Students representing the Equalities Council will attend the meeting and make a presentation to the Scrutiny Committee.
Officer contact: Michelle McLaughlin, Student Engagement and Student Voice Lead (Trafford College Group) on 0161 296 5622 or email: michelle.mclaughlin@tcg.ac.uk
Minutes:
Members of the Equalities Council comprising students from Stockport College, Cheadle College and Marple Sixth Form College attended the meeting and provided a presentation to the Scrutiny Committee in relation to the benefits of and factors that affect the Association of Colleges ‘mind the skills gap’ and the role of further education including social mobility, skills development, statistics and how further education acts as a gateway of higher education and how further education acts as a gateway to the labour market.
Members of the Equalities Council highlighted a number of concerns associated with each of the chosen topics, and provided possible solutions and actions.
Further education statistics
· There are 277 colleges in the UK and 232 colleges in England, 163 of those are general further education colleges.
· In the Greater Manchester area there are around 10 colleges which provide further education to students at all ages.
· According to the annual report of Trafford College group for the year 2021, the achievement rate of aged 16 to 18 students and 19 plus students are 81.7% and 84 7% respectively.
· In Cheadle College and Marple Sixth Form College there are 925 and 574 students respectively.
· In Stockport College there are 2659 students in total including 1451 students aged 16 to 18.
· In 2019, of the 16 to 18 students in full-time education around 47% continued to general further education or other specialist colleges.
· 80% of students within the local colleges within the area continue onto further education, apprenticeships or employment. Of this more than 50% of the students continued onto further education and 21% secured employment.
· Within Stockport there are three types of further educational placements, school sixth forms, sixth form colleges and colleges.
Skills development
· Sectors which face a skills shortage include construction, health and social care services, hospitality and education.
· Before Brexit organisations were able to employ skilled workers for these sectors from the EU countries. However, after Brexit due to immigration laws the UK must now develop people faster and more efficiently to meet this skills shortage.
· Due to the pandemic many workers are opting for early retirement or leaving the sector due to burnout.
· That the career pathway for many of these sectors requires a university degree.
· Further education can act as an alternative or gateway to higher education.
· Vocational subjects allow students to enter the job market earlier with more specialised skills, however this can depend on the strength of the relationship between further education institutions and the industries.
· It is difficult to gain placements, internships and work experience as students are expected to find their own placements and some do not have the connections and some industries are averse to offering these opportunities due to risk.
· All colleges in Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas should open coherent learning pathways for students to have more options.
· Some students want to enter the job market without attending universities and should be able to complete apprenticeships through their local college who should have strong relationships with local and national industries.
· The Trafford College Group are working towards developing options for both more academic and more skilled routes.
· That whilst Traffic College Group has grown to offer many options, more growth was needed and with the help of the council we can inform, establish and offer more partnerships that can help widen the pathway for our students to thrive.
· That the council be asked to value the provision of further education and to include it in a three year skills improvement plan.
Social mobility
· Social mobility is a change in a person’s and their families social-economic situation.
· There is upwards social mobility such as getting a university degree, downwards social mobility such as bankruptcy or losing your job, intergenerational mobility such as getting an unexpected inheritance and intragenerational mobility such as where you leave business success or legacy for your family members.
· In general students who study at level 2 or equivalent to A-levels and other courses may be more likely to receive higher wage returns than those who have not achieved this level of education.
· The Office for National Statistics report that in 2021 the median weekly earnings for full-time employees in the UK were £593 for those with no qualifications, compared to £710 for those with Level 2 qualifications or above.
· It is not possible to make a definitive statement about the wage returns of Level 2 students compared to GCSE level students without considering additional factors such as specific qualifications obtained, the industry and location of employment, and individual skills and experience.
· Further education can provide significant opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds by offering them access to higher education, vocational training and skill development that can help them secure better jobs, higher salaries and greater economic mobility.
· Further education institutions provide financial support to disadvantaged students to help them cover the cost of tuition, textbooks and certain living expenses such as transport making further education more accessible.
· Further education institutions often offer vocational training programmes and apprenticeships which can be beneficial for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not have had access to the same level of work experience or training.
· Further education can provide students with access to networks and connections that can help them secure employment after graduation.
· Further education can provide the knowledge, skills and confidence required to pursue career goals and achieve a person’s full potential.
Opportunities provided by college
· There are many activities and clubs provided by the college such as debate club, green college assembly, workshops with Stockport Council, Carbon Literacy course, internal event planning, student leaders, work experience support, student conference and ‘Welcome Wednesday’ with Age UK.
Why further education is important
· Further education colleges offer a wide variety of courses including higher education level diplomas and level 2 and level 3 courses specialised in specific roles.
· Further education sector has been identified as a potential solution to the UK labour market challenges.
· Further education provides routes to higher level study for young people from any background.
· Further education helps to develop your study skills like managing your time and developing your learning strategies for independent studies which will improve your confidence, help you success in higher education and enable you to work more effectively.
· Further education can offer vocational courses that lead to specific jobs such as hairdressing, plumbing and engineering.
· Further education can offer learning for leisure courses part time or in the evening which can help develop an area of interest or a hobby.
How further education acts as a gateway to the labour market
· We are expected to wear uniforms which will help with strict working environments where we are forced to wear a dress code.
· We are expected to act professional in all our lessons at college as our college offers a commercial salon for clients.
· For level 2 vocational courses and above, we are expected to complete 30 to 36 hours of work experience which prepares us for future employment.
The following comments were made/issues raised: -
· Committee welcomed the presentation and the individual contributions together with the honesty regarding their experiences across a variety of courses and personal lives.
· It was noted that the Committee has previously inquired in relation to the experience of young people in further education and their career and development pathways.
· The Committee commented on the importance of work experience and asked whether this was proving difficult for students.
· In response, it was stated that work experience within your subject area was important as it gave students an insight into the roles and helps determine whether this was the right career area, however a number of businesses were not offering work experience opportunities due to lack of space or resources.
· Thanked representatives for their feedback and were pleased to hear about the variety of support that the colleges offered.
· It was suggested that the experiences of the Student Equalities Council be shared with GCSE students to get them excited about studying.
· It was queried how apprenticeships have helped the students.
· In response, it was commented that the apprenticeship programme gave students the opportunity for both theoretical and practical study alongside paid employment.
· It was noted that the council was a major employer in Stockport with links with employers across the borough and could develop opportunities for enhanced work experience placements for students.
The Chair on behalf of the Committee thanked the representatives of the Student Equalities Council for highlighting their concerns but also for providing possible solutions and actions that could be considered and actioned accordingly.
RESOLVED – (1) That the members of the Students Equalities Council be thanked for their attendance and presentation.
(2) That officers be requested to develop a work experience policy and implementation plan with partner organisations and local colleges.