by Dick Evans, Principal, Stockport College of Further and Higher Education. Guidance must now be one of the most important processes in post-16 education and training. Following incorporation, colleges in the new FE sector must develop comprehensive and effective guidance systems in order to open up access, increase participation, improve retention and play a part in realising the National Education and Training Targets. For too long guidance has been treated as as a marginal bolt-on activity and must now be truly integrated into the whole range of provision of post-16 education and training. It must become central at entry, on-programme
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Public Awareness of Science and Technology
A contribution from Dr R.G. Evans, Principal, Stockport College of Further & Higher Education. Introduction Following a recent lecture at the ASE’s Annual Meeting, on the public understanding of science, I reflected on some of the issues raised and would like to share some of my thoughts in this article. I accept that a lot of the issues have already been aired before, but hope the article will trigger further discussion and debate on this important topic. The need to raise awareness and greater understanding of science is now irrefutable, as we all live in an increasingly scientific and technological
Further Vision
About this time last year 1 wrote an article for this journal entitled ‘Thoughts on the new Further Education (FE) sector’. A year after incorporation, has the Cinderella educational sector arrived at the ball? Its first year has been full of both challenges and opportunities, but it has been exposed to a political, financial and economic climate which has, to say the least, been contradictory and paradoxical. Many colleges had excellent relationships with their LEAs, while others did not. These variations inevitably caused problems with transitional funding arrangements. However, many colleges now realize how cost-effective and economical some LEA services
Libraries and Learning
Richard Evans looks at the college library of the future What should the library of the future look like in the further education sector? An important question that needs to be asked and answered by staff in the institutions within the new sector. The sector has at long last been recognised by the Government and has been required to expand its student numbers by 25 per cent over the next three years with 16 per cent additional resources over that period. It will play a significant role in achieving the National Education and Training Targets (NETTS) which set out the
The Darwinian Paradox
One of the more acceptable and helpful tenets of good management theory is that managers should adopt a reflective stance. Continuous, systematic and careful reviews of the processes and outcomes of the business are, indeed, an invaluable and essential aid to the effective manager. The Further Education (FE) sector, as all the educational sectors, has much to reflect on at present. The parenthesis model of management has never been more valid. As you will remember, the parenthesis model challenges the whole of the existing thinking on organizational theory. It identifies a new type of person, namely, the parenthetical person, one who
Mission Possible
The positive attitudes and emotions of staff are vital to the success of FE organisational statements, writes Richard Evans Organizational statements, often grandiosely called missions and visions, abound these days. Colleges are no exception to this trend. Each wants to broadcast its purpose to potential students and employers by way of a snappy, eye-catching statement or ‘artefact’. By an artefact I mean something expressed in words and made public, or indeed accountable. However, we need to reflect on what these artefacts really mean to the staff, students and all the other users of the organization. The trouble with such statements is
The Engineering Team
Dick Evans discusses the importance of colleges of further and higher education in maintaining the quality of the UK’s engineering workforce. It’s all been said before, but here is my version. Many of my statements will be massively generalised and simplistic but they are made to provoke debate and discussion. Numerous reports over many decades have attempted to tackle the ineffective state of education and training and our track-record in this area compared with our major competitors. The majority of these reports focus on particular stages of education and training, e.g. secondary, technical and higher education. Very few attempted to
THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
Under the intriguing title ‘Let’s hear it for manufacturing and construction’, Dr R.G. Evans, Principal, Stockport College of Further & Higher Education, has submitted the following interesting contribution. Introduction We live in an interesting world at present, full of contradictory and paradoxical policies, whether these be financial or political, where this country still lacks a definitive and clearly articulated long-term strategic framework for post-16 education and training. There is still uncertainty about the future of manufacturing in this country, and how this country can improve its performance and competitiveness within the global economy. One classic example is the future shape
College Learning Resources -Are They Really Worth It?
Learning Resources Development Group (LRDG).1995. Transcript of talk given in September 1994. by Dr Richard Evans, Principal, Stockport College of Further & Higher Education The immediate answer to this question is an emphatic yes! College libraries and learning support services and their staff must now be at the hub of any learning institution. Their capability and importance cannot be questioned. The reasons for their importance include the continuing move to: Learner centredness for the more diverse student population of the future. Curriculum frameworks. New technologies. Resource management for the benefit of learners financial physical human All these elements must be
The Invasion of the Management Gurus
We live in the age of management gurus and all the theories that flow from them. Many of the ideas and theories being foisted on colleges are transient and of dubious value and yet this country seems to be increasingly obsessed with them. The latest one is PFI — the Private Finance Initiative which aims to get industry to invest in college buildings and services. I get a letter a day from gurus and consultants promising to take the load off my mind. I already have a file of 40 to 45 letters from firms offering PFI services. I fear