Drivers for Collaboration Almost all of the groups questioned why we should want to collaborate. It was recognised that there are situations where the national agenda enforces collaboration and in these situations there can be differences in understanding the requirements of collaboration. The availability of time for collaboration is a challenge in both sectors but there are opportunities to ‘buy’ time through for example the HEFCE Innovation Fund. As to the questions of ‘What’s in it for us?’ and ‘Who wins?’ there do appear to be clear benefits for learners in foundation degrees especially where they are work based. They are getting people ‘back on the ladder’ and providing a feeder for Universities as people go on to do other things. Overlap is seen to help reduce the shock of moving from the FE world to the HE world and there is a perception that
Real partnerships grow organically: they are not marriages of convenience
learners want seamless provision. Whether these reasons are good enough to make the investment was debated as was the question of whether foundation degrees were now putting FE and HE in direct competition with one another. In some cases the pressure for collaboration was due to the lack of physical space for course delivery and some delegates could see potential benefits in collaborating on IT and admin matters as well as teaching. Competition was also seen as a major driver allowing people to pool resources and hence have a bigger pot to play with. The role of funding as a driver was examined and most people seemed to feel that collaboration would still occur without specific funding initiatives but the funding makes it easier. Examples were given of funding following once collaboration was
Difference between being forced to collaborate and wanting to collaborate
established: bottom up initiatives with top down support. It was seen as essential for all parties to understand why we want to join up and to identify common ground. This is inextricably linked to differentiation. Delegates also noted the need for vertical collaboration within institutions as well as horizontal collaboration across institutions. One of the great myths about partnership working was seen to be the principle that it is ‘a good thing’ for all involved. In reality partnerships usually benefit the person
Difference between collaboration and sharing
and institution driving the partnership as they are able to reflect their own requirements when developing the bid. FE/HE partnerships face particular problems as it is difficult to get FE people to attend partnership consortium meetings and contribute to the process of developing the bid so there is no equal status between partners from the start. Status also depends on how people perceive themselves in their organisations and in the partnership but working with people closely, and developing an understanding of different contexts, helps to break down the prejudices and dispel the myths. It was felt very strongly that real partnerships grow organically: they are not
e-learning will always be a bolt-on in some institutions
marriages of convenience. There is a substantial difference between being forced to collaborate and wanting to collaborate. Models of partnership that work are based on genuine reasons for working together. Bottom-up organic growth leads to sustainability. Good communications often depend on individual networks of contacts, knowing who is where, and movement of key contacts between organisations. Delegates felt there should be incentives as well as requirements for staff to
11