AoC London Policy and Priorities Publication, December 2012

1. London Colleges
Policy and Priorities

2. FOREWORD
The London 2012 Games showed the best of London and of Londoners. Nobody who visited the
Olympics or Paralympics could fail to be proud of the venues, the Games Makers or the sports people.
London 2012 showed what can be done when everyone is working towards the same goal. The fact that
Colleges trained staff, apprentices helped build the venues, most Games Makers were trained in one
of London’s Colleges and that several of our sports people were College graduates, shows what a vital
component our sector is within London’s infrastructure.
We now must apply the same approach to the other challenges facing our capital city as we applied to
the Games, with the support of our Colleges. London’s Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges, 49
in total, are first and foremost education and training institutions for over 400,000 students, including
more young people aged 16-18 than are in school sixth forms and over 17,000 students in apprenticeships
and work-place learning. The hard work and commitment of our staff results in much more than the
achievement of qualifications. Colleges help people get jobs, set up their own businesses, learn English
for the first time, improve their self-confidence, develop new interests, continue onto higher education
and, of course, advise them on their career options. We help businesses establish apprenticeships,
develop the skills of existing staff and we adapt our provision to meet employers’ developing skills
needs. Colleges have a record of success but would like to do even more.
The challenges London face remain considerable. The number of young people who are not in education,
employment or training is too high, as is the adult unemployment rate. Careers advice for young
Londoners remains inconsistent. And, as inflation rises, our students are finding it an increasing
struggle to afford to continue learning.
This short pamphlet outlines five key areas where we think London’s MPs can work with and on behalf
of their local College, and others, so together we can ensure every Londoner has the chance to succeed in
2013 and beyond.
Ian Ashman
Principal, Hackney Community College and Chair, AoC London

3. 01 Promoting Young People’s Participation and
Engagement
WHAT LONDON HOW LONDON MPs
LONDON’S NEEDS COLLEGES ARE CAN HELP
DOING
Lobby for the
Educating over 100,000
Raising the Participation development of
young people aged
Age: more young a London-wide
16 to 18 each year in
people participating in independent careers
everything from basic
education and training service available to all
skills to level 3 (A-levels
in London students in all schools
and their equivalent)
and Colleges
Providing more job
A big reduction in the
focussed courses such Supporting a London
4.5% of young people not
as pre-apprenticeship weighted bursary for
engaged in education
programmes and basic 16-18 year olds and
or employment and
skills, with frequent start the “No Free Lunch”
reducing the drop-out at
dates, including through campaign
17 and 18
the Youth Contract

4. 02 Delivering the Skills London Employers Need
WHAT LONDON HOW LONDON MPs
LONDON’S NEEDS COLLEGES ARE CAN HELP
DOING
Promoting the work
Working with London Colleges and employers
Skilled young people
businesses and are doing to meet new
and adults ready to take
employers to respond to skills needs, working in
on tomorrow’s jobs
their demands for skills partnership
with the LEP
Engaging through AoC
London with employer Asking Government
The right strategic input bodies, the Greater and Ofsted to give high
and support to develop London Authority value to Colleges’ work
skills for Londoners (GLA), London Councils with employers and
and the London sector bodies
Enterprise Panel (LEP)

5. 03 Reducing Adult Unemployment
WHAT LONDON HOW LONDON MPs
LONDON’S NEEDS COLLEGES ARE CAN HELP
DOING
Great links between Promoting and hosting
Colleges and Working with London local work experience,
employers that businesses and careers events and
promote recruitment of employers to help them championing business
unemployed individuals to recruit local people and employer links with
in London Colleges
Delivering training to Asking Government
The training needs
unemployed people agencies to enable
of active and inactive
in partnership with claimants to continue on
benefits claimants are
Job Centre Plus (JCP) the right College course
met, ensuring that they
and Work Programme which best helps their
are better off in work
providers across London employment prospects

6. 04 Maximising Apprenticeship Opportunities in
London
WHAT LONDON HOW LONDON MPs
LONDON’S NEEDS COLLEGES ARE CAN HELP
DOING
Working with the
Encouraging small
Mayor, the LEP,
Employers and Colleges and medium sized
London First, London
to work together to enterprises to engage
Councils and National
increase the numbers of with apprenticeships
Apprenticeships
apprenticeships across and skills training
Service (NAS) on the
the capital through their local
Apprenticeships/Skills
Colleges
Campaign
Encouraging public
London’s public services Working in partnership services to recruit
to work collaboratively with local authorities their fair share of
across the capital and agencies to develop apprenticeships and
to maximise local joint priorities and to make the most use
recruitment investment of their Colleges for
training

7. 05 Ensuring Social Cohesion and Adding Value
WHAT LONDON HOW LONDON MPs
LONDON’S NEEDS COLLEGES ARE CAN HELP
DOING
Ensuring that the
All groups being able Helping individuals to
introduction of
to have fair access to navigate the fees and
Universal Credit does
education, training and funding regulations, and
not result in some
College facilities within providing information,
people missing out on
their communities advice and guidance
free education
Teaching over 400,000 Challenging
Londoners from entry disproportionate cuts
level through to higher for Colleges, increasing
Fair funding reflecting level skills, including funding for ESOL
London’s needs and 82% of all English programmes and
higher costs for Speakers of other monitoring the impact of
Languages (ESOL) loans for people aged 24
learners across the and above
capital

8. AoC London Member Colleges:
General Further Education & Tertiary Colleges Sixth Form Colleges
Barking & Dagenham College BSix Brooke House Sixth Form College
Barnet and Southgate College Christ the King Sixth Form College
Bexley College Haringey Sixth Form Centre
Bromley College of Further and Higher Education Havering Sixth Form College
Carshalton College John Ruskin College
City and Islington College Leyton Sixth Form College
City of Westminster College Newham Sixth Form College
College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College
College of North West London St Dominic’s Sixth Form College
Croydon College St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College
Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College
Greenwich Community College Woodhouse College
Hackney Community College
Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute Specialist Designated Institutions
Harrow College
Havering College of Further and Higher Education City Lit
Kensington and Chelsea College Hillcroft College
Kingston College Mary Ward Settlement
Lambeth College Morley College
Lewisham College incorporating Southwark College Working Men’s College Corporation
Newham College of Further Education
Redbridge College Agriculture & Horticulture
Richmond Adult Community College Capel Manor College
Richmond Upon Thames College
South Thames College
Stanmore College
Tower Hamlets College
Uxbridge College
Waltham Forest College
West Thames College
Westminster Kingsway College
Association of Colleges London
2 - 5 Stedham Place, London, WC1A 1HU
T: 020 7034 9900 | E: londoncolleges@aoc.co.uk | W: www.aoc.co.uk