Welfare Reform on the Web (March 2001): Education - UK - Training

EXAMINING THE CRISIS OF FURTHER EDUCATION: AN ANALYSIS OF "FAILING COLLEGES AND FAILING POLICIES"

P. Goddard-Patel and S. Whitehead

Policy Studies, vol.21, 2000, p.191-212

In the late 1980s government considered the expansion of post-16 education to be essential to equip workers with the skills demanded by the knowledge-based economy. However, this expansion of further education student numbers was not funded equitably. Consequently, the combination of structurally disadvantageous funding, a requirement to expand and marketisation proved lethal for some colleges. It led to substantial failures of management information systems, financial failure and the breakdown of staff/management relations.

THE LEARNING AND SKILLS ACT 2000

J. Johnson

Education and the Law, vol.12, 2000, p.259-268

The Learning and Skills Act 2000 has been introduced to change the nature and organisation of the further education sector through the establishment of the new Learning and Skills Council which will be responsible for planning and funding of all further education and training in England. Article presents a brief analysis of the views of 17 college principals on the potential impact of the new legislation.

PRINCIPALS SPEAKING: MANAGERIALISM AND LEADERSHIP IN FURTHER EDUCATION

J. Lumby and H. Tomlinson

Research in Post-Compulsory Education, vol.5, 2000, p.139-151

The management of further education colleges in the UK during the post incorporation period has been characterised by some as managerialist. The latter describes a developing gulf between lecturers and senior managers, due to the perceived emergence of a climate where educational values have been sacrificed to rationalist forms of planning aimed at maximising income and output. Article reports on interviews with eight principals, arguing that their perception of their values and practice are a contribution to the debate on the nature of managerialism and whether there has been a fundamental shift in values.

TIME TO OVERHAUL THE NATIONAL TRAINING ORGANISATIONS

M. Jones

Working Brief, no.120, 2000/01, p.16-19

Article looks critically at the impact of the 75 National Training Organisations (NTOs) to date and argues for their radical reform. They have failed to make much impact on skills shortages because:

• the network is too large and fragmented;
• they are underfunded;
• performance is uneven due to lack of an independent inspection regime.