seven themes for change The seven themes for change established in The Agenda were aimed at bringing about fundamental changes to the way the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) leads and manages colleges and to new ways in which the whole sector is expected to work.
1 Skills and employers
Looks at how best to meet the needs of employers and the economy. It will create a new network of colleges that are quality marked by business to enable colleges and training providers to go further in offering employers the appropriately skilled employees they need.
2 Quality
Focuses on how best to build a further education system (FE) committed to the highest quality standards in the delivery of learning and skills. It will develop a culture of self-improvement and peer referencing, where colleges and other providers learn from each other and work together to improve quality.
3 Funding
Examines a radical overhaul of the LSC's funding methodology, to ensure that most is made of available funds to support the priorities of the system with the minimum of complexity and bureaucracy. It will simplify the funding mechanisms to provide greater certainty for colleges and a common approach across all post-16 providers.
4 Data
Proposes a radical revision and simplification of systems to provide the data and management information the learning and skills sector/system needs. It will create a consistent set of data definitions and collect only that data which colleges and other providers need in order to manage their operations.
5 Business excellence
Concentrates on driving up the efficiency of the FE system, individually and collectively, and on investing in improvements. It will accelerate capital expenditure to improve recruitment, retention and learner achievement and encourage collective procurement to deliver better value for money.
6 Reputation
Focuses on enhancing the reputation of the FE sector, highlighting the major contribution it makes to the delivery of education, training and skills for the 21st
century. It will undertake regular research to track changing perceptions of the FE system.
7 Transformational change within the LSC
Deals with restructuring the organisation of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) so it can play a leadership role in the transformation of the post-compulsory learning and skills system. The LSC's regional role is enhanced and, whilst maintaining local councils, the local offices have reduced staff numbers and, in some cases, service more than one council area. |
