - Skills forEmployersIntroductionWe will work together to create collegesvalued by employers as the partner of choicefor developing the skills they need.1 Colleges have a strong reputation for respondingto the needs of learners and communities. But theirreputation with employers tends to be patchy.Yet meeting the skills needs of the nation mustbe a core part of the further education (FE) missionif we are as a nation to meet the competitivechallenges of the 21st century, and make the mostof the talents of all our people.2 There are many examples of colleges whodo already have an excellent reputation for workingwith employers. We need to extend this engagementif the sector is to be regarded universally as a seriousplayer in upskilling the country’s workforceand bridging the productivity gap with our internationalcompetitors. The Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC)2004 National Employer Skills Survey says that only15 per cent of employers make use of FE when seekingsolutions to their training and skills needs. This needsto change.3 The creation of the network of over 300 Centresof Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) in colleges and otherproviders has gone some way to raising the profileand reputation of colleges as deliverers of high qualityspecialist training to employers.4 The development of the new sector based SkillsAcademies will build on this. These will address presentgaps in meeting skill needs nationally and provide highqualityskills solutions. Skills Academies will provideleadership to the CoVE network and to sectoralprovision in colleges and other providers. Employersand their Sector Skills Councils will work closely withthe LSC and FE to ensure that the needs of eachemployment sector are not only met now butengender a growing confidence that the FE sectoris truly responsive to business needs.5 We will work closely with the best of the FEsector, the Sector Skills Councils, employers’organisations such as the Confederation of BritishIndustry (CBI), the Association of British Chambersof Commerce (BCC) the Small Business Council (SBC)and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), as wellas other partners such as Investors in People UK (IIP)to get the message across to employers that improvingskills in the workforce is the key to their future success– and so worth greater investment. As emphasisedin the Skills Strategy, we recognise that employerswill only be willing to invest if they are confidentthat the design, delivery and quality of trainingoffered by colleges and other providers will meettheir needs.6 At the same time, we want to ensure thatall the training offered by colleges and other providersis flexible, in tune with what employers want and needand is delivered either on employers’ premises or –if delivered in the college – is in world-class buildings.We will learn from our Employer Training Pilots (ETPs)in building the National Employer Training Programme(NETP) as a powerful, demand-led mechanismfor changing the way in which training for adultsis delivered.7 Only by working closely with employers willcolleges gain the confidence of companiesand be recognised as a natural partner in raisingworkforce skills, making the most of a currentand potential diverse workforce and underpinningbusiness success.8 Although we have developed these ideas withcolleges, as we take them forward we recognise thatwe need also to explore the full range of providersacross the post-16 network if we are to providethe excellence and choice employers are seeking.1

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeOur Proposals9 We propose to create a nationwide networkof colleges and other providers, which are focusedon the needs of employers and their workforce.10 Colleges and other providers in this network willbe business-focused and have a majority of staff withrecent experience of the businesses they support.They will work with employers to design trainingtailored to their particular needs.11 Those in the network will be quality-markedby business so that employers can recognisethe specialist support and range of training servicesthey provide. Over time, as employers increasinglyrecognise and have confidence in the Quality Mark,we expect that they will want to choose to use qualitymarkedcolleges and providers as the suppliersof workforce development services throughthe NETP.12 The network will be recognised for being flexiblein delivering training at a time, place and pace thatsuits employers and their staff. They will build strongrelationships with skills brokers, business advisersand other business organisations to ensure theyoffer the companies they serve effective supportand signposting to an appropriate mix of trainingand business solutions.13 The new network will conform to a new nationalstandard for working with business. This standard willbe tough, jointly developed and owned by employersand colleges.14 By doing this and building on the links alreadydeveloped with schools, higher education institutionsand other providers, colleges will build on their currentrole and become central to supporting local economicdevelopment across the country. They will workin tandem with the network of skills brokers thatthe LSC has been charged to develop acrossthe country.How Will It Work?The standard15 Building on existing good practice, we proposeto work with partners to develop a new nationalstandard that is a symbol of excellence in the designand delivery of workforce development servicesto employers, including responding to and buildingon the diversity of the current and future workforce.We have already had preliminary discussions withbusiness organisations that are keen to work closelywith the LSC and other partners to achieve this aim.16 We are keen not to add to the administrativeburden of colleges and providers. So, in developingthis new standard, we will work closely with the AdultLearning Inspectorate and others to ensure consistencyand coherence with developing inspection processes.Wherever possible, we would want to incorporateelements of other relevant standards into what willbecome a new Quality Mark.17 We will ensure that we build on what we alreadyhave, so we are not starting from the beginning.For example, it is anticipated that the existing networkof Centres of Vocational Excellence and other similarspecialist provision will be well placed to be earlyadopters and achievers of this new Quality Mark.External validation18 The experiences of colleges and other providersin similar regional approaches, such as Actionfor Business and Customer First, is that externalvalidation/assessment has been a worthwhileexperience. Even those providers who believed theywere already delivering excellent services to employershad development areas identified through externalassessment.19 For this new Quality Mark we would wantto see a robust but streamlined external assessmentprocess as the penultimate stage to achievingthe standard. We also want the final decision to awardthe Quality Mark to rest with an independent panel,chaired by an employer. Employers would play a keypart in the external assessment process, includingthe use of ‘mystery shoppers’. We would seek theirviews on whether the college or other providerhad achieved the high standards set for this newQuality Mark.20 Self-assessment and peer group review –discussed further in the Quality chapter of thisProspectus – will play an important role in helpingcolleges achieve the standard required initiallyand in delivering continuous improvement. We wouldwant to develop strong expertise in the deliveryof workforce development services across the sectoras part of this approach. The Quality Mark will becomethe way we assess quality in the delivery of workforcedevelopment services to employers. We will workclosely with the new Quality Improvement Agency(QIA) and other partners, to ensure that the QualityMark complements the work led by them onestablishing standards for teaching and learningin the workplace. The outcomes of the Quality Markprocess and the associated performance indicators will2

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changebe incorporated into the new ‘employer guide to goodtraining’ as it develops.21 It is not proposed to set a target for the numberof colleges and other providers that might attainthe standard but we recognise that not all will do so,and that some, such as sixth form colleges, will wishto focus their mission elsewhere. Sir Andrew Foster’sReview of Further Education Colleges should helpexplore further the varied missions of the sector.Funding22 We recognise that funding is a strong leverand motivator for colleges and providers. The QualityMark will assist employers, and skills brokers, to identifyand choose providers who are best placed to meettheir needs and who have demonstrated excellencein the delivery of workforce development servicesto employers.23 The real test of the Quality Mark, however,will be employers’ willingness to invest more includingin full cost provision, as a result of their growingconfidence in the quality and suitability of the provisionoffered to employers by colleges and other providers.Sufficiency of provision to meet the needs of localemployers and their workforce24 Local LSCs, working closely with their partnersregionally and locally, will plan provision to ensurethat it is able to meet the workforce developmentneeds of employers.25 Where this planning reveals gaps in provision,or a lack of the high quality provision employers needto meet their workforce development needs, the localLSC will work with colleges and providers to build thatcapacity or alternatively bring new provision intothe area. We recognise that careful planning willbe required in rural and/or sparsely populated areas,and to address the varying issues of equalityand diversity among employers, their employeesand their potential workforce.26 We will also be developing the NETP, basedon the core principles in the Skills White Paper: thatthe employer should be able to act in effectas the purchaser of the training they need, so thatthey can secure the design and delivery of trainingto meet their priorities; that the broker acts on behalfof the employer, able to direct resource to whicheverprovider can best meet the employer’s needs;and that the broker can make those decisions in realtime, securing rapid, flexible response in meetingthe employer’s training needs. As indicated above,we would expect colleges and other providers thatmeet the standard and achieve the Quality Markto be well placed to compete for NETP business.Transition Period27 A small number of colleges will already be at,or close to, the proposed standard. However, themajority of others who want to be part of the businessfocusednetwork will need some support to securethe Quality Mark.28 The Department for Education and Skills (DfES)has allocated significant funds to support capacitybuilding in the sector to enable the effective roll-outof the NETP from 2006/07. This work will includea focus on the challenges of making the mostof the talents of an increasingly diverse workforce.Our main priorities for the investment fund for thisyear are:• ensuring that we have the infrastructureand capacity in place to support effectiveintroduction of the National EmployerTraining Programme from next year• developing the new Quality Mark in closepartnership with employers and employerorganisations• working with the Centre for Excellencein Leadership (CEL) and other partners,to improve the leadership and managementskills of people in the sector to ensure thatthey are designing and delivering workforcedevelopment services for employers• working with Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK),the Sector Skills Council for employers whodeliver and/or support the delivery of lifelonglearning, to develop the skills of the teachingand learning staff and assessors in collegesand other providers who deliver workforcedevelopment. Particular emphasis willbe placed on ensuring that delivery staffhave up to date industrial/commercialexperience. We will also want to developnew delivery models that make moreuse of the skills and expertise of thoseworking in the sector• working with the DfES and other partnersto develop a standard for teaching and learningin the workplace including rolling out newteaching and learning materials. We areworking with them to develop materials thatsupport our aspiration that the majorityof teaching in support of employers is deliveredin the workplace. We will also want to supportthe development of better initial assessment,as this has been an area for developmenthighlighted in the ETPs3

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change• identify the best practice that already existsin the colleges and providers and developmodels of good practice and case studymaterial; and• work with colleges and other providersto ensure that the best in the sectorare showcased to employers, includingwork with the business and sectoral pressand other media.29 A relatively small number of collegesand providers have already achieved similar standardsthat have been developed regionally. We will workintensively with these colleges to ensure their speedyand smooth transition to achieving the newQuality Mark.Next Steps30 Our next step will be to establish a high levelSteering Group to oversee this work withrepresentatives from businesses, colleges,providers and other key partners to developthese proposals further. In September,we will commission work to:• complete the analysis of similar existingregional approaches that already existsuch as Action for Business, Customer Firstand EMSkills• work with colleges, providers and other keypartners to develop the content of thestandard that will underpin the Quality Mark• work with the CBI, the SBC, the BCC, the FSBand other employer organisations to developthe external validation and Quality Mark• raise employer awareness of colleges and howthey are working to meet their workforcedevelopment needs; and• agree a capacity building/development planfor colleges and other providers and forthe LSC itself.4

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeTheme Two - QualityIntroductionWe will work together to improve the qualityof provision, funding excellence and promotingthe very best to serve as beacons to others.31 If we achieve the transformation described in theprevious section as regards services for employers, thatis but one part of the agenda. The sector will only reallybe delivering if a continuing drive on quality across thepiece forms the second strand. While we have workedso far largely with FE colleges, many of the proposalsin this section on quality would have wider applicationacross the post-16 sector.32 We have a number of outstanding collegesdelivering high quality provision to learners, employersand communities. Our pursuit of quality has yieldedmuch over the past few years. Overall there has beena remarkable improvement in success rates and manycolleges have worked tirelessly to improve theirprovision and benchmark themselves againstthe best in the sector.33 But we also see that some are still underperformingand there is too much provision thatremains only satisfactory after years of investment.It is not that any particular part of the sector is failingto improve, but rather that improvement is unevenlyspread across the sector, and across subject areas.And the sad reality is that the reputation of the sectoroverall is determined by the weakest performance.34 We believe that the responsibility for managingchange and improving quality lies first and foremostwith the colleges themselves. The LSC is responsiblefor assuring the quality of the provision it funds.The QIA will have a responsibility to work with the LSCto support colleges in improving quality. The QIA willlead the development of a three-year QualityImprovement Strategy for the sector from 2006,working closely with the LSC and other key partners.Agenda for change will pave the way for the successfulimplementation of the Strategy.35 Collectively we want to develop a strategicapproach to investment in good and excellentprovision. We want to see significant furtherimprovements over the next three to five years inattainment, inspection outcomes and measures ofsuccess. We want to see more provision improvingfrom satisfactory to good or excellent, while wewithdraw from funding provision that is poor.What We Need To Do36 We have signed up to a five-point plan thatwe believe will accelerate the development of a cultureof self-improvement, that ensures more effectivemeasures of performance, and strategically linksquality assurance to development planning.iiiiiiivvWe need to encourage colleges to excel in theirindividual and collective responsibility for qualityimprovement. A reputation for rigorous selfassessmentand respected ‘peer-referencing’approaches will help colleges to learn from eachother, and from the very best in the sector,to drive up quality.We need to make sure that quality is integralto the annual planning review process withquality improvement and teaching, trainingand learning at the heart of the dialogue.The LSC must be in a position consistentlyto fund only priority-led high quality provisionwhilst promoting our duty to equalityof opportunity.We need meaningful measures of successas a basis for quality improvement.These measures should be fair, valid, transparentand fit for purpose, measures that should providefor commonality across the piece so judgmentscan be made on the relative performance of allpost-16 providers. The information shouldbe accessible and readily understood by learners,parents and employers, reflecting the needsand views of all customers.We need colleges to become demanding clientsof the agencies tasked with supporting qualityimprovement – the LSC, the Inspectoratesand the QIA. We want the sector to push us,to challenge the evidence, to play their partin defining the answers, ensuring clarityon all our respective roles and responsibilities.We need collectively to promote diverse first classleadership, management and workforcedevelopment across the sector, and acrossthe LSC. We believe that any quality improvementstrategy for the sector will only be successfulif a well-led, highly motivated and skilledworkforce implements it.Self-assessment37 Colleges are first and foremost responsiblethemselves for improving the quality of their provision.We want to support that by working with the QIAto promote self-assessment, championing ‘peer-5

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changereferencing’ approaches to assist colleges in learningfrom each other and to ratchet up the qualityof their provision.38 We believe rigorous, comprehensive selfassessmentis at the heart of organisationaldevelopment and an essential tool for managingchange. Effective self-assessment identifies whatneeds to be improved, as well as what is unsatisfactory,and results in a challenging quality improvement plan.39 The LSC will champion the engagementof the sector in self-assessment techniques,peer-assessment and review of performance.We will commission a benchmarking exerciseto identify what ‘quality’ looks and feels likeso that colleges across the sector can more easilycompare how they are doing against their peers.There are already examples of effective modelsof mutual support and benchmarking. The LSC,working with the QIA and the sector, will considerwhat role it can play in extending these approachesto the sector as a whole.40 In conjunction with the QIA, LLUK, and theAssociation of Colleges (AoC) the sector can pavethe way for self-regulation. This may be throughexternal validation, peer scrutiny, through linkingexpert practitioners, through networks that bringtogether colleges and agencies to help raisethe quality bar.Annual planning review41 The LSC is responsible for assuring the qualityof the provision it purchases. Our annual planningreview process has a critical role to play in raisingstandards. Quality improvement measures will be builtin to the assessment of development plans, drawingon the services of the QIA to help put those identifiedimprovements into practice. We will adopt a riskproportionateand differentiated approach,challenging the pace of self-improvementas well as poor and unsatisfactory provision.42 The LSC will continue to challenge consistentlypoor performance whether generally or in specificsubject areas. Failure to improve satisfactorily willbe highlighted in the LSC’s risk assessmentof the development plan. This assessment willbe a factor in agreeing the plan so determiningthe funding that the provider receives.43 It is already the case that the LSC can imposeconditions on funding where the provision is regardedas unsatisfactory. We will clarify what reasonableconditions might be applied and the proceduresto be adopted to withdraw from persistently poorprovision, whether in a particular subject or ata particular level within a college and acrossa college as a whole.Measures of success44 A great deal is already being done to developmeasures that will provide for comparability acrossthe sector and place the learners’ and employers’experiences at the heart of assessments of collegeperformance. The Success for All 1 website offers furtherinformation on the development of new measuresof success.45 We propose to build on that work and continueto develop measures that, among others, willdemonstrate our commitment to equality and diversityacross the sector, examine the value for money thatcolleges provide, their responsiveness to localemployers, and which fully reflect the viewsof learners and customers. These measures willcontribute to the new standard for excellencein the delivery of workforce development servicesto employers discussed in the Skills chapterof this Prospectus.46 We are committed to finding a way of definingthe economic and social benefits of colleges,so demonstrating the quality impact of the sectoras a whole – to the Government, and to the taxpayer.We will explore the employment, earnings and regionaldevelopment perspective, and the rewardsto the individual, the business networkand the local community.47 We collectively need to adopt a forensicapproach to understanding the needs of the learner,and the employer. We need to use the informationwe gather nationally and locally to drive up quality,for the benefit of those learners and employers.This will also help us prepare a compellingand influential case for greater investment fromthe state, and from those employers and individualswho benefit.48 Most importantly we are agreed thatthe measures of success for each college shouldalign with the mission(s) of that college, be thatprovision for young people, services to business,community and lifelong learning, or access to anddelivery of higher education.Roles and responsibilities49 There are a number of agencies involvedin improving quality in colleges. The LSC, Inspectoratesand the QIA all have a part to play in helping collegesimprove the quality of their provision within the policyframework for post-16 quality improvement developedby the DfES.61 www.successforall.gov.uk

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change50 We believe that each body has a clear and distinctrole in the quality arena:• colleges individually and collectively areresponsible for improving their own quality;• inspectorates are responsible for assessingthe quality of provision.• the Learning and Skills Council is responsiblefor assuring the quality of provisionand the effectiveness of providersin meeting skills needs and priorities;and,• the Quality Improvement Agencyis responsible for supporting and enablingself-improvement through leadingthe development of a national qualityimprovement strategy for 2006-09.51 We will continue to work with all the relevantpartners to ensure clarity for all concerned and a jointlyowned vision for the way ahead.Leadership, management and workforcedevelopment52 Success in bringing about improved qualitydepends on the effectiveness of leadershipand management, the diversity of that leadershipand how it reflects the make-up of colleges’ localcommunities. And it depends on strategic leadersand subject managers addressing issues of underperformance.Evidence points to the recognitionof the primacy of learner success as the overarchingmeasure of quality. But colleges increasingly pointto staff shortages and problems in recruiting staff,and this is particularly problematical in specificsubject areas.53 We believe there is a need for a nationallycoordinated capacity building programme withinthe next phase of the Success for All strategy.This should include a focus on governance, leadership,diversity, and management, the continued developmentof teaching and learning resources, and a focuson workforce development. And it should includerecruiting, seconding and developing staff with the rightskills; skills for working collaboratively to deliverthe 14–19 agenda, and for the employer agenda,including delivery and assessment in the workplace.We believe there is a clear need for specificinterventions to respond to the skills, 14–19 and highereducation strategies and to the apprenticeshipprogramme across the sector and the LSCas a whole.54 We are clear that this should be taken forward,in partnership, by a ‘leadership compact’, aligningthe influence, resources and energies of all the keyplayers; DfES, LSC, QIA, CEL, and LLUK.55 As a contribution to developing the leadership ofthe sector, the LSC will play its part in active jointengagement of college governors and local LSC Councilmembers, alongside the local Executive working withcollege senior management teams.Next Steps56 We will continue to work with the agenda forchange quality task group, involving college principals,QIA, AoC and DfES. We will:• facilitate pathfinders to supportthe development of peer reviewarrangements• further develop self-assessment, and annualplanning review to ensure quality is integralto the planning process• develop detailed proposals to clarifyhow the LSC will deal withunsatisfactory provision• implement the right measures for successacross the post-16 learning and skills sector• commission further work on measuringquality by illuminating learner experiences,describing the economic impact of collegesand analysing their role in developingsustainable and harmonious communities• publish an annual review of performanceat college, local, regional and national level• develop with the QIA more effective supportfor self-improvement, and support movestowards self-regulation across the sector; and• play our part in developing and implementinga ‘compact’ with DfES, CEL, LLUK and QIAfor capacity building in the sector.7

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeTheme Three - FundingIntroductionWe will radically simplify our fundingmethodology and allocation process, makingit more transparent, more demand-led,and more responsive to changing needs.57 The move towards a demand-led systemfor employers, and the drive on quality describedabove must be underpinned by a radical shiftin the way we approach funding. We acknowledgethat funding is a powerful driver and it is clearthat there is a need for a fundamental overhaulof the complex funding systems of the LSC.By changing the funding system, we will re-definethe strategic relationship between the LSC and thepost-16 sector. Our proposals aim to make a realityof the following principles – enabling a focuson the needs of learners and employers, simplification,transparency, putting the employer in the positionof in effect being purchaser for workplace deliveredtraining and removing barriers to collaborationbetween providers.58 The proposals are based on the workof the agenda for change funding theme task groupand developed further in light of feedback followingthe roadshows and discussions with DfES. As explainedlater in this chapter, a more detailed technicaldocument will follow.59 The proposals have been largely developedworking with the FE sector, but we are clear theyhave potential for application in other partsof the post-16 sector. We will want to explorethis approach with a whole range of partnersas we go forward, before making recommendationsfor decision to the DfES in the autumn. This is setout in more detail below.Key Features Of OurProposalsFunding that ‘follows the plan’60 The central principle driving the proposals is thatfunding should be used to develop and supportthe capacity of the learning and skills sector to meetnational, regional and local priorities. Effective planningand quality improvement strategies will enableus to address our key objectives such that the fundingmethod becomes less prominent in influencing delivery.We need to improve the development planningframework to make it better able to provide thenecessary basis for a more informed planning dialoguethat takes account of the individual strengths withinthe provider network, and has a sharper focus on qualityimprovement and the promotion of equality. We willbegin introducing some of these changes for the2006/07 planning round that begins in autumn 2005.61 The role of funding should be to underpincolleges’ agreed plans to meet employers’and individuals’ needs, to improve qualityand to promote equality, while giving collegesand other providers sufficient stability to use theirresources to develop and maintain the requiredcapacity to deliver. This requires a long-termrelationship between the LSC and FE and a highdegree of trust. Under our proposals, the LSC will‘fund the plan’, support the provider to deliver it,monitor performance, and agree changes to boththe plan and funding in the following year. In essence,this will enable the LSC to look towards the futurewith its partners, rather than making retrospectivechanges based on past performance.62 There is radical simplification to be gainedfrom ‘funding the plan’ – moving away from micromanagementof providers to a more strategic overviewof delivery and performance. The detail of the mixof programmes and the balance of provisionto be offered by colleges will sit firmly withinplanning discussions with the LSC, leavingthe funding discussions to focus on learnervolumes, as detailed below.63 The roll out of the National Employer TrainingProgramme will provide a powerful, demand-ledmechanism for changing the way in which trainingfor adults is delivered. Our reforms, which wereinformed by the detailed work of the task group,the feedback from the roadshows and our ongoingdiscussions with the DfES, will incorporate the coreprinciples for funding under the NETP as set outin the Skills White Paper of March 2005 and outlinedin paragraph 26 above. Once employers’ skills needshave been identified, skills brokers will identify the mostappropriate providers. Where a suitable provider is notidentifiable locally, the skills broker will work withthe LSC to identify a provider from outside the areaif necessary. Those providers with excellent inspectiongrades and, over time, those providers who holdthe proposed Quality Mark will be well placedto benefit when skills brokers are looking to expandthe local market with other suitable providers.64 Within overall LSC budgets, the NETP budgetwill be identified annually; and over time, as set out8

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changein the March 2005 White Paper, allocations of fundingwill operate on a principle of contestability basedon the success of colleges and other providersin meeting employers’ needs. We will need to assesswith DfES, how far and how fast this principle can applyin the initial implementation phase. Plans for 2006-07and 2007-08 in particular will depend on decisionsby ministers in the autumn on the speed of buildup of NETP.A common funding method65 The proposals set out in this Prospectus are basedso far on discussions and debate with representativesof the further education sector and the DfES.In principle, we can see advantages in extending theseprinciples across the wider post-16 sector, includingto school sixth forms. A common funding methodwould be simpler for both providers and the LSCto manage as there will be only one set of funding‘rules’, data collection and systems requirements.We will therefore explore with partners acrossthe learning and skills sector, the potential for thedevelopment of a common funding method whichprovides a basis for the LSC to allocate funds towhichever provider is best suited to deliver thepriorities. At the same time, we will of course keepdiscussing with employers and their representativeorganisations how these proposals can best beimplemented in order to make a reality of the demandledprinciple in relation to provision delivering skillsfor employers. Based on further comments frompartners, we will make proposals in the autumnto the Government.A simple funding formula66 Our proposals introduce the concept of standardlearner numbers as the basis of a common measureof the volume of activity planned to be deliveredby each provider. The ‘standard learner numbers’measure takes account of the size of learners’programmes, but does not require each elementof the programme to be funded separately. For example,two groups of programmes should be sufficient to coverfull-time learners: one including those typically followedby many adult learners or young people studyinga smaller number of A/AS levels; and one includingmore substantial programmes followed by mostyoung people in schools and colleges and undertakingApprenticeships and Entry to Employment. This willsimplify the funding calculation while retaininga reasonable link with the resources requiredby the provider. As the ‘Framework for Achievement’develops, we will need to work through the impact –it may be possible to measure ‘standard learnernumbers’ in terms of the volume of ‘credits’ assignedto units, which will form the building blocksof learners’ programmes.67 A provider factor will be calculated to takeaccount of costs associated with its mix of programmetypes, disadvantage and the need for additional learningsupport/special educational needs, and area costs.We propose that the provider factor will alsoincorporate learners’ success rates.68 The factor will be derived from data that a collegeneeds to collect for their own management purposes,as well as the planning and quality improvementdialogue with the LSC. It would be agreed beforethe start of the funding year, and would representa simplification as funding will be de-linked fromthe actual delivery of individual learning aimsthroughout the year. The factor could be reviewedperiodically; we envisage that this will normallybe aligned to the three-year development planningcycle, though it may need to be more frequentfor smaller providers where changes in the patternof provision have a larger overall effect.69 The funding rates assigned to the ‘standard learnernumbers’ will be differentiated according to whetherthe provision is ‘fully-funded’ or ‘co-funded’.Fully funded provision could include 16-19s, skills forlife and first full Level 2, and would provide the LSCwith the flexibility in the future to set new prioritiesand fund them at the fully funded rate. Co-fundedactivity would be discounted to reflect the assumptionthat a fee is being paid (for 2005/06 this is 27.5per cent of the course funding).‘Core’ and ‘commissioned’ elements of fundingallocations70 We intend to introduce an allocations systemwhich guarantees providers a substantial ‘core’of funding of between say 90 per cent and 95 per centbased on their previous year’s allocations, for anequivalent volume of activity, although the plannedmix may well change year on year in responseto changing demands and emerging priorities.This will provide reasonable financial certainty fromone year to the next. The remaining funding abovethe ‘core’, plus any growth funding, will representa ‘commissioned’ element which will give the LSCthe flexibility to direct funding to meet its priorities,to reflect changing policy priorities, or to moveprovision to higher quality providers, including thosewho achieve the Quality Mark for the deliveryof workforce development services to employers.71 We envisage that those delivering good qualitypriority provision will receive ‘commissioned’ fundingto enable them to at least deliver the same volumeof activity as the previous year. But the ‘commissioned’element will give the LSC leverage to ensure thatthe whole of a provider’s plan addresses agreed9

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changepriorities including those identified by brokers on behalfof employers. It will also enable the LSC to redirectfunding to commission new provision and/or newproviders in areas of need and unanticipated demandwithin priority areas. And it will provide the LSC withthe flexibility to respond to the costs of prioritydemand-led provision rising faster than envisaged,an important flexibility given the recent fundingdifficulties faced by the LSC and providers.72 The ‘commissioned’ element could in part supportthe funding for the NETP, since one priority within thatelement will be delivery of training on NETP principles.It will reinforce the wider aims of NETP that provisionshould be demand-led and employer responsive,thereby enabling more employers to work withthe best providers for all of their investment in skills.That is part of our strategy for increasing the overalltotal investment in skills.Year-end reconciliation of the plan, not the funding73 The process of agreeing providers’ allocations willfocus on discussions about learner volumes deliveredagainst the plan, removing the need to monitorfunding ‘earned’ as in the present system. Providersand the LSC will share data on the progress of plansand the quality of provision as the year progresses.For those receiving funds through grant-in-aid or grant(such as FE colleges and local authorities) there willbe no retrospective adjustment to allocations,provided they meet basic standards of data accuracy.But because of their different contractual position,for independent providers we envisage that it willbe necessary to reconcile contracted and actualvolumes and adjust funds accordingly.74 Other than in exceptional circumstances,we do not envisage in-year adjustments of allocationstaking place. Data on which in-year adjustments couldbe made are estimates at best and would requirefurther reconciliation later, cutting across the principleof funding the provider’s plan. The monitoringof performance against plans in-year should continueto improve the accuracy of the allocations process.The process of agreeing baseline budget positions withthe DfES will provide a stronger basis for planning LSCbudgets and further reduce the need for in-yearremedial action. With the full roll out of NETP, whenit is in steady state, it will be a basic principle thatcolleges and other providers have to earn their businessby being selected by employers as the preferredsupplier, rather than being guaranteed fundingin advance. But it should in practice becomea reasonably predictable element of the budgetof most colleges and other providers, assuming thatquality and responsiveness is always high. This willmaximise the ability of colleges and other providersto plan ahead with confidence.75 The removal of the need to reconcile funding‘earned’ in year should enable providers to shareup-to-date management information with the localLSC focusing on the volume of learner starts and themix of provision. As set out in the chapter on data,it will then be possible to develop systems that enablebetter and more timely data sharing between providersand the LSC, thus providing an early-warning systemin ‘real-time’. This is preferable to a system in whichunder-performance is often only recognised after theyear-end and where retrospective clawback has tobe carried out, often leading to de-stabilisationof the provider.Benefits of OurProposals76 If they were to be applied across the sector, ourproposals would enable the LSC and providers to:• support effectively the skills, 14–19and quality policies by placing an emphasison what is being delivered rather than howfunding is earned. This would drive a changein the relationship between the LSCand providers by focusing discussionson planning, performance and qualitystrategies, with funding as an issue takinga backseat. A common funding method woulddissolve the artificial barrier between learningsectors; support rational decisions on whatto fund; support effective contestabilitybetween providers; and enable purchasingdecisions to be made on the basis of capacityand quality• support new delivery requirements –collaboration within 14–19 clusters wouldbe easier under a common funding method.The method will deliver the NETP set outin the Skills White Paper, by in effect puttingthe employer in the position of the purchaserof training. Quality and responsiveness willbe the major driver of commissioning delivery,supported by employer choice and demandwithin NETP as a determinant of that quality• simplify and reduce bureaucracyfor providers through funding the ‘capacityto deliver’ and ending the need to justifyfunding ‘earned’. The LSC would not expectproviders to present management informationon individual learning aims in-year for fundingpurposes; instead, the focus would be on overalllearner numbers. This would lead to reduced10

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changedata requirements for funding purposesand remove the need for a fundingreconciliation at the year-end• ensure the equitable distribution of funds.A common funding method presentsthe opportunity of establishing commonnational rates for learners. The real andsignificant cost differences between providerswould be reflected through the provider factor,which will then be reviewed on a regular basisand benchmarked across all providers,using common data sets• enable a balance to be struck betweenreasonable stability for providersand flexibility for the LSC. Reasonablestability would be established as there willrarely be in-year adjustments or year-endreconciliation of funding (for grant in aid/grantproviders) and there would be a guaranteed‘core’ of funding year-on-year. Flexibilityfor the LSC to meet priorities will be possiblethrough the ‘commissioned’ elementof funding, and year-on-year discussionsover the mix of provision with the ‘core’.The proposed funding method will also providethe opportunity to differentiate national ratesto reflect Government priorities, for exampleto reflect the need to collect fees fromindividuals for some types of learningor to encourage employer contributionsfor other types of learning; and• support collaboration and employer choice.Collaboration between providers would be fareasier as the funding method will be commonlyapplied and measured. We would work withother commissioning agencies suchas Jobcentre Plus to see how far we couldintegrate planning and funding approaches,so simplifying bureaucratic processes.We would be improving employer choicethrough increasing the number of high qualitycolleges and other providers able to offer skillssolutions; and ensuring that skills brokersare able to encourage employers to developrelationships that will meet their ongoingskills needs.Next Steps77 We have been working closely with our FE fundingtheme task group to develop details of the fundingformula and allocation and review process. A technicalconsultation document will follow.78 We will continue to work with representativesfrom across the post-16 sector to take forwardthe detail of our proposals, giving particularconsideration to how the approach might operatefor each part of the sector. We recognise that for bothNETP and safeguarded adult learning provision, thereare existing commitments to introduce new fundingarrangements from 2006/07. Therefore, we will beengaging in detailed discussions with sectorrepresentatives to ensure that these align withthe proposed new common funding approach.79 For schools, we will continue to work with schools,local authorities and the DfES in implementingthe 14–19 agenda and rolling-out the New Relationshipwith Schools initiative. We will also be analysing detailedaspects of school sixth form funding arrangementsfollowing announcement of the Secretary of State’splans for the funding of schools from 2006/07. We willalso work over the next few months with schools andlocal authorities to explore how the agenda for changefunding proposals might support these widerdevelopments over the longer term.80 From these further discussions, we envisagemaking firm proposals to the DfES in the autumnfor the roll out of changes to funding for the variouselements of the post-16 sector. Once ministers havetaken decisions, we will develop an implementationplan to make explicit the detailed arrangementsof how a new funding approach might be rolled out.11

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeTheme Four - DataIntroductionWe will sweep away the complexity thatcauses colleges to divert resources tocollecting data of variable benefit.81 The proposed simplification of the fundingmethodology is interlocked inextricably with the nexttheme, that of data simplification, since fundingdrives so much of what the LSC collects and the waywe collect it. The objective of the data strandof agenda for change is to achieve a radicalreduction in the bureaucracy and complexityassociated with the data collection and managementinformation (MI) processes across the sector. The focushas so far been very much on FE colleges – but webelieve the principles have much wider applicationacross the post-16 sector.82 The potential prize is significant. For example,a previous detailed study at Chichester Collegeindicated that funding for an additional 10,000to 14,000 learners across England could be generatedby savings from simple changes in business processesand data collection requirements. A revision of thefunding methodology and standard electronic dataexchange with all awarding bodies could generateeven more significant additional, but as yetunquantified, savings. However, by far the biggestsavings could accrue from automated data collectionsand shared data access across the sector.83 Simplifying the collection and access to databy all agencies could, therefore, reduce costsbut perhaps more importantly, will increasetransparency, allowing for more effective strategicplanning and performance managementof the sector.What Our Analysis HasTold Us84 This work has been supplemented by theevidence gathered from a number of other studiesundertaken by the LSC and DfES in 2004/05 including:• Success for All Test Bed Bureaucracy ReductionStudy in Chichester College• Tribal Education Consulting – ManagementInformation and Data Collection MappingProject; and• Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP)Feasibility User Requirements Analysis. Furtherinformation on MIAP is contained withinthe annex to this Prospectus.85 All of these studies have agreed on the extentof the data problems in the sector and have reachedthe same conclusions on their root causes;these include:• the conflicting and overlapping data needsof the many agencies involved drives additionalcomplexity and cost• ambiguity in data definitions and regularchanges create unnecessary ‘noise’, generatingmany requests for additional data• inefficient data transfers to and from someawarding bodies cause delays and contributeto complexity• late data returns by some providers and slowdata processing by the LSC create time lagsand phasing problems with MI• the detailed nature of the fundingmethodology for FE Colleges drives muchof the complexity associated with datacollection and MI• the complexity of the Learning Aim Databaseadds significantly to the data problems facedby providers; and• the format and content of the IndividualisedLearner Record drive high complexity and costbut changes need to be radical if they areto lead to a net reduction in bureaucracy.Towards a Solution86 All the studies also proposed a consistent setof principles and solutions. In particular, that a solutionis only possible if all of the relevant agencies involvedin the collection of data work together to harmoniserequests and reduce bureaucracy. At the very least,this needs to involve the LSC, DfES, Qualificationsand Curriculum Authority (QCA), Higher EducationFunding Council for England (HEFCE), the Inspectorates,Local Authorities (LAs), Connexions, Departmentfor Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Federationof Awarding Bodies.12

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change87 In addition, a clear principle has emerged thatthe same shared information base should be usedby all of these agencies to monitor a college’sperformance, quality and equality and diversitymeasures. This information base should be the sameas that used by the college to manage its own businessand its own achievement of agreed targets. Collegesshould not be expected to collect data beyond this.88 There is also a need for a consistent set of datadefinitions and standards to be defined for the wholeof the sector and for a library of ‘standard’ MI analysesand reports to be used by all agencies when reportingon college performance and quality. These processesthen need to be enforced by a gatekeeper who willensure that the standards are adhered to and manageany changes required to them.89 A fundamental part of the need for consistentdata definitions is to have a single learner number(to be known as the Unique Learner Identifier) whichis to be used by all stakeholders in the sector to enableinformation about learners to be more easily sharedand to create a record of learning for each individual.This will be of huge benefit to the individual, as it willsignificantly reduce the complexity of the paperworkas they move between courses, colleges or otherproviders of learning.90 Finally, each college should ideally deal witha single data collection partner who will runautomated processes to ‘pull’ the agreed data seton a scheduled basis directly from the provider’sown MI systems. That data partner should alsorun the standard analyses and generate the standarddatasets required by agencies across the sector.91 In all these strands of work it will be importantto ensure that data is able effectively to inform collegesand the LSC on performance in relation to equalityand diversity issues, while keeping any bureaucraticburdens to the minimum and striking the rightbalance between regular data collection,and research/survey work.Proposed Action92 We believe that big improvements can nowbe made over a short time frame given the renewedappetite for change and recent improvementsin technology.93 Our work has already identified many examplesof technological innovation in colleges, which arehaving a significant local impact in reducingbureaucracy. Many of these innovations have beenfinanced within the private sector and have made moreprogress than has so far been possible in the publicarena. These can form a springboard for further action.94 As a first step, a partnership needs to be formedby the DfES, LSC, QCA and the Inspectorates, buildingon the MIAP programme, to spearhead the radicalinfrastructure and standards changes needed. Given theprize, there is an appetite across the private sectorfor contributing to such a consortium.95 With a clear mandate for action, an extensivepilot with a range of colleges could be up and runningwithin a year and a deployment could be achievedin time for the academic year 2007/2008.96 Our more detailed proposals are set out in theannex to this Prospectus.Next Steps97 The LSC intends to provide resources to deliverthese changes across the sector and within the LSC.Given the level of support for these proposals at eachof the recent regional roadshows, we intend to establisha Working Group to ensure that the changes meetthe needs of the sector as a whole. The Group willneed to take account of the outcomes of the reviewof the LSC’s Equality and Diversity Impact Measures.The LSC will engage with the Working Groupto develop a change programme that will activelyinvolve key stakeholders throughout.98 We would therefore welcome nominations fromFE college principals and directors of managementinformation to join this group. We envisage a firstmeeting in September with bi-monthly meetingsup to Summer 2006. Those interested should puttheir names forward to Richard Field at the LSC(richard.field@lsc.gov.uk).99 Building on MIAP, we will create a new structureincluding a gatekeeper to develop standard definitionsand manage changes to data collection and datahandling in a coherent way.100 Progress will be reported to the Working Groupregularly. The concept of managing data collectionand reporting through a ‘data partner’ has far-reachingimplications for the FE sector and will be takenforward by setting up a number of prototypes to testthe feasibility of the approach for colleges and otherproviders, and to test the market for suppliers whomight be interested in becoming data partners.The outcome of the prototypes will determinethe practical details and timescalesfor wider implementation.13

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeTheme Five - BusinessExcellenceIntroductionWe will develop our capital investmentstrategy to free back-office resources andsupport improved management systemsand processes to thus improve our businessexcellence.101 Responding to employers, driving up quality,and simplifying both funding and data systemsare all part of what makes for an excellent college.A college that is run as an excellent business is a collegethat delivers. Improving the business performanceof colleges is an essential step in delivering efficiencysavings that will release more money to front-lineeducation and training. Collaboration between collegesand a willingness to engage with the private sector,where relevant, are the keys that can unlock savingsand business improvements. Again, much of whatwe explore below in relation to colleges can haveresonance across the whole of the post-16 sector.102 Work is continuing to assess the full financialimpact of our recommendations. However, it isestimated that the proposals in this report wouldachieve efficiencies, to be recycled to front-lineactivities, in excess of £100 million by 2007-08.Our Underlying Aimsand Principles103 The FE sector is clear and passionate about itseducational mission but is less consistent about thebusiness practices needed to make it most effective.104 The range of business performance acrossthe sector is too wide. While there are many exemplarycolleges, the overall standard of management needsto be raised.105 We will support colleges to develop best practicein effectiveness and efficiency through the useof benchmarking measures across a rangeof activities. We will be able to use these measuresto provide value for money assessments at local,regional and national levels.106 Capital expenditure has a big impact on theefficiency of colleges. It can help to increaseparticipation and improve recruitment, retentionand achievement. At our current rate of spending it willtake another 12 years for the whole college estateto be renewed or modernised. We want to speedthis up.107 We already have planned increases in capitalexpenditure in 2005/06 to 2007/08. The proposedincreases in capital funding in 2008-09 and 2009-10announced by the Chancellor in the 2005 Budget willincrease the funding available to colleges and acceleratethe capital investment and we are developing proposalsfor agreement with the DfES about how best to investthis additional funding.108 The LSC will investigate innovative procurementand funding mechanisms with the aim of identifyingnew funding streams to further acceleratemodernisation and renewal. We will support the sectorby coordinating collaborative initiatives with publicsector procurement teams to identify and effectivelycommunicate the best available deals for commoditiesand services. We will also develop and circulate a simplegood practice guide.Benchmarking109 Achieving excellence in business is not justabout saving money. It is also about providing highquality provision and organisational effectiveness,which, in turn, will enhance the reputation of collegesamong the communities they serve.110 The FE sector already has examples of excellentcolleges, able effectively to use resources to providehigh quality education and training for learners,using this approach to reinforce individualised learning,which reflects the diversity of the people they serve,and promotes equality of opportunity. These examplesprovide a source of best practice to share with othercolleges, which should enable the whole sectorto raise standards.111 Benchmarking against comparable organisationsis already carried out by many colleges in the pursuitof best practice and to provide an indication of theirperformance against others. In addition, the eMandateestates data benchmarking project is also widelyused by those organisations with capital projectsin the assessment of value for money and estatesuse in general and is being extended for a furtherthree years.112 The measurement of value for money achievedby providers and the LSC has been identifiedby the Success for All strategy as being essentialto understanding how resources are employedand in identifying how improvements can be made.14

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change• to provide ongoing support for theimplementation of the nationalcapital strategy• drawing on regional capital strategies and localLSC capital project plans and supplementedby college data, draw up a clear mapof the current and planned FE estate; and• to establish a cross-sector team to adviseand assist in implementation of ourprocurement proposals with a projectplan in place by August 2005.16

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeTheme Six - ReputationIntroductionWe will work with colleges to identify waysin which they can secure their reputationas pivotal to delivering the educationand training needs of the UK.123 Delivering on all the above five agenda for changethemes lies at the heart of the sixth theme – enhancingthe reputation of the sector. For too long, collegeshave been the invisible sector, arguably overshadowedby the twin educational priorities of schoolsand universities. The reputation the sector hashad as a whole has frequently been negative,skewed by a focus on those that do not perform well.124 Yet, in common with the perception of manypublic services, locally many colleges do havean excellent reputation. Combined with mixed messagesabout the sector’s purpose and mission, there is a needfor a radical plan of action to support the sectorin developing a reputation and image that reflectsits crucial role in the economic, social developmentand well-being of the country, and itsdiverse population.125 Our approach has been developed alongsideSir Andrew Foster’s Review of Further EducationColleges, which also has identified reputationas a key theme. The Review’s outcomes will clearlystrongly influence the way we take our ideas forward.And while we began with a focus on Further Education,we are clear that in taking the issue of reputationfurther, we must consider the context of the widerpost-16 sector overall.Our Approach126 We set out our vision and objectives earlierin this Prospectus. It is a vision that will place the sectorat the heart of the country’s skills challenge; a visionof excellence and quality that meets the needsof employers and local communities whilst givinglearners real choices and real opportunities to succeed.We have a vision of colleges that are world classdeliverers of learning and that are excellent businessesand leaders in their communities. They meet the needsof employers and learners by offering real choiceand opportunities to succeed. They will be so flexibleand well-regarded, locally and nationally, that the firstthought of those who pay for learning, whethergovernment, employer or learner, will be “FE collegescan deliver this,” and, “the FE college will helpme succeed” and “the FE college will treatme as an individual, whatever my background”.127 Many of the building blocks needed to meet thisvision are already in place, and much of the answeron reputation lies in telling the current story betterand more consistently, locally, regionally and nationally.We have record levels of young people participatingin learning. We have record numbers of apprenticeships.We have made excellent progress in meeting our skillsfor life targets. We have seen substantial improvementsin success rates. We have more than 300 Centresof Vocational Excellence demonstrating excellencein partnership working between colleges and industry.Over 130,000 employees and 18,000 employers havenow taken part in the Employer Training Pilots.128 The reputation theme has sought to identify howwe can amplify the story of these achievementsfurther. We have concluded that we should:• develop a marketing and communicationsstrategy that will enhance the reputationof the sector with key stakeholders, particularlyemployers, young people, parents, schools,ministers and the media• develop a communication approach whichimproves the transparency of the sectorso that people can see clearly how the sectorand the LSC is performing locally, regionallyand nationally• promote the outstanding examples of bestpractice, teaching innovation, and employerand learner focus that already exist but whichoften stay hidden from view• translate the often excellent reputationthat colleges enjoy at a local levelon to a national stage• empower college leaders to communicatea clear mission and purpose for furthereducation as a whole, as well as for theirown college; and• undertake research into perceptions of collegesamong stakeholders, those who use colleges –and those who do not – so we can trackchanging attitudes and refine ourcommunications accordingly.129 These actions aim to address three centralquestions that affect the reputation, imageand perception of colleges:• What is the sector?17

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change• Who are the audiences of the sector?• How do we work together to celebratethe success of sector and influenceour audiences?Developing a Strategy130 The LSC will establish a working group to developa marketing and communications strategy that willserve to build the reputation of the sector. The coreobjectives of this strategy will be to:• show how the various elements of the post-16education and training environmentfit together• detail more positive overall genericmessages about the role and purposeof further education• within this, emphasise the importanceof promoting equality and diversityif we are to reach our goals of economicsuccess, social inclusion and social mobility• illustrate how these messages canbe communicated to the key audiences• present more effective means forcommunicating success, ensuring thatgood practice is recognised locally,regionally and nationally; and• ensure that the sector’s diversity, flexibility,creativity, development, and collaborationare recognised and projectedas valuable strengths.Transparency131 We need to develop a culture of transparencyacross the LSC and the sector, which we ensure thatindividuals and employers, all or stakeholders,and colleagues across the sector can readily lookat our performance. We want to work with the sectorto develop a suite of measures to be published regularly– covering financial, volume and quality indicators.132 And these should apply not just to colleges –and other providers – but show how the LSC is doingtoo – locally, regionally and nationally. We believe thatthis would be in best interests of us all, in helpingcustomer choice, in determining investment decisions,and in enhancing the reputation of the sector as onewhich has ‘nothing to hide’. Indeed, it would help bustsome of the many myths about the sector thatcan often undermine our position, especiallywith key stakeholders.Promoting Best Practice133 We know that many colleges deliver learningof outstanding quality; and we know that, at a locallevel, employers and learners often hold collegesin the highest regard.134 We intend to take these examples of bestpractice and local innovation and promote themon a national stage in partnership with bodies likethe AoC where the debate is often typified by a focuson what is working less well. We need to segmentour target audiences and identify the appropriate bestpractice to promote – value added, value for money,flexibility, economic impact, social impact will all playwell with different audiences.Empowering CollegeLeadership135 Throughout the work we have done in agendafor change, we have heard the same cry time and againfrom college leaders – “give us a vision we can follow”.In this Prospectus, we have set out a clear vision that,we believe, can significantly enhance the reputationof the sector.136 We will now work with college leaders to refinethat vision further, and empower colleges to speak withone voice about the role and importance of their sector.We will build on the success of the Black LeadershipInitiative, to improve the diversity of the FE workforceat the highest levels, and also within the LSC itself.With improved quality, refined business processesand a learner and employer focus, colleges will be ableto speak with confidence about the sector, what it aimsto do and what it can deliver.Regular Research137 The LSC, in partnership with the whole furthereducation sector and all its stakeholders, will ensureregular research is conducted into the publicperceptions of the role and contribution of furthereducation. This will include an assessment of the impactof the sector on the economy and the wider social18

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeagenda, including equally and diversity issues,to support informed policy development and supportprovider responsiveness to the needs of individuals,employers, their communities and the economy.138 The LSC’s Learner Satisfaction Surveyand National Employer Skills Survey along withthe research on the perception of further educationamong the general public jointly commissionedby the LSC and the FE Review, provide a basis for thiswork. This will be built on to regularly monitorshifts in perceptions and whether these resultin the anticipated greater take up of skills trainingand the development of closer working relationshipsand collaboration between businesses and colleges.Next Steps139 We will set in place an action plan to progresswith these actions now, while we recognise the furtherpositive impact that the Foster Review is expectedto have on this theme in particular. Working witha group of college principals supported by expertsfrom the LSC, we will start by:• highlighting the unique nature of the sectorand the good practice that already exists• developing more transparent publishedperformance of providers and the LSClocally, regionally and nationally; and• promoting the views of satisfied customersto tell their own stories and encourage othersto take advantage of what is already on offer.Conclusion140 We are keen to press ahead. While we want yourviews on the ideas in this Prospectus, we also believethat the joint work to date and the feedback fromthe roadshows and discussions with DfES indicatewe are moving in the right direction. With thatin mind, a number of the theme group membersthat contributed to helping shape these ideas willcontinue to work with us to develop suitableimplementation plans. We will ensure these plansare integrated across all the themes, set out clearinterdependencies, and avoid potential overlaps.141 We will, additionally, extend our dialogue withthose outside of FE to see how these ideas mightbe implemented across the wider post-16 sector.We aim to publish a timeline with an over-archingimplementation plan for the whole of the sectorin the autumn, in the light of feedback on thisProspectus, and the technical Annexes on Fundingand Data.142 We want this to continue to be an initiative basedon dialogue and discussion. With that in mind, we havecreated an area on the LSC website where you can offersuggestions about the proposals and how we takethem forward or simply record your support. That areacan be found on the agenda for change section whichis hyperlinked from the home page of our websitewww.lsc.gov.uk. If you wish to comment in writing,please email agendaforchange@lsc.gov.uk.143 You can download copies of this Prospectusfrom the agenda for change section of our website.When the further technical papers on funding,capital and other areas are published, they willalso be available for download from this site.19

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeAnnexData1 This annex sets out our more detailed thinkingon how to implement the data strand objectivesset out in the main body of the report. It alsoprovides more information about the remitand plans for the Managing Information AcrossPartners (MIAP) programme.Detailed Plan of ActionData and information definitionsiiiiiiA consistent set of data definitions to be usedby all public and private sector partners acrossthe whole of the education and skills sectorshould be agreed, building on the workon common data definitions done by MIAP.A coherent set of minimal but mandatoryMI reports should be defined for each activity,and all partners with a stake in that activityshould use this. In formulating the mandatoryMI reports, there should be a ‘public burden’test exploring the total lifecycle cost/benefitof collecting that data and deriving the MI.All performance targets should have cleardefinitions and be capable of being derivedfrom data or MI within the defined setin a defined and documented way usingthe standard reports. These definitions,formulae, basic report templates and theassociated electronic application standardsshould be owned and controlled by a singleauthority or gatekeeper for the sector.The gatekeeping body could be sponsoredby the DfES-led MIAP programme, whichinvolves all partners who have a stake in this.vviviiGiven the complex inter-relationship betweenmany data elements and reports, they shouldall be managed and released togetheras a complete ‘package’ of standarddefinitions and a ‘library’ of standardreports – each clearly namedand version controlled.A scheduled release cycle should be definedand carefully managed to ensure that versioncontrol is rigorously maintained.Changes to definitions and reportscan be proposed by any partnerin the sector, but the proposals willbe subject to a wide formal consultationprocess before testing in a pilot areaprior to general release.viii An archive of all standard packagesand report libraries will be maintainedso that historical datasets can be analysedin context with confidence.ixA standard electronic interchange formatfor examinations entries and results wouldsignificantly reduce the administrative burdenof managing achievement, particularly whencombined with a Unique Learner Identifier(ULI) proposed by MIAP and the PersonalisedLearner Record proposed in the recentDfES e-learning strategy.Learner registration serviceiWe will develop a learner registration service,with the ULI acting as the ‘key’ to accessingan individual’s learner record. This service willbe developed with partners across the sectorincluding other agencies, providersand awarding bodies, under the auspicesof the MIAP programme.ivThe associated controls should givethe necessary authority to mandatethe use of these standards acrossthe sector, but the processes mustbe both flexible and speedy to ensurethat they don’t become bureaucraticin themselves.iiWe plan to introduce the ULI into learnerdata as an early part of moving towardsimproved data sharing. Web-based serviceswill be introduced to support the generationof the ULI, and its verification against knownlearner identity data. Agencies, providers,awarding bodies as well as the learnersthemselves would use these services.20

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeiiiivvviviiInitially prototypes will be developed to testassumptions and find best ways of workingwith the users of the ULI and associated ULIregistration services. The results of theprototypes will inform the specificationof the full ULI registration service, which willbe part of the overall MIAP/LSC agenda forchange data theme.The prototypes will be built on the experienceof existing working registration servicessuch as:• Ufi/learndirect• Universities and Colleges AdmissionsService (UCAS)• Established web-based systemsfor e-learning or advice and guidance,such as S-Cool.The prototype registration services willbe tested by as wide a range of providersand awarding bodies as possible acrossall sectors. Participants will be asked to buildthe ULI into their existing processes suchas learner enrolment, or registrationfor and issuing of awards.A major requirement of one or moreprototypes is to support the initial QCAFramework for Achievement pilots whenthese commence early in 2006.The aim is to have a prototype servicespecification and rollout plans agreedwith participating service providersby autumn 2005, with a view to deliveringa prototype service in early 2006.Formalised data and information responsibilitiesiiiiiiColleges will not be asked to collect databeyond that which an excellently managedcollege would need to manage their businessand to meet standard performanceand quality targets.Each college would be expected to implementhigh quality, auditable information processes,which deliver timely, accurate and completereturns on an automatic basis.Colleges will not be asked to make separatedata returns for each of their stakeholders.One integrated return will be sufficient to meetthe needs of all partners, following the principleof ‘collect once – use many times, used by all’.Duplicate requests for data will be eradicated.ivvviviiPerformance, inspection and audit dialogueswith partners will be based around the outputsfrom the standard reports run against timestampeddatasets – avoiding any ambiguityor disagreement.Shared, controlled access to college dataand MI by all agencies will ensure greatervisibility and transparency.The results of any other aggregation or analysisof a college’s data by partner organisationsshould be available to that provideron-demand. Colleges will then know howtheir data is being used and a more matureperformance, inspection and audit dialoguecan occur.We will actively support greater sharingof information. For example, through the MIAPprogramme, there are plans to create a singleUK Register of Learning Providers, whichenables learners, employers, learning providersand others to access the detailed informationavailable on schools, collegesand other providers.Each college contracts with a data partneriiiiiiivvEach college would establish a contractualrelationship and a secure electronic connectionwith a ‘data partner’, who would assistthe provider in reducing the burden associatedwith data collection and reporting.On an agreed schedule, the data partner would‘pull’ the standard dataset directly fromthe provider’s MI system into a collectionand processing area dedicated to that college.The data partner would run a standard setof validation, quality and performance reportsfrom the library on the data and would loadthe results back into the provider’s area –where the college can validate the outputsif they wish.Accredited agencies from around the sectorwould be allowed to subscribe to secure,defined parts of each college’s data and reportslibrary held by the data partner. All additionalMI that is derived by these accredited agenciesshould be deposited back to the college’s areato allow discussion and promote transparency.This library would be the only validated sourceof MI available on that college and no agencywould have the authority to request additionalMI or data directly from them.21

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeviviiThe data partner will provide accessto the data and MI library via a webbrowser to dramatically reducethe software maintenanceand deployment costs.The data partner could also supply otherservices for colleges, for example:- electronic registration service forlearners – supplying the unique learnernumbers and providing access to priorachievement data where available- employer registration service –providing a local employer directoryto support the skills agenda- quality and measures service – derivingthe standard quality measures fromthe validated returned data and providingcomparisons with benchmark data,providing a clearing house for selfassessmentreports and inspectionreports; and5 These recommendations were acceptedby the MIAP Stakeholder Group providing the basisfor a longer-term programme of work to investigatethe feasibility of introducing:• a data sharing framework• common data definitions• a data warehouse• a unique learner identifier• improvements to the flow of achievementdata; and• a national register of providers.6 By mid 2004, the outcome of this workwas consolidated into a MIAP Proposal for improvingservices to learners through improved datamanagement. The proposals, supportedby DfES ministers, were to:• implement change incrementally buildingon what is already planned- local demographic and demand data –providing a common set of statisticsfor all providers.Managing InformationAcross Partners2 MIAP aims to improve services to learners,employers and their communities through streamlineddata management arrangements. It is a directand collaborative response to the lack of coherenceaffecting data and MI across the diverse learning,skills and wider education sector.3 DfES provides the strategic lead for this workwith strong support from the LSC, QCA and HigherEducation Statistics Agency (HESA) as core partners.Other key partners include DWP and the devolvedadministrations, with a wider range of over 40partners supporting the MIAP aims throughthe MIAP Stakeholder Group.4 Initial mapping of the nature and scale of thechallenges and issues faced by partners involvedin data sharing identified a number of immediate‘quick wins’, alongside recommendations for actionto support fundamental change.• introduce a Unique Learner Identifier; and• develop arrangements for improving datasharing, across schools, FE and HE. MIAPrejected the immediate developmentof a fully integrated provider systembecause it was considered too riskyand costly, although it remainsthe long term goal.7 Further work was undertaken to confirmand prioritise users’ requirements and to understandthe business processes associated with learnerparticipation, retention, achievement and destinations.In addition, work was taken forward to confirm a ‘core’set of common data definitions and to investigatethe most appropriate options for introducing a uniquelearner number. This provided the basis for a furtherreport to ministers in July 2005 proposing to:• manage risk and costs by introducing changeincrementally across the sector, taking accountof the different starting points of partnersand building on what is already planned• introduce a set of core common datadefinitions to support coherence• introduce a Learner RegistrationService and Unique Learner Identifieras an authentication facility to supportdata access and sharing as soon as possible22

Learning and Skills – the agenda for change• develop a Data Interface to provide learneraccess to agreed sub-sets of data held withinexisting data systems across schools,FE and HE• introduce a UK register of learning providersduring 2005/06; and• pass responsibility for the developmentand delivery of the MIAP proposalsto the LSC on behalf of the MIAPstakeholder group.The MIAP Proposal is outlined in the diagram below.MIAP proposal –- Learning data interfaceLearners Providers NationalagenciesLocalagenciesEndUsers*MIAP Enabling ProjectsUniqueLearnerIdentifierDataSharingFrameworkUKRegister ofLearningProvidersCommonDataDefinitionsULI registration service(Allows access to personal data,provides unique identifier)*Learning Data Interface(bringing together subsets of data which will create a Learner Record)DfES LSC HESA/UCASSchools/LEAsFE/WBLACL/LearndirectHEAchievementInformationAwardingbodiesFfADfESOthereg.StudentLoanCompany/JobcentrePlus/ConnexionsWebGatewayData Source Uploaded to Web*indicates MIAP programmes23

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeManaging Information Across Partners: MembersAdult Learning InspectorateAssociation of CollegesAssociation of Learning ProvidersBritish Education Communication and TechnologyBureaucracy Reduction GroupCabinet Office – e-Government UnitConnexions CardConnexions Service National UnitDepartment for Education and SkillsDepartment for Employment and Learning, Northern IrelandDepartment for Work and PensionsDepartment of HealthEducation and Learning in WalesEngland’s Regional Development AgenciesFederation of Awarding BodiesHigher Education Funding Council For EnglandHigher Education Statistics AgencyHolexJobcentre PlusJoint Information Systems CommitteeLearning and Skills CouncilLearning and Skills Development AgencyLearning Partnerships National NetworkLocal Government AssociationNational Health Service UniversityNational Institute for Adult Continuing EducationOffice for Standards in EducationOffice of the e-EnvoyOffice of the Information CommissionerQualifications and Curriculum AuthorityQuality Assurance AgencyScottish Executive24

Learning and Skills – the agenda for changeScottish Qualifications AuthoritySecondary Heads AssociationSector Skills Development AgencySmall Business ServiceSocial Enterprise Unit (DTI)Standing Committee of PrincipalsStudent Loans CompanyTeacher Training AgencyUniversities - United KingdomUniversities and Colleges Admissions ServiceUniversity for IndustryWelsh Assembly25

Notes

Please note a technical funding document accompanies this Prospectus.It is available from the LSC Website www.lsc.gov.uk

Learning and Skills Council.National OfficeLearning and Skills CouncilCheylesmore HouseQuinton RoadCoventryCV1 2WTwww.lsc.gov.ukPublished by the Learning and Skills Council.Extracts from this publication may bereproduced for non-commercial educationalor training purposes on condition that thesource is acknowledged and the findingsare not misrepresented.This publication is available in an electronicform on the Council’s website:www.lsc.gov.ukPublication enquiries: 0870 900 6800Publication reference LSC-P-NAT-050483© LSC August 2005