A presentation reporting the first year of an employer engagement project. The presentation focus is on the structural capital of the developng project. For more details see www.reednet.org, www.lydiaarnold.net

1. Rural Employer Engagement Development Network REEDNet Lydia Arnold & Liz Warr

2. What is REEDNet? HEFCE Project to: expand provision build a coordinated approach to provision raise higher level & transferrable skills within the sector. 3 year project £4million HEFCE development funding Recruitment Target of 450 FTE’s (Full Time Equivalent Students) Basis for sustainability beyond the 3 year initial funding period 2

4. 2 HEI’s

5. Landex Colleges

6. Geographically distributed networkA network of England’s land based colleges led by Harper Adams University College in Shropshire and the Royal Agricultural College in Gloucestershire. “a framework to encompass the Landex colleges which will offer mutually transferable, accredited, demand-led CPD programmes.” … “broaden the range of specialist skills and knowledge available, and expand the available base of training choice and accessibility.”

7. 4 Geographically distributed network of trainers Landex College distribution LANDEX; a member-funded company committed to continuous improvement in the collective quality of provision to the land-based industries. Working closely with the Sector Skills Council (Lantra) the 33 English members of LANDEX deliver 85% of publicly funded FE and 70% of all HE in land-based subjects, together with a substantial portion of work based training for the sector.

8. 5 Developing provision (General drivers) Lambert, Leitch and Burgess – Align provision with the need of business Strengthen accredited provision particularly at level 5+ Progression and opportunity Beliefs: Excellent learning is occurring in the work-place. Knowledge is ‘out there’ (colleges, employers, private training providers). Business knows what it needs.

9. Developing provision (Specific drivers) Land based studies review “Land-based studies were identified by a HEFCE advisory group as one of several subjects that were strategically important to the nation, but which might be vulnerable because of a mismatch between supply and demand”. Protection for strategic reasons Recommended joint working – 2007 review Limited opportunity to respond within full-time model. Building on existing strengths of WBL and collaboration.

10. 7 Why a network ... ? Protect, integrate and sustain specialist provision Playing geographic features to the advantage of the sector. local delivery, national networks of expertise. Accreditation quality assurance (building on professional qualifications). Specialist validation and QA. Innovation – identifying and developing. Non-competitive (collaboration rules!). Access to shared curriculum expertise and resource.

11. 8 Project (wider) aims Common approaches to validation, credit recognition & transfer. Share in best practice across the network (curriculum design, delivery, support). Develop robust and consistent approaches to meeting employer need. Gather feedback on co-funding and willingness to participate.

12. 9 Structural capital “The organising and structuring capability of the organisation as expressed in formal instruments, policies, regulations, procedures, codes, functional business units, task groups, committees or less formal networks and practices” (Stewart, 1997 cited in Garnett et al, 2008, p18).

13. Some industry partners

14. 11 Making it work: REEDNet structural capital advances Validation (EEAVC) Course committee and Subject boards Module and programme design External evaluation (including external examiners) Needs recognition Expertise and reflection Culture and joint-working Technology: learners & staff Credit currency Client management protocols Funding model Evaluative approaches Marketing

16. Local learning networks, sector events, speculative meetings

17. Liaise between academics, business, finance, university solicitor, employer, private training organisations, sector skills councils.

18. Backgrounds in relevant subject areas vs. background in educational design.

20. Revising procedures.

21. Changing cultures:

22. Developing understandings and norms.

23. Personal cultures.

25. 15 Focus: Module development Side by side Quality Assurance manuals have been reviewed and adapted. Development of a programme specification templates for work based learning awards to scaffold employer engagement developments. In full collaboration Creation of ‘Guidance for the Creation of Employer Engagement Modules and Descriptors’. Shared staff e.g. Director, Curriculum Advisor

26. 16 Focus: Culture and joint-working between 2 HEI’s Develop some underpinning systems/infrastructure for joint working. Huddle Contact management Develop understandings about the respective roles of collaboration and competition, information sharing and geographic ‘common sense’. Grow personal relationships to facilitate joint working. Identify topics for which it would be useful to undertake joint development days.

27. 17 Joint working possibilities

28. 18 Cross institutional Boundary free

29. 19 Focus: Joint-working between LANDEX partner colleges Curriculum advisor as key facilitator of opportunity (experience, networks, sector knowledge). Consistency of support Curriculum development assistance Development of structures Tie in with other initiatives (e.g. Knowledge network, Aspire CETL) Requires internal widespread confidence.

30. 20

31. Challenges Staff skills balance. Boundaries of expertise. Disparate credit: A shell framework. Collaboration vs. competition: A long history. Staff buy in. Brand : REEDNet, Harper Adams or RAC. Boundaries of acceptability. Technology and physical capacity. Assessment. Administrative infrastructure. Funding – how much will the market stand. Funding quirks. Continuation strategy. 21

32. Contacts Project website : www.reednet.org.uk Lydia Arnold Work-based learning developer www.lydiaarnold.net larnold@harper-adams.ac.uk 01952 815277 Liz Warr Curriculum Advisor lwarr@harper-adams.ac.uk 07701096202 22