LEADERSHIP AND LOCALISM
a project commissioned and supported by the Education and Training Foundation
led by HOLEX in close partnership with the 157 Group
As the transfer of control over policy, planning and funding to localities continues apace, and elements of the post-school education and training budget are devolved, the Education and Training Foundation has commissioned HOLEX (the national network of local adult learning providers), working in close partnership with the 157 Group of colleges, to undertake a focused three-month project which will examine the implications of localism for leaders within all parts of the Further Education sector.
With input from key players in three ‘demonstration sites’ – Manchester, Leeds and Bristol – we will, in the period to March 2015, examine how the localism agenda has evolved so far, what part providers of education and training have played in that process, and what lessons can be drawn from their experience to date. Our aim is to use our findings in these three localities to better inform and prepare providers in all parts of the country as devolution picks up pace.
The project will deliberately view developments through two lenses: to understand how those in the education and training sector can better influence the formulation and implementation of locality-focused policies and priorities, and to gain an understanding of the sector leadership styles and workforce skills that will be required as new ways of local working become evident.
Our enquiry-based project activity in each of the three cities will be co-ordinated by a ‘lead provider’ – The Manchester College, Leeds City College and Bristol City Council – and will encompass all parts of the provider landscape; we will additionally engage with key local stakeholders such as the local authority, employers, the LEP, and wider community representatives, and with local SFA and DWP officers. Local fieldwork will be conducted by the well-respected consultancy, Shared Services Architects.
Our findings will be tested and validated by a number of influential national organisations with an interest in localism policy, including the New Local Government Network, New Economy, EEF and UKCES.
In order to bring together all the strands of the project, we will be holding two invitation-only national events: one in early February, to assess the policy context and establish our key areas of enquiry, and another in March, to present and refine our conclusions, proposals and recommendations and to agree how our findings might best be shared with the education and training sector nationally. A final report, accompanied by materials for providers, will be presented to the Education and Training Foundation by the end of March 2015.
We welcome engagement from anyone with an interest in the implications for skills policy and in how education and training providers can respond to, and play their part in the localism agenda. Please contact Bob Powell ([email protected]) or Andy Gannon ([email protected]) to find out more.