iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by David Hughes

Emma Meredith @emmameredith.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Another excellent College Alliance meeting - always so much to take away from conversations with our neighbours - to build stronger, adaptive systems. @aoc-info.bsky.social @lewis-cooper.bsky.social @hughesdavid.bsky.social

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FE Week @feweek.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

📣 The FE commissioner's report into Weston College is 'a must-read for all college leaders on how not to do' governance, says @hughesdavid.bsky.social of @aoc-info.bsky.social

feweek.co.uk

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

"It will open up thousands of opportunities for young people and adults to get the skills they need and which employers are crying out for." - @hughesdavid.bsky.social welcomes the Chancellor's £625 million college infrastructure investment. Read our full response here: aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Great to see this package of measures helping colleges to scale up their construction training, in partnership with employers. Looking forward to working with DfE on making it happen. Pleased that colleges being recognised for how vital they are on this

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Join us from 4pm-5pm on Thursday 20 March for our Colleges' National Green Week live Q&A to hear from South Thames College and London South East Colleges on how they have built sustainable learning environments. #CNGW2025 Register here: t.co/pg1D4ww44q

Graphic which reads:

Live Q&A: resources for engaging students in eco-friendly education, 4-5pm Thursday 20 March, online via zoom, Colleges' National Green Week 17-21 March 2025.

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Reposted by David Hughes

Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Register now for our Colleges' National Green Week live Q&A on Thursday 20 March! Watch our on-demand webinar to see how South Thames College and London South East Colleges have built sustainable learning environments and then join us for this interactive session! #CNGW2025 aoc.co.uk/corporate-se...

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Congratulations to the newly appointed leadership team at #SkillsEngland. Looking forward to working with them to help establish a better, coherent, inclusive post-16 education and skills system

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Seb Schmoller @schmoller.net · 07/02/2025

Cuts in funding for adult education appear to be in the pipeline. With that in mind, it is worth reading yesterday's House of Lords speech by the Skills Minister, Jacqui Smith, who summarises the social and economic value of adult education: hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-0...

hansard.parliament.uk

Lifelong Learning - Hansard - UK Parliament

Hansard record of the item : 'Lifelong Learning' on Thursday 6 February 2025.

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Excellent discussion today about skills needs & enormous potential for fair growth in #LiverpoolCityRegion with @darrenpjones.bsky.social & @metromayorsteve.bsky.social at the nearly finished impressive new Everton stadium, a beacon for regenerating the docks over next decade

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

"Colleges have the facilities to educate and train people for a changing economy but need to work with government to ensure these are suitable, sustainable and sufficient to support national skills priorities" - @hughesdavid.bsky.social. Read our full response here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

"Teaching about past atrocities can help encourage students to challenge hatred, racism and discrimination in the here and now," says Eddie Playfair, Senior Policy Manager at AoC, in our new blog on #InternationalHolocaustRemembranceDay. Read more: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Graphic reads "International Holocaust Remembrance Day."

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

yes, it shows how difficult the mainstream media find it to understand the college world @sebschmoller.bsky.social

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Good to see @theguardian.com recognise need to invest more in colleges to address pay gaps with school teachers. General further education college lecturers just as badly affected. Low pay means colleges cannot recruit lecturers in skills vital for growth www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

The Guardian view on teachers’ pay: colleges don’t deserve second-class status | Editorial

Editorial: College staff deserve a pay rise along with their peers. Widening the gap with schools would be a serious mistake

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

"We were heartened by the discussion of the role of colleges in the PAC’s evidence session for this inquiry, and it would have been good to see greater recognition of that role in today’s report." - David Holloway responds to new Public Accounts Committee report. www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

“If the government wants to achieve its missions and ambitions for economic growth and fairness, additional, sustainable investment across all post-16 education must be provided in the spring spending review.” says @hughesdavid.bsky.social. Read in full: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Another year & another report, picked up by @pmdfoster.bsky.social highlighting the shocking underinvestment in post-16 education & skills after 14 years of austerity. The government's missions are at risk of under-delivery without more investment in colleges on.ft.com/4aaOQBi

on.ft.com

UK school budgets eroded by spiralling special needs costs, report shows

SEN spending and higher wages leave headteachers facing ‘very tight’ accounts in 2025, says IFS

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Good to see David moving over into college leadership

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Good to see John Widdowson as part of this, ensuring there is an informed FE college voice. Before they propose a university in Wakefield, perhaps better investment in the college for young people and adults might be a start

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Reposted by David Hughes

Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

“For too long pay in further education has lagged behind both schools and industry, with detrimental effects on the sector and wider economy” - @hughesdavid.bsky.social calls on the STRB to support a pay increase for FE staff and outlines three ambitions on college pay. t.co/hco167NDqc

David Hughes quote graphic:

“For too long pay in further education has lagged behind both schools and industry, with detrimental effects on the sector and wider economy, and we are hopeful that this is a positive step towards ensuring colleges have the funding they need to close the pay gap.”

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

Pleased to give evident today to the School Teacher Review Body on the unacceptably low level of college pay causing enormous recruitment, retention & morale problems which in turn create risk for delivery of many of the government's manifesto commitments view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx...

view.officeapps.live.com

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Reposted by David Hughes

Seb Schmoller @schmoller.net · 13/12/2024

Does the UK have enough workers to ‘get Britain building’? In short: it'll be a stretch. FT analysis by Delphine Strauss & Anna Gross that is silent on previous governments' destructive failure to get the FE system firing on all cylinders. Striking excerpt below. www.ft.com/content/ca44...

But the teenager is part of a dwindling group: despite the efforts of successive governments, the number of apprenticeship starts has fallen by over a third over the past decade — from 520,600 in 2011 to 337,100 in 2022 — and the declines are sharpest among those aged 16 to 19.
In the meantime, businesses are relying on foreign workers to fill those roles. On site in Bermondsey, where heavy packages are being flung from one worker to another, a Polish scaffolder in his 30s estimates that around 80 to 90 per cent of the 250 workers come from overseas, mainly eastern Europe.
Especially in the summer months, it is incredibly hard to find bricklayers, carpenters and groundworkers, he says. A large group of workers come from Moldova, where many people have dual Romanian citizenship and were able to travel to the UK freely before Brexit.

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

“It shows that the government has engaged and listened to college lecturers as well as employers." - @hughesdavid.bsky.social responds to today's announcement in the House of Commons on the outcome of the Level 3 rapid review. Read our full response here: t.co/M62PuU4eVL

quote ‘’Today's announcement in the House of Commons on the outcome of the rapid review of Level 3 qualification defunding offers some stability for colleges and students and allows colleges to plan their curriculum offer with confidence for the next couple of years.”

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Reposted by David Hughes

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

“Almost 9m adults still have low literacy and numeracy... We need a renewed focus on English, maths and digital skills for adults.” ✍️ L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to the Survey of Adult Skills (#PIAAC) published today. learningandwork.org.uk/news-and-pol...

learningandwork.org.uk

Responding to the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) - Learning and Work Institute

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

3. There's some correlation between literacy & numeracy scores. But England is a bit worse (given literacy scores) on numeracy than you might expect. Good argument for a focus on that (maths to 18 anyone...).

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

2. Good news first. Our young people had lower scores than older people last time. No longer the case. Genuine, +ve improvement. Result of school & FE policy & delivery. Including last Govt's condition of funding rule, which tripled % getting English & maths between age 16 and 19.

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

1. New OECD adult basic skills shows some improvement in numeracy in England in last decade, little change in literacy. Within this, big & welcome improvements for young people (who were outliers last time), but some backsliding for older adults (perhaps a consequence of austerity in adult ed).

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Dr Sam Parrett CBE @samparrett.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Honoured to attend @AoC_info Winter reception & to meet our supportive local MPs @LSEColleges today, discussing all things FE, Skills & SEND with @danfrancis02 @helenhayes_ and our amazing local & sector advocate @DLawrenceOBE @UKHouseofLords 👇

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

The wide range of people willing to share a quote in support of this shows the complex web of relationships colleges have. Doing their jobs as systems leaders, anchor institutions and vital local partners

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Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Our report published today, ‘Mission accepted: the role of colleges across the government’s five missions’, shows how colleges across the country are already delivering the government's missions and have the expertise to do so much more. Read the report: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

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Reposted by David Hughes

Association of Colleges @aoc-info.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

“Successful delivery of the missions will rely heavily on colleges as anchor institutions, but government needs to create the environment in which that collaboration is incentivised and funded" - @hughesdavid.bsky.social on our mission accepted report. Read more: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

yes, for sure - the unfairness in pay in English FE colleges is shocking and wrong, and hinders colleges' abilities to deliver quality education to meet needs and demands

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Smita Jamdar 🇺🇦 @smitajamdar.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Day 2 of #TCAinternational begins with a presentation about the new Jobs & Skills Australia. These are their legislative functions - some similar to those we see here, some slightly different. V interesting

List of Jobs & Skills Australia’s legislative functions

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Smita Jamdar 🇺🇦 @smitajamdar.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Australia seeking to reset the imbalance between the growth in higher education and the lack of growth in technical qualifications. Same the world over it seems #TCAInternational

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Lewis Cooper @lewis-cooper.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Really good first day of the College Alliance's international conference, at Belfast Met College - a great range of international inputs from Sweden, South Africa, Singapore and the OECD, along case studies from across the four UK nations and Ireland #TCAinternational

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Smita Jamdar 🇺🇦 @smitajamdar.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Hearing about the broader place making role that Belfast Met has played particularly in the Titanic Quarter alongside its role in the regional economy. We really must not forget this vital aspect of FE. #TCAinternational

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Great list. I'd love to see that emerging over next few years. We now need a vision for whole tertiary sector

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Smita Jamdar 🇺🇦 @smitajamdar.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Some thoughts from #TCAInternational on what FE needs to thrive: 1. A trust-based funding environment 2. accountability based on outcomes 2. The opportunity to shape their offer to meet local/sector needs 3. Structures that facilitate meaningful partnerships with employers 4. Collaboration!

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Smita Jamdar 🇺🇦 @smitajamdar.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Fascinating to here from @pmdfoster.bsky.social about a growing (if still slightly confused) political and policy consensus around the importance of skills, the potential for FE to position itself as key to this but the need to avoid this becoming an oppositional HE/FE battle #TCAInternational

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Smita Jamdar 🇺🇦 @smitajamdar.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

So many thanks to @hughesdavid.bsky.social and @lewis-cooper.bsky.social for inviting me to #TCAInternational. Such a brilliant event and so many fascinating conversations, my mind is completely buzzing!

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Peter Foster @pmdfoster.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Labour made a big deal about Skills England…to boost homegrown skills and underpin the industrial strategy. So how come the emerging reality lacks so much ambition? It’s perplexing folks. Chewed over in @financialtimes.com State of Britain newsletter. on.ft.com/4ifNKHQ

on.ft.com

Shrinking vision of Skills England casts doubt on big fixes needed

[FREE TO READ] Diminished influence of much-vaunted body sends worrying signals about strategic drift inside government

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Delighted to be South Thames college in Wandsworth for opening of their cutting edge green training facilities - heat source, solar. Massive training needed, great to see colleges stepping up to deliver

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David Hughes @hughesdavid.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Lovely evening at #SkillsAwards2024, celebrating #apprentices #Tlevel students, employers. Great to have Steph McGovern & Jacqui Smith giving out awards

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