This event will launch a report from a FETL funded project looking beyond the immediate policy and financial issues in Further Education and Skills to envisage the challenges and opportunities facing the sector over the next 10 years. 

FETL activity covers the four nations of the UK. Following a report by the Institute for Public Policy and Research, (IPPR) sponsored by FETL (Equipping Scotland for the Future) published in January 2017, we are delighted to announce a panel event to discuss the current and future challenges and opportunities facing the skills system in Scotland.

Parliamentary Symposium will take place on Thursday 10th March,
8:30-11 am at Portcullis House, Bridge Street, London, SW1A 2LW.

The UK FE and skills sector is undergoing dramatic change with cuts to public funding, demographic shifts, and increased competition from schools and universities all contributing. The sector needs to overcome these challenges in order to thrive, but progress is hampered by gaps in our collective knowledge of FE and skills which, in comparison to other parts of the education system, is under-conceptualised, under-researched, under-theorised, and as a result, is often under-understood. 

Through this symposium, FETL hopes to explore how the FE and Skills sector, by adopting a more commercially minded approach, can stimulate new ways of working to achieve greater performance, as well as a greater enterprising/entrepreneurial spirit within institutions and organisations that operate within the system

This event will look at:

• the benefit of providers adopting the very best behaviors and practices of commercial business and enterprise in order to raise skills levels and productivity;
• treat learners both as recipients and customers, and;
• the role of leaders in terms of Principal vs CEO

Hosted by Barry Sheerman MP, this event will be chaired by Dame Ruth Silver with the following speakers:

• Mike Smith, Chair of FETL and CEO of Gen 2 one of the largest engineering and technology training providers in the UK.
• Ian Pretty, CEO 157 Group, a membership body representing leading UK colleges and college groups.
• Jan Atkinson, Talent and Development Director, Kier Group PLC. A leading property, residential, construction and services company operating across a range of sectors including defence, education, housing, industrials, power, transport and utilities.

To secure a place please contact enquiries@fetl.org.uk

The Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL), an independent charity and think tank which is working to strengthen the leadership of thinking in further education and skills, would like to welcome you to its parliamentary symposium.
UK FE and skills is undergoing dramatic change with cuts to public funding, demographic shifts, and increased competition from schools and universities all contributing. The sector needs to overcome these challenges in order to thrive, but progress is hampered by gaps in our collective knowledge of FE and skills which, in comparison to other parts of the education system, is under-conceptualised, under-researched, under-theorised, and as a result, is often under-understood. 
Our aim is to move towards a better way of understanding and talking about what the FE and skills sector does, so that we can articulate and make a clearer case for our place in the skills system.
Through this symposium FETL hopes to look at:

– The space FE and skills institutions currently occupy in the education and training system
– Skills structures and whether the current model for FE is fit for purpose
– The potential impact of the Spending Review and Area Reviews of Post-16 Education and Training
– What can organisations such as FETL do to facilitate the leadership of thinking in this area?
Please join us at 5:30pm for afternoon tea followed by a lively panel discussion.

Policy Connect is supporting the organisation of this event.

FETL has a stand at this event, please visit us in Booth 15.

10th March 2015, Central London, James Krantz (Worklab, New York City) will be delivering the FETL Inaugural Lecture.

Here is some of the feedback

College Vice-Principal: “Excellent evening and a wonderful network of people to have in the same place at the same time.”

Community Learning Leader: “I was able to attend the inaugural lecture last night and very much enjoyed it. Thank you for making it possible. I look forward to future events and publications… I would very much like to share the ‘Remembered Thinking’ publication with the middle and senior managers who have signed up to the [leadership] programme.”

Private Provider: “I thought it was an excellent event, a great lecture and a great start of all sorts of thinking and ideas and ambition for the sector! I’m really delighted to be involved and very much looking forward to working with you on our exciting project.”

Higher Education Leader: “Congratulations on an excellent FETL lecture debut – good lecture, good audience and great venue”

Sector Body: “I thought the venue was great. I think it was preferable to a more Westminster based event – signalled something more modern, more innovative to be. I liked the fact that it was mostly sector people rather than civil servants/ministers etc. It felt like a very warm welcoming event and very reaffirming.”

Leadership Consultant: “So much of Dr Krantz’s lecture resonated with me…”

Education journalist: “Thanks for inviting me to the lecture last night, I found it interesting and it was a good chance to network with the great and the good of FE.”

Senior Leader: “I really enjoyed the lecture on Tuesday and thanks for the invite; it was a really good event and well attended. It is great to see how FETL is progressing as a charity.”

Sector Membership Body: “Quick note to thank you for inviting us to the lecture – I thought it was a superb event in terms of networking and PR, and the lecture provided us with considerable food for thought, for our organisation as a business but also in our role as a membership body for colleges.”

Trades Union: “Good to see you at the Lecture which I thought was very interesting…”

Trades Union: “There were some thought provoking ideas in there and I’d like to reflect further on what he said, so if you could send me a copy I’d be most grateful.”

Third Sector organisation: “I read the booklet [Remembered Thinking] on my way home on the train. Really liked it. The style and choice of texts and the bringing it up to date – so readable and just about the ideal length for me. Brilliant – as was the event last night. Thanks so much for the invitation.”

You can download your own copy of Remembered Thinking here.

Some tweets about the event

Chris Husbands ‏@Director_IOE Mar 10 – “Krantz @FETforL – neat potted history of theories of leadership and emergence of theories of visionary leadership”

Thomas Kohut ‏@ThomasKohut Mar 10 – “Krantz – as organisations change in the 21stC, leadership can be part of, and even an output of the system itself @FETforL”

CampaignforLearning ‏@CForLearning Mar 10 – “Listening to @FETforL inaugural lecture by Dr Jim Krantz on leadership. Fascinating.”

Chris Husbands ‏@Director_IOE Mar 10 – “Krantz @FETforL – reminds that FETL is about the leadership of thinking, not leadership thinking”

Landex ‏@Landexnews Mar 10 – “Watching Jim Krantz inaugural lecture on leaders or leadership the century of the system @FETforL”

CandiEXTRA ‏@CandiEXTRA Mar 10 Islington, London – “@FETforL interesting lecture this evening leadership – enrolment vs empowerment”

Jenny Brandham ‏@JennyBrandham Mar 10 – “Excellent thoughts from @FETforL in the inaugural lecture, thank you”

Jess Bridgman ‏@JABridgman Mar 10 – “Great inaugural lecture @FETforL some great ideas around leadership and thinking for FE and Skills. Inspiring stuff.”

cwhinney ‏@cwhinney Mar 10 – “Pleased to see @FETforL promoting Systems Thinking in their Inaugural Lecture and their first round grants. Long overdue in sector.”

Christina Conroy OBE ‏@ConroyChristina Mar 11 – “Interesting take on #leadership @FETforL = system and times create leaders rather than intrinsic personal qualities http://feweek.co.uk/2015/03/10/first-wave-of-grant-winners-announced-by-fetl/ …”

VetNet LLN ‏@VetNet_LLN Mar 11 – “@FETforL thank you for working hard to raise the awareness and the importance of vocational teaching and learning.”

Jenny Brandham ‏@JennyBrandham Mar 11 – “Still reflecting on the messages from @FETforL particularly; is idealistic unrealistic?”

NAL ‏@neilalovell Mar 11 – “Good to hear James Krantz @FETforL inaugural lecture. Leadership is complex to explain and yet we all know good and bad examples.”

FE Week ‏@FEWeek 5 hrs5 hours ago – “FE bosses were warned against ‘heroic’ leadership at the first @FETforL lecture. Read @paulofford‘s report here: http://feweek.co.uk/?p=33711”FETL

TES Further Ed @tesfenews  · 2 hrs 2 hours ago – “Colleges should stop looking for ‘heroic’ principals, says leadership expert http://ow.ly/KnJLw”

7th January, Newport.  Mark Ravenhall, FETL Chief Executive, to present on ‘Why Research is Important to UK FE’ during the event ‘How to Write and Publish Research — Possibilities and Pitfalls’ with Enterprise Educators UK

14 November 2014, Central London.  Ayub Khan, FETL Trustee, to present and answer questions during the event ‘The Practicalities of Using Research Evidence’.

13 November 2014, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Central London.  Mark Ravenhall, CEO, to present and answer questions during the conference ‘Raising Our Game– Driving Up Quality in Third Sector Learning and Skills’

16th October 2014, Central London, Mark Ravenhall (FETL, CEO) will be speaking at the Association of South East Colleges Principals’ Group.