Plumpton College | Strategic Plan 2022-2027

STRATEGIC PLAN

Indeed, the college has changed much in this time, attracting close to 40% more students across a diverse range of study types, levels and subjects and commencing a £20m investment programme as part of our site masterplan.

At the heart of this change has been our cultural transformation, underpinned by higher expectations, higher standards of education and an ethos of continuous improvement embodied by our college values.

The land-based sector, which we support through the majority of our training and education, is also quite different now compared to 2016 but is on the cusp of perhaps the most seismic changes it will have seen for a generation. Informed by new legislation yet driven by many global factors, including climate change and food security (only exacerbated by recent events such as the pandemic and Brexit), these industries require new approaches, practices and mindsets.

Plumpton College’s last strategic plan was written in 2016 and set out a new ambition and a framework of priorities which have served us well over the past six years.

Education, training and skills development have a more predominant role to play, facilitated partly by changes in the education sector but also by the college’s progress and position of strength.

The Skills and Post 16 Education Act (2022) builds on recognising the value of colleges in economic development as part of a place-based system, responding to employer needs that positively impact local communities through greater reach than ever.

The college is very well placed to play a pivotal role in the changes required amongst the industries we serve, and our new strategic plan sets out our priorities and our new ambitious vision for the future.

It has been informed by a yearlong consultation process engaging thousands of staff, students and employers.

OUR VISION

The leader of land & environmental education and training in the South East, renowned for our cutting-edge practice.

The land-based sector requires more people than ever before to be trained and educated, and at a higher level than ever before. Therefore, at the heart of our vision is an ambition to achieve targeted growth in the following areas:

16-19 land & environment study programmes

Adult provision

Higher Education programmes

Our direct work with employers, including apprenticeships, professional industry training, and operating as a hub for knowledge exchange and sharing of practice.

As part of this and in order to improve our educational reach, new and existing programmes will be developed to provide far greater accessibility through the provision of blended and online delivery models and credit based frameworks.

Further increased reach is anticipated in those areas of regional or national strategic importance to the college including Agri-Food & Environment, Horticulture, Viticulture & Oenology and Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

OUR CULTURE

This is underpinned by our college values which we will ensure are embedded in our daily practices:

Professional

Ambitious Passionate Supportive Progressive Enterprising

Implicit within our strategy is our recognition of the importance of looking after our staff and students’ mental health, wellbeing and safety.

We also value every student and member of staff as an equal and important part of our college community and want everyone to be able to reach their potential whilst here.

This means creating a learning and working environment where everyone is heard, included, treated with respect and valued for what they bring.

A diverse and vibrant community in which staff and students embody our values, have a strong sense of belonging & flourish.

We recognise that our curriculum across all subject areas, levels and study types needs to be continuously reviewed and informed by the future needs of all industries we serve. Our curriculum plans set out how we will meet these needs and ensure that students aren’t just receiving a qualification but a rounded set of skills, knowledge and behaviours to enable them to be highly employable and successful in their future careers.

At the heart of our continual review of the curriculum is a commitment to ensure that clear progression pathways are in place and promoted internally and externally to existing and prospective students, which helps to raise ambition and awareness of long-term career opportunities.

Our curriculum will therefore ensure we meet need at a local, regional and national level. We will respond to the Local Skills Improvement Plan in doing so, as we will the other priorities of the Skills and Post 16 Education Act to ensure courses are innovatively delivered to support lifelong learning.

In response to the identified need, we will develop three-year curriculum plans, focusing on higher technical levels and starting with our T Level offer and suite of new Degree programmes in 2023/24.

Inspiring and equipping our students with the skills, knowledge and attributes which meet the future needs of industry.

OUR PARTNERS

We recognise the pivotal role that we have to play in utilising our Centres of Excellence and networks to bring employers and students together to lead and facilitate the sharing of best practice and the exchange of ideas, knowledge and innovations.

This will ensure that our students are well placed to inform business improvement and change when they leave the college, and that we increasingly influence the long-term professional development of staff working within the industries we support.

Nurturing and collaborative relationships with our local community and employers which enhances both the experience of our students and the professional development of the workplace.

OUR PEOPLE

We recognise the importance of recruiting and developing our own professional staff body, equipped with the skills and knowledge to enable us to fulfil our core purpose and longer-term vision.

We will be creative in exploring and developing practices which create time and space for staff to reflect, learn and grow within the organisation and will continue to adopt consultative and collaborative approaches to doing so.

Attracting, developing and retaining a highly skilled, ambitious team of staff empowered to deliver our core purpose.

We recognise the value and importance of enhancing the environment and are therefore committed to adopting our own best practices in the environmental management and conservation of the college’s estate. Through our modelling and showcasing of those practices to our students and our employer and community partners, we will play a leading role in informing positive change across a wider footprint.

We remain committed to ensuring all of our students have access to a safe and professional environment with industry standard facilities and will continue to invest in our resources and the long-term development of our campuses.

A transformational role in the environmental sustainability of land-based industries, showcasing best practice and integrating the highest standards of sustainability into our curriculum.