The most substantial change over the short term to the role of the further education (FE) assistant principal role is the multi-million-pound cash injection announced by the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, in February 2020 to strengthen leadership across the sector.
The £14m war chest is to be used specifically to enhance leadership and governance in FE to ensure that best practice is promoted. The move forms part of the government’s commitment to upskilling in the face of a so-called skills gap. The investment will be central to plans to boost standards in FE and assistant principals should benefit from a renewed focus on adopting best practices.
As a package, £9m will be used for a new College Collaboration Fund, which will provide support for colleges to work together to share their knowledge and expertise in the leadership and governance sphere. This new fund is designed to build on the success of The Strategic College Improvement Fund (SCIF). One element of the SCIF focused on ‘strengthening leadership’.
Under this sub-heading, the paper explained: “For many of the applicant colleges, the SCIF project and relationships with partner colleges validated what they knew needed to change. These applicant colleges reported that the programme provided the support and time, and senior and middle leaders with the confidence, to develop practice and implement change.”
In addition, £4.5m has been earmarked for Continuous Professional Development programmes aiming to support improved governance and leadership. These programmes, which were developed through a collaboration that included the AoC, have been established to offer tailored support for FE leaders, including assistant principals, and governors.
Lauding the investment was Richard Atkins, FE Commissioner, who said: “In order to be successful, colleges require excellent governance and leadership provided by well trained and well-supported Chairs, governors, Principals, Clerks and leaders so that learners can benefit from enrolling at great colleges. I am delighted that this offer will enable governors and leaders at all levels to access and share high-quality training, development and support.”
A system whereby high-performing colleges continue to share their strengths and strategies for success with other FE institutions can only be a good thing for those in leadership positions, such as assistant principals. An additional £200,000 has also been put towards two governance pilots that will place an onus on innovation in the governance sector to help enhance the output of college boards.
Another UK government-funded initiative is the Education & Training Foundation’s Leadership Development programme. Funded by the Department for Education and developed by key opinion leaders, these programmes aim is to ensure that “today’s sector leaders have the skills and development opportunities they need for their organisations – whether they are governors, CEOs/Principals, Chief Finance Officers or middle managers”. They also seek to make sure that the next generation of college leaders are cultivated in the right way.
Meanwhile, the Stepping into Leadership is the Further Education and Skills sector’s new development programme tailored towards first-time leaders. Another Department for Education-supported initiative, the programme seeks to set up their first-time leaders with the tools they need to deliver success to their institution. First-time assistant principals or those looking to step up from the assistant principal role to the top job would undoubtedly profit from learning the skills and expertise of successful FE sector leaders.
A UK-wide skills shortage has been a growing concern among employers in recent years and a City & Guilds report entitled ‘People Power’ found that 27% of respondents identified a ‘lack of effective leaders and managers within our business’ as being an internal factor that may impact productivity over the next three to five years. Colleges are no different in this regard and it is clear they must evolve at the leadership level to make sure they are effective going forward.
It may well be that after more than a decade of austerity under first the Coalition and then the majority Conservative governments, the investment is just the tip of the iceberg. David Hughes, Chief Executive of the AoC, gave his assessment to the Chancellor’s budget in October 2021: “It’s clear that the Chancellor and this Government recognise that more investment in skills is vital for economic growth and their levelling up ambitions. So it is disappointing that despite lots of warm words about the importance of skills, and a long list of separate funding pots, overall investment does not look like it is going up by much at all.”
He added: “A world-class skills system needs more investment than this after more than a decade of cuts. Good rhetoric about skills will not level up the country - colleges will do that with the right investment.”
If the UK is to emerge stronger and its workforce fit for purpose after the pandemic, it is clear that an emphasis on FE plays a crucial role in this agenda. As Hughes said: “A stronger economy for the British people’ will ring hollow without addressing the very real challenges still facing the education and skills system. A levelled-up country needs levelled up colleges that are adequately supported and invested in to deliver the skills for economic prosperity.”
https://www.et-foundation.co.uk/supporting/leadership-and-governance-programmes/
https://online.flowpaper.com/77f20764/PeoplePowerCityGuildsGroup/#page=1
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