Draft Strategic Plan 2018/19

A Consultation Document on our

DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN 2018/ 19

A message from our Principal

Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

Inspiring Achievement, Driving Ambition Reaseheath College is recognised as one of the best specialist technical institutions in land-based and associated sectors in the country.

Our ambition to deliver our mission, “to inspire achievement by delivering outstanding education and skills” drives our thinking and activity at all times and is captured in this Strategic Plan.

This document outlines the strategy that underpins the work of the college. The three-year aims are supported by annual objectives that are updated each year. The currency and appropriateness of the Mission, Vision, Values and three-year aims are tested annually through consulting with staff, students, governors and our stakeholders.

Our plan focuses on our customers; students, employers, industry, local communities, the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Local Authorities and our Government Departments: the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Reaseheath College recruits around 60% of its Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) students from outside Cheshire and Warrington. The strategic plan has to therefore reflect the needs of our prospective students and the industries we serve from across the UK and beyond, as well as meeting the needs of our local employers and communities.

DART Training, with their main centre based in Derbyshire, is also an important member of the Reaseheath Group. This creates a fantastic opportunity for Reaseheath and DART to work together and optimise our benefit to the employers and industries we work with. This has also enabled us to deliver to more employers and enhance the apprenticeship programme as well as grow our higher level apprenticeship offer.

Linked to this, and in support of the LEP plan and the Government’s Industrial and Agri-Tech strategies, the College is delivering a capital investment plan of c£30 million. This will provide outstanding technical training and education facilities for our Further and Higher Education students, staff and the industries we serve. This includes LEP supported investment in AgriTechnology, Construction Plant, Sports Science, Higher Education and Business as well as residential facilities for national training programmes. This exciting plan is now well underway.

Our Strategic Alliance with the University of Chester is opening numerous new opportunities for both institutions. This is removing any perceived barriers to progression to higher education, with the aim of making this a seamless offer and transition.

The development T levels and Higher and Degree Apprenticeships as well as ensuring our offer meets the needs of the locality, particularly with the announced withdrawal of MMU from Crewe, is a priority.

Our strategic plan, delivered by our fantastic team of people, supported by our partners and stakeholders, will enable us to achieve our ambition of delivering outstanding education and skills to all our students.

Meredydd David Principal Reaseheath College

recognised as one of

best colleges of its kind in the UK the

Reaseheath ranks in the top 10 of all

colleges in the UK

for achievement on Technical Certificates and Level 2 vocational qualifications

Reaseheath is in the top 25% of specialist colleges for maths

achievement

96% of

our learners progressed into a positive

destination

Reaseheath ranks in the top 10% of all colleges in the UK for achievement on level 3 vocational qualifications Invested

£80million in facilities

over last 8 years

Reaseheath Group is now the largest

The college recognises the important role it plays in supporting and meeting the needs of its local communities and employers. This high level summary of our strategic plan identifies the significant role the LEP now plays in accelerating growth in our local economy, and we will strive to play our part in enabling the Cheshire and Warrington LEP to deliver its Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

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Reaseheath is

provider of

Land-Based and associated apprenticeships in the UK with over 1,500 apprentices in learning 3 www.reaseheath.ac.uk

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Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

Mission

Mission To inspire achievement by delivering outstanding education and skills.

Vision

Vision Three Year Strategic Aims

V A L U E S

We will: • Achieve excellence through fully releasing the potential of our students and colleagues

Annual Strategic Objectives

Annual Critical Functional Area Objectives

• Deliver inspirational teaching and learning and student experience in Further and Higher education

• Make Reaseheath the preferred

Values - PRIDE People: We are passionate about our learners, staff and customers and place them at the heart of all we do by supporting, developing, empowering, encouraging, respecting and valuing their contributions

Responsibility:

We encourage individuals to be responsible and accountable for their actions and decisions, and we promote community cohesion and environmental sustainability through our behaviour

Integrity:

place to work and study with superb facilities, resources and support for colleagues and students

We believe in honesty, integrity and the highest ethical standards in everything we do

For planning purposes, the activities of the College are outlined in four business critical functions:

• Lead and develop partnerships with

We recognise, respect, promote and celebrate diversity

• Learning and Skills

• Be the college, training provider and

Development

industry and our communities that make a positive difference employer of choice

• Quality Assurance and

Diversity:

Excellence:

We challenge ourselves to strive for the highest standards of quality and behaviour by adopting a supportive self critical approach in our pursuit of excellence

Improvement

• Human Resources and

Organisational Development

• Finance and Resources

Area Plans

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Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

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Strategic Aims

Objective 3 English and Maths:

1. Deliver excellent Apprenticeships and Further and Higher Education that meets employers’ skills needs and fulfils students’ expectations

Create a positive culture of maths and English skills development across college to enable students to achieve their career progression goals.

2. Provide outstanding resources and facilities for all staff and students

Objective 4 Higher Education:

3. Inspire Apprentices and Further and Higher Education students to achieve their full potential by delivering excellent teaching, learning, care and support 4. Develop and support our people to reach their full potential and make the College the employer of choice

Strategic Objectives 2017/18 Objective 1 Employer Engagement and Employability:

Enhance our skills based, research informed Higher Education provision to ensure our graduates are employable, enterprising and entrepreneurial.

Objective 5 Quality – Teaching, Learning, Support and Assessment: Maximise opportunities for our Further Education learners and staff to achieve their full potential by providing excellent learning, support and resources.

Objective 6 People and Culture: Empower staff to deliver an outstanding customer experience by enhancing the skills and wellbeing of

Objective 1:

Employer Engagement and Employability: What success looks like:

Create a business to business model that demonstrates a holistic, interdependent offer to raise industry levels of engagement and improve employability of all students.

• I ncrease in companies accessing a range of

Key areas to take forward:

•• Each learner will have challenging individual

1. Create a business to business strategy to include infrastructure, resource base, communication, marketing and criteria for success 2. Review and enhance work placement experience at all levels

• Creation of a orporate website to engage with industry

delivery

objectives set for their work experience that will be evaluated for impact on their skills development

• Evidence of Employer Academies supporting delivery and assessment

• CRM solution identified and in operation

3. Review and increase industry support in curriculum design and delivery through the establishment of employer academies 4. Establish an effective CRM to drive and support effective industry engagement

staff and improving interaction between teams.

Create a Business to Business model that demonstrates a holistic, interdependent offer to raise industry levels of engagement and improve employability of all students.

Objective 2 Apprenticeships: Lead the development and delivery of high quality apprenticeships at levels two to seven to support the skills strategies of our industries

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Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

Strategic Development Plan 2018-19 Objective: 2

Objective: 3

Apprenticeships:

Maths and English

Lead the development and delivery of high quality apprenticeships at levels two to seven to support the skills strategies of our industries

Key areas to take forwards:

What success looks like: • Demonstrable growth in the number of SME and Levy paying employers that we work with

• Apprenticeship Performance data (including QAR and Performance Measures) that is consistently above sector averages

1. Transform our apprenticeship delivery models to attract and sustain industry partnerships

• 80% of the workforce consistently demonstrating

2. Partner with industry to create a flexible and responsive offer that meets industry needs

• High levels of employer and apprentice satisfaction,

3. Develop a college-wide team of skilled technical specialists to support the delivery of high quality apprenticeships

strong or outstanding teaching and learning scoring a minimum of 90%.

Create a positive culture of maths and English skills development across college to enable students to achieve their career progression goals.

Key areas to take forward: 1. Empower all staff across the college to promote the value of literacy and numeracy skills development 2. Create a whole college environment where all students are motivated to progress literacy and numeracy skills to support their confidence and career goals

What success looks like?

• GCSE and Functional Skills QAR data,

including 9-4 GCSE achievement, at above sector average.

• DfE Progress Measure at above sector average for maths and English.

• All relevant staff supported to achieve level 2 in both maths and English.

• All new staff willing to work towards these qualifications if they do not already have them.

3. Deliver a curriculum model that maximises progress and attainment

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Objective 4

Objective 5

Quality of Higher Education (HE)

Quality of Further Education (FE)

Enhance our skills based, research informed Higher Education provision to ensure our graduates are employable, enterprising and entrepreneurial.

• Overall satisfaction with ‘Course Organisation

Key areas to take forward:

• Increase in the number of staff engaged in

1. Create an outstanding Higher Education experience that delivers positive outcomes for all our students

• Proactively improve the college’s engagement

2. Enhance our research and knowledge transfer and exchange activity to enrich the curriculum 3. Improve our collection, analysis and utilisation of data to enhance the student experience

What success looks like: • Create and deploy an employability strategy

that assists graduates to find employment, evidenced through destination of HE Graduate Outcome Survey

• Improve student satisfaction, NSS overall

score improved to 80% and moving towards national bench mark 84%

and Management’ improved to national benchmark (75%)

• Continuation data improved to 88% (12% noncontinuation rate)

scholarly activity from x in 2017/18

with applied research and knowledge transfer

• Review of HE data to specifically drive the

development of a HE self-service dashboard

• MIS to organise a collection of reports that

enables improved tracking of disadvantaged students from FE to HE and through to graduate employment

• Digital solutions are found to improve and support blended learning.

Maximise opportunities for our Further Education learners and staff to achieve their full potential by providing excellent learning, support and resources.

Key areas to take forward: 1. Enable the Reaseheath Team to deliver the highest quality learning experience by prioritising staff development and support 2. Deliver outstanding teaching, learning, support and assessment that meets the needs of learners, industry and government strategies

What success looks like: • Improve accessibility, experience and impact of CPD for FE Curriculum staff FE Performance data (QAR and Performance Measures) that is consistently above sector average and evidence of learners making good progress against their starting points

• 80% of the work force consistency demonstrating strong or outstanding teaching and learning (30% outstanding)

• High levels of student satisfaction in their learning experience >8.5 pulse score

3. Develop our tracking methodologies in order to enhance learner progress and enable learners to manage and track their own progress

• CRM system is purchased and developed to assist in the management of HE work placements

• Staff wellbeing ensure timetabling takes account of new HE staffing remission

• Overall satisfaction with ‘teaching on my

course’ improved to national benchmark (85%)

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Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

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Financial Key Performance Indicators

Objective 6

People and Culture Empower staff to deliver an outstanding customer experience by enhancing the skills and wellbeing of staff and improving interaction between teams.

Key areas to take forward: 1. Review current working practices across the college to remove waste and duplication to create capacity for staff to develop and support the changing needs of the organisation.

2. Develop and promote a health, wellbeing and valuing strategy for staff and students.

3. Improve collaborative working in line with our PRIDE values to support enhanced internal and external customer service.

What success looks like: • Engaged and flexible workforce, able to

respond to the changing needs of the organisation measured through leaner ways of working, improved retention through a 2% reduction in staff turnover and short term sickness

• Staff engagement in wellbeing initiatives

Governors have set financial objectives that ensure the college is able to effectively fund the delivery of its six annual objectives. In addition to meeting the financial objectives it allows the continued investment in specialist recourses necessary to deliver the range of curriculum up to level 6 and beyond.

resulting in a positive and motivated workforce measured through targeted temperature check surveys

1. Maintain a minimum of good in respect of the funding bodies Financial Health 2. Meet the bank covenants (this ensures the following financial objectives are monitored) 3. College surplus to be a min. of 1-3% 4. Current ratio to be a min. of 1.25:1 5. Maintain min. 25 cash days (to include any debt available for immediate drawdown) 6. Deliver a min. cash inflow of £2million

• Creation of a seamless customer experience leading to improvements felt by staff and students measured through increased positive responses in NSS, Pulse, FE Choices and staff surveys

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Supporting Industry and Our Sectors

Strategic Development Plan 2018-19

This section sets the context for everything we do at Reaseheath College and the University Centre Reaseheath. Our Strategic Development Plan takes its shape from the national drivers from Government, including the Post 16 education and training institutions area reviews, Cheshire and Warrington Devolution Proposal, the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, the formation of the Office for Students and the local drivers from the communities we serve. There is also a third dimension which is a key determinant of our direction of travel for the Reaseheath Strategic Development Plan. This the sub regional economy of Cheshire and Warrington driven by the LEP Strategic and Economic Plan revised and updated in 2017, and the LEP Skills Strategy .

With a population approaching 920,000, Cheshire and Warrington is extremely diverse. It boasts the ninth largest economy in the UK and the best performing LEP region outside of the south east of England delivering some £27 billion GVA, with 438,000 work based employees and a further target of £50 billion GVA by 2040. The Cheshire and Warrington Devolution Proposal includes creating 112,000 new jobs and 139,000 new homes.

This will increase the current workforce by 25%.

Adult unemployment is below the national average. Whilst the figures for joblessness amongst the young might be relatively low compared to the rest of the UK, they present a major challenge both for the Local Enterprise Partnership (Lep) and for Reaseheath, and we will engage with the agenda using our varied resources to stimulate and inspire.

The demographics of Cheshire and Warrington largely mirror the national pattern in that the size of nearly all age groups under 45 are predicted to fall, whereas the population of over 65s are projected to rise in the period 2005 - 2021 by 38%; both of these have been taken fully into account in the formulation of the College’s Strategic Development Plan.

The college’s curriculum offer includes full and part-time, as well as specialist short course provision, aimed at re-skilling and upskilling as well as providing opportunities for ‘career changers’.

increased competition between employers for staff. The college recognises and supports the LEP’s ambition to develop an “Institute of Technology” that will strategically steer investment both capital and revenue towards priority and shortage areas and towards reskilling and upskills the existing workforce.

It will also require the development of new programmes of learning that attract and inspire young people and adults, and prepare them for employment in areas where there are employment opportunities and skills gaps.

These new programmes must meet the needs of employers and also successfully progress young people into employment or Higher Education.

Our strategic plan also recognises the increased focus on apprenticeships, including higher level/ degree apprenticeships, trailblazers and part-time Higher Education. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy has transformed the expectations of levy paying employers who are engaging actively with providers and rightly demanding high quality provision.

The ageing population, and in particular the ageing workforce, presents a very different challenge. A replacement demand of 230,000 jobs by 2025. Across the land-based and related industries we serve, the age profile is heavily skewed at the upper end of the age range. As an example, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) predicts that at least 137,000 new recruits will be needed in the industry over the coming decade in order to replace those skills lost to retirement.

Cheshire and Warrington benefits from having its own LEP co-terminus with the sub national economy. The LEP has refreshed its Strategic Economic Plan in 2017 which sets the scene for its operations over the next three years.

The LEP Board is committed to maintaining competitive advantage and ensuring they create the best possible environment for business investment and growth to deliver a GVA per head of population of 120% of the UK average.

The falling demographics for young people and the likely impact of Brexit on labour supply means

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Supporting Industry and Our Sectors Five priorities have been set within the LEP Strategic Economic Plan and Reaseheath will engage and contribute to their successful delivery: Transport Developing a strategy setting out the priority transport investments at local and strategic level which is required to support the needs of a £59 billion economy. This will include improvements and additions to the roads and rail networks and better, more coordinated public transport systems.

Skills and Education Setting out plans for working with businesses and skills providers to make sure that the regions workforce has the skills needed to remain productive and are connected to opportunities. This includes encouraging employers to work with young people to inspire them about career opportunities so that they understand what skills and education they need.

Energy Provide a roadmap that capitalises on the areas strengths in the energy sector, address the challenge of transitioning successfully to a low carbon economy and putting Cheshire and Warrington at the forefront of the efforts to deliver affordable energy and clean growth as identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper.

Quality of Place To ensure that our strengths in terms of quality of place – including high quality public services are used to attract and retain inward investment, skilled workers and visitors that we need to grow our economy whilst maintaining and enhancing the areas built and natural environment.

Supporting Industry and Our Sectors These are delivered through four strategic intervention priorities: 1. The Mersey Dee Economic Axis 2. Cheshire Science Corridor 3. Constellation Partnership 4. Energy Cluster Reaseheath plans to play its part in helping the LEP deliver its vision through: •• Continuing to support the growth of Cheshire and Warrington businesses through our Further and Higher Education offer, including higher level and degree apprenticeships and by developing and delivering programmes that meet employers’ needs •• Increase investment in specialist facilities and resources, including staff, in order to meet the demand for skilled technicians and engineers needed in the local economy (Crewe, High Growth City), and also in Agri-Tech in support of Agriculture and Food Production and environmental management which has been recognised by Government as one of the 8 great industry sectors in the UK, and is included in the LEP strategic investment plan and cross referenced frequently in the Industrial Strategy

•• Working in partnership with the LEP, to raise awareness and respond to issues affecting the economy which may impede either business growth/the development of skills or both •• The development of The National Centre for Horticulture, the Environment and Sustainable Technologies, and also our Advanced Engineering Centre, both of which have full industry support and involvement, with capital support from BEIS and the LEP. •• These investments will support skills demands needed for Crewe High Growth City, the Cheshire and Warrington Devolution Proposal, and the Constellation Partnership which are leading on the HS2 developments, as well as the Cheshire Science Corridor where Reaseheath plays a major part in Food Technology, Manufacturing and Innovation

•• Working with the Cheshire and Warrington Employer Skills Board and Cheshire East Council’s Skills and Growth company to support the achievement of all targets, including those set for 2020, and to develop the ‘Reaseheath’ offer to promote the excellence of Cheshire and support the agriculture, food, engineering and manufacturing and construction sectors across the UK and overseas As a specialist land-based College, Reaseheath also plays to a national and international agenda.

We will continue to keep our offer under review in order to ensure that Reaseheath, is delivering what students and employers want both for now and for the future. We will ensure this is aligned to the LEP strategic economic plan.

•• Actively support employers to take on apprentices and in helping to reduce the number of NEETs (young people Not in Education, Employment or Training) locally through the delivery of traineeships and other targeted programmes, •• Engaging with the European Structural and Investment Funding order to deliver targeted training and business support to sub-regional businesses including CPD that will re-skill and upskill the existing workforce.

Science and Innovation Setting out how we work with local businesses, FE and HE providers, Innovate UK and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to capitalise on our science and innovation assets and strengths, especially in the Cheshire Science Corridor.

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Supporting Industry and Our Sectors Further Education and Apprenticeships During 2017/2018 we have seen some of the biggest policy changes to impact the FE landscape since the incorporation of colleges in 1992. Vocational education has been in the spotlight through the implementation of the Apprenticeship Levy and, following the Lord Sainsbury’s review of technical education, the newly formed Technical and Further Education Act (2017).

The Apprenticeship Levy came into effect in April 2017 and charges employers with a wage bill over £3 million at a rate of 0.5% of pay bill to fund apprenticeship training. The funding for non-levy paying employers has also been adjusted and employers will contribute 10% of the cost of training with government contributing 90% (up to the top of the funding band). Subjects identified as STEM have been allocated higher funding band rates and landbased subjects are significantly lower.

The Technical and Further Education Act (2017) is aimed at supporting the Government’s drive for world-class technical education and sets the direction of travel for a demand led skills agenda. The implementation of the Post-16 Skills Plan recommendations and new 15 occupational pathways with technical qualifications in each pathway, now referred to as “T-levels”, are significant changes that the act will enshrine in law. In addition, FE providers now have the right to go into schools to promote vocational courses and Ofsted have a duty to report on careers advice and guidance.

Supporting Industry and Our Sectors •• Apprenticeships (16-18, 18-24, Advanced/ Higher/ Degree levels and priority sectors) •• Skills support for the low skilled (entitlements) •• Supporting the unemployed to acquire skills for employment and progression •• Driving up quality and standards; identifying and tackling poor quality provision •• Increasing crucial employer ownership and engagement •• Supporting industry with the successful implementation of the Apprenticeship Levey The college recognises that improving access and driving up demand from individuals and employers is vital; particularly to support growth for 16-24s at Advanced, Higher and Degree levels and in priority sectors. This must be underpinned by improved information and communication about apprenticeships, particularly to schools, individuals and parents, and through successful operation of apprenticeship vacancies.

Specific developments include: •• Apprenticeship Standards in Butchery, Landbased Technology, Construction Plant, and Vehicle Parts •• Supporting the successful communication of Advanced Learning Loans •• 3 core elements of work preparation; High Quality Work Placement: English and maths •• Our Technical Baccalaureate courses to offer a vocational programme equivalent to 4.5 A levels

Students under 19 are the responsibility of the Education Skills Funding Agency, part of the Department for Education. It too has been busy contributing to the development of the strategy to maximise the participation of 16-24 year olds in Education, Training and Work through joint working across Government.

This joint working culminated in the document “Building Engagement, Building Futures”.

The Government’s objectives for Education are: 1. Safety and wellbeing: all children and young people are protected from harm and vulnerable children are supported to succeed with opportunities as good as those for any other child 2 . Educational excellence everywhere: every child and young person can access highquality provision, achieving to the best of his or her ability regardless of location, prior attainment and background 3. Prepared for adult life: all 19-year-olds complete school or college with the skills and character to contribute to the UK’s society and economy and are able to access highquality work or study options (DfE Single Department Plan 2015-2020) The Reaseheath College Strategic Aims and Strategic Objectives reflect the totality of the government drivers and demonstrate Reaseheath’s commitment to educational excellent and making a difference to all.

The introduction of Programmes of Learning for 16-18 Further Education Programmes has enabled Reaseheath to further ensure its programmes develop inspired, competent, employable, lifelong learners. We will ensure young people are gaining skills which will lead to progression into jobs or further learning. In particular we will ensure that those who have not secured a good pass in English or Maths at GCSE continue to study these subjects at GCSE level where appropriate.

The Government has set out its plan to redefine apprenticeships to build on their success and make them among the best in the world. It will also raise standards, overhaul qualifications, assessment and delivery, and place apprenticeships firmly in the hands of employers. Employers from car manufacturers to accountancy are directly designing the apprenticeships that suit their business working with training providers to give apprentices the skills they need to do the job, in the office or on the factory floor.

The Government’s plans include: •• Employers putting recognised and meaningful industry standards at the heart of every apprenticeship. This will help employers who say apprenticeships are not sufficiently tailored to their needs, or relevant to their sector, acting as the biggest barrier to hiring an apprentice

•• New veterinary courses up to Degree level to meet demand •• Investigation into the post-Brexit requirements of the land-based industry

The focus at Reaseheath, including DART Training, is on:

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Supporting Industry and Our Sectors

Supporting Industry and Our Sectors

•• Every apprenticeship should be targeted at a skilled job, involving substantial new learning that will provide the foundations for a career and a springboard for progression.

•• functional skills in English and Maths, if they have not already got this

Higher Education

•• Funding changes for apprenticeships are being introduced with these involving the employer

•• Training and accreditation of existing workers who are already fully competent in their jobs should be delivered separately

•• Apprenticeships at level 4 and 5 have already been developed and delivered at Reaseheath particularly in the Food and Drink Sector.

The Higher Education (HE) sector is currently undergoing considerable change. The government passed the Higher Education and Research Act in 2017 and this has resulted in the creation of the Office for Students (OfS) as the new regulatory body for the HE sector. The Government believes these changes and the addition of the Teaching Excellence Framework will create greater choice, dynamism and competition in the HE sector and promote social mobility by allowing prospective students to compare institutions and programmes and enabling them to make informed decisions regarding the investment in their education.

Apprenticeships should be focused on the outcome; clearly setting out what Apprentices should know and be able to do at the end of their Apprenticeship •• Apprenticeships will move to a final holistic independent test which has the full confidence of employers

•• We will remain totally committed to shaping our offer in order to maximise the contribution Reaseheath can make to the realisation of local and national strategic objectives for Learning and Skills, NEETs and the unemployed and contribute to the delivery of the LEP Skills and Employment Strategy.

•• All Apprentices will work towards a Level 2 qualification either through GCSEs or

To respond to the new regulatory changes and a new quality framework, the college has refocused its HE provision, looking at key areas such as graduate characteristics, knowledge transfer, research, widening participation, student continuation and progression and student satisfaction.

programmes that meet the needs of employers and ensure graduate employability. The HE curriculum is mapped to the identified skills needs of the region and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) priorities. All HE programmes are developed in partnership with employers.

To meet employer needs and government policy, the college intends to broaden its provision with the expansion of higher level and degree apprenticeships.

The college federated with the University of Chester in September 2016 and now has University Centre status. Working in closer partnership with the university, it is anticipated that there will be increased opportunity for collaborative working. The partnership will secure progression routes for young people in the region from Level 1- Level to level 7

For Reaseheath these changes have presented new challenges: increased data reporting, and government returns and increased competition for students in a time when the local demographic is still showing a declining profile. Despite these challenges the college has bucked national trends and has continued to recruit strongly. It has also invested in the resources to support HE students, including an extension to the HE centre, HE student accommodation, and library and learning resources.

Reaseheath is a specialist land based provider; the HE curriculum has stayed true to this mission, ensuring a unique offer, delivering Science Technology Engineering Maths (STEM) based higher-level skills and vocational training.

A high quality HE experience, exceptional student support and continued growth in our Higher Education offer have all been achieved against the backdrop of the challenges described.

The college continues to focus on delivering undergraduate and higher-level skills-based

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Supporting Industry and Our Sectors

Supporting Industry and Our Sectors

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External Influences: National, Regional and Local

External Influences: National, Regional and Local The Local Enterprise Partnership for Cheshire and Warrington The Cheshire and Warrington LEP has already singled out the college as being a key driver for activity in the sub-region. The LEP area has been successful in attracting ÂŁ135million from the Regional Growth Fund to stimulate job creation. Reaseheath works closely with the LEP through the Principal, Meredydd David, being a LEP Board Member contributing to on Skills and Employment as well as Chairing the Rural Strategy.

Both the LEP and Reaseheath share the aspiration to play an active role in reducing youth unemployment. Reaseheath already manages a vibrant apprenticeship programme.

Reaseheath is viewed as the leading partner for agri-tech and food with the region and as far as dairy production and processing is concerned, covering the whole of the UK. The college works closely with Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester in ensuring rural strategies and European investment are well thought through and provide value for money through leading the LEP rural strategy board.

The four intervention priorities identified by the LEP are Atlantic Gateway; Cheshire Science Corridor; Constellation Partnership and the Energy Cluster. Underpinning priorities include agri-tech and food and manufacturing and the environment.

We will ensure our strategies and operational plans are fully aligned to the strategic aims of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and remain committed to assisting the LEP in its bid to grow GVA through working with other partners such as JobCentre Plus and the three local authorities.

The college also works closely with both the LEP and Marketing Cheshire in promoting Cheshire and Warrington as a great place to live and do business.

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External Influences: National, Regional and Local The Local Authorities The college is viewed as the lead in all things rural for the LEP sub-region and funds and facilitates the LEP Rural Strategy Board chaired by the Principal. In support of the Agri-Tech West Strategies, Reaseheath also collaborates with the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP and the Marches LEP and is a founding member of Agri-tech West.

While the college falls within Cheshire East, it has strong links with both Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington.

Since Local Government reorganisation, the college has worked closely with Cheshire East in particular on the 14-19 Education Agenda.

Currently, some 200 14-16 year old pupils from 34 schools across Cheshire attend the college one day a week on a range of programmes.

External Influences: National, Regional and Local Outside of the Education sphere, the college works in partnership with both Local Authorities on the rural agenda, and in Nantwich, Reaseheath is represented on the management Ggroup of the Local Area Partnership (LAP) and on their business and tourism group on the Cheshire West Rural Regeneration Board and on the LEP. We will continue our dialogue with Local Authorities around how best to work together to deliver an outstanding vocational education experience which brings together the important elements of the Core Curriculum together with practical hands-on learning and experience of work for 14-16 year olds. We will continue to lobby and support for the interest of rural communities in Cheshire and remain committed to raising the expectations of our local communities around Nantwich.

The college works closely and strategically with the Cheshire East Skills and Growth Company.

The college is also represented on the 14-19 Strategic Partnership Group for Cheshire West and Chester.

The college will continue to work in close partnership with our two Local Authorities to deliver an exceptional vocational education for young people aged 14-16.This includes working with Cheshire East’s Skills and Growth Company on a range of projects.

Reaseheath is committed to working collaboratively with schools and industry partners to create an alternative offer post-14 which will better prepare young people for the world of work.

Land-based Industries

Fig 1. Where % of workers are located in England

This section highlights important Labour Market Information (LMI) from the specialist industries and sectors we serve. This information is a critical aspect of strategy development. We have focused on the following college specialisms: •• Land-based and environment •• Land management and environment •• Animal health and welfare

North West - 12%

Rest of England - 88%

•• Environmental Industries •• Food and drink •• Leisure and tourism

qualifications from Level 1 to degree to offer progression routes and CPD for those in industry, as well as Level 4 skills programmes.

The rural economy contributions deliver 28% of national GVA; made up of mainly micro and small non-traditional entrepreneurial businesses, they contributed over £210 billion to the UK economy in the UK in 2013. In 2015, GVA from rural areas contributed 16.5% of England’s GVA, worth £237 billion.

We will at all times ensure that our core programmes, together with additional skills qualifications, provide our students with the mix of vocational and employability skills which will guarantee their future employment in the industry in line with the new programmes of learning.

The environmental and land-based industry, including environmental and land-based jobs in other sectors, employs over 1.3 million people in more than 230,000 businesses across the UK. A total of 3.8 million people are employed in the agriculture and fishing supply chains. The agri-food sector contributes £103 billion to the economy; 6.9% of national GVA, this accounts for 3.8m jobs, over 12% of the British workforce (see fig 1).

DEFRA’s ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit’ paper presents a number of significant opportunities that Reaseheath intends to take advantage of.

•• Engineering

All departments within Reaseheath College Agriculture, Animal Management, Countryside, Equine, Land Based Engineering, Horticulture and Floristry support the environmental and land-based industries.

Equine and related industries has an economic value of £4.3 billion, up from £3.8 billion in 2014, which makes it a significant contributor in economic terms to the UK. We will commit to supporting the land based industries as they plan their resource requirements by ensuring that the programmes we offer will deliver the skills they need for the future.

Both the knowledge and technology transfer activity we undertake in the Reaseheath Agricultural Development Academy (RADA), will continue to deliver a comprehensive range of

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External Influences: National, Regional and Local

External Influences: National, Regional and Local

Like many others, this industry needs to change in reaction to a number of key drivers:

grows, and 447,000 to replace those leaving the sector through retirement. (Lantra 2014).

•• Economic conditions - impact of recession, Brexit, changing consumer demand, urban/ rural regeneration, and sustainability/ globalisation of markets

In the land-based and environmental sector 54% of staff are 45 years old or over, with the average age of farmers in Britain being 58. It is estimated that the agriculture industry will require an additional 60,000 new entrants over the next 10 years to replace those retiring, and that each year 1,000 of those entrants will be required to enter salaried management roles within farming. of well trained technicians and managers in particular.

•• Greater need for professional and technical skills •• Labour supply - skilled new entrants, succession planning, ageing workforce, career progression and influencing migration policy changing consumer demand, urban/rural regeneration, and sustainability/globalisation of markets •• Climate change - reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, adaption to longer term climate change and influencing migration policy •• Energy and fuel security - cost of fuel and energy, use of waste as a resource, e.g. anaerobic digestion, and sector as a supplier of bio-fuel/bio-mass •• Food safety and security - government food 2030 strategy - security and continuity of supply, food information for consumers and trend, quality and traceability, markets and supply chains and new land management approaches. Britain is now only 60% selfsufficient in food production •• Animal health and welfare - higher standards and animal transportation legislation •• Health and safety - legislation and safer working environments

Skills gaps continue to exist in: •• Technical skills e.g. animal handling and care; disease identification and control; •• implementation of new technology including genetic engineering •• Critical Thinking skills •• Leadership/management skills (e.g. succession planning; entrepreneurial skills) •• Essential skills (i.e. literacy, numeracy and communication) It is estimated that the land-based and environmental sector as a whole will require 148,000 more people by 2020 as the industry

With Brexit pending, the UK needs resilient and sustainable agricultural and horticultural sectors to both contribute to affordable food selfsufficiency and to expand our export base.

In 2015 the value of exports from the UK was £18 billion and the value of UK imports for the same category was £38.5 billion leaving an agri-food trade gap of £20.5 billion. For the agricultural sector there will be a new trading landscape and UK farms of all sizes will need to strive for efficiency and profitability post-Brexit.

Productivity will need to increase to meet the demands of the future, whilst simultaneously needing to reduce its environmental impact. This will require new investments in technologies, knowledge and skills to improve the future of sustainability of agriculture land use.

The GVA produced by UK agriculture in 2016 was worth an estimated £8.2 billion. This production accounted for around 0.47% of the overall value of the UK economy in 2016. A fall of 6% from 2015.

Net worth was estimated to be £261 billion at December 2016 and shows a fall of 0.8% on 2015.

In the North West, the Atlantic Gateway project will provide agri-food and drink SMEs with the opportunity to exploit Liverpool logistics linkages; centres of international trade; and nationally and internationally import sectors and firms.

Between 2015 and 2016 Total income from farming fell by 7.8% (£311 million) in real terms to £3,682 million.

The AgriSkills Forum calls for a ‘fit for purpose education system’ and stressed the need for:

The total size of the UK’s agricultural workforce in 2016 was approximately 466,200. In rural areas agriculture plays a much bigger role in providing employment, both directly (on farms) and indirectly (through supply chains).

In 2015, the agri-food sector in the United Kingdom accounted for a total estimated Gross Value Added (GVA) of £109 billion or 6.6% of national GVA, down from 6.7% in 2014.

Employment in the agri-food sector rose 0.1% between 2015 and 2016 to around 3.8 million.

This equates to 13% of all employees in Great Britain. This proportion has been broadly the same since 2001. Agriculture accounts for less than half a million employees or 11% of the agri-food sector.

“An integrated approach to credit and qualification frameworks across all levels of training and education. The learning, skills and qualifications system should support entry, progression and lifelong learning in the sector.

They need to provide pathways across the 14-19 curriculum work-based learning and further and higher education and training.”

The cost of intermediate consumption fell by 4.2%, due to lower prices and a general fall in volumes used. This led to a 6.0% (£526 million) fall in gross value added at basic price to £8.2 billion.

The pound weakened against the euro in 2016 and subsequently increased the value of direct payments to UK farmers with the net value of support payments paid under the Basic Payment Scheme 18% higher in 2016 than 2015.

As the nature of land-based businesses continues to evolve and the pressure to drive sustainable and environmentally friendly businesses increases, there is a need to recognise and further develop the array of ecosystem services opportunities for land owners and managers, in addition to farming. These include, but are not limited to, the enhancing of biodiversity, the prevention and alleviation of flooding, the sequestering of carbon and the management of the countryside.

Land-based regional policy context - the Local Enterprise Partnerships have a significant role in developing localised economic policy, including that relation to skills during the life of this strategic plan.

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External Influences: National, Regional and Local

External Influences: National, Regional and Local

Agri-Tech Strategy

agriculture sector alone, is to be met. Agri-tech will play a key role in the government’s aim to ‘transform food production, from farm to fork’.

Agri-food industry is one of the ‘8 Great Technologies’, which will ‘propel the UK to future growth’.

Reaseheath College intends to support the delivery of the Aagri-tech and wider UK industrial strategy, ensuring that we are continually pushing scientific and technological capabilities alongside the automation revolution and future changes to manufacturing.

The UK agri-tech sector contributes £14.3 billion to the UK economy and employs 500,000 people, and is a key component of the UK ‘Industrial Strategy’.

Food Security

GVA growth is predicted to be strongest in the Engineering & precision farming, Plant and Animal, and ICT sub-sectors.

The government Chief Scientist’s foresight report was the culmination of over two year’s work, involving over 400 experts and stakeholders from around 35 different countries

As recently as February 2018 the UK government reaffirmed its commitment to agritech with the announcement of a £90 million investment in artificial intelligence, robotics and supply chain resilience. Agri-tech will also play a significant role in the Ggovernment’s Clean Growth Strategy, through research and the development of technologies that bring about waste and resource efficiency, and greenhouse gas removal.

- a truly international report. It was published in 2011.

The Foresight report identifies the most important challenges and choices for policy makers to balance the competing pressure and demands on the global food system. These include:

The continued development of, and research into, pioneering technologies such as unmanned aerial systems, precision farming techniques (already worth over £1 billion to the UK economy) and big data will help to fuel rural growth, increase high-skilled job opportunities and establish new export opportunities essential in a post-Brexit UK.

•• Balancing future demand and supply sustainability - to ensure that food supplies are affordable

Agri-tech will be at the forefront of the current technological and digital revolution, with the modern agricultural worker needing the skills of an engineer, an environmentalist, a data scientist and an energy producer so that the global move to high-efficiency agriculture is achieved.

•• Managing the contribution of the food system to mitigation of climate change

•• Ensuring that there is adequate stability in food supplies - and protecting the most vulnerable from the volatility that does occur •• Achieving global access to food and ending hunger

•• Maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services while feeding the world In the long-term, food security depends on tackling the environmental impacts on production.

Agri-tech underpins our food and drink manufacturing sector, which is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, worth £26 billion.

The entire agri-food supply chain is worth £120 billion per year, and is vital if the worldwide demand for 60% more food by 2050, and the additional 20% demand for water in the

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facilities including those designed specifically for the meat and bakery sectors to support the increasing demand for trained employees in the sector, thus supporting the sector’s 7,000 businesses.

The UK food system will face additional challenges following Brexit and will need to be more resilient to provide sufficient security.

Replacing the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy, will also be of vital importance to the sector.

Food and Drink The food and drink industry is the biggest manufacturing sector in the country larger than automotive and aerospace combined.

The food and drink manufacturing industry has a turnover of over £97.3 billion per year with a GVA of £28.8 billion accounting for 19% of the total UK GVA. The sector directly employs a workforce of over 400,000 and is predicted to need 140,000 new recruits by 2024. However, the food and drink supply chain employs almost 4 million people and generates £112 billion of value for the economy per year.

The UK’s booming agri-food sector employs approximately 4 million people, with productivity up by 11% over the past five years. The farming industry will play an even greater role in the UK’s economic prosperity as highlighted in the recent ‘A Brighter Future for Faming’ speech by the Secretary of State.

97% of the food and drink businesses are small and medium sized enterprises. In 2017 the food sector (excluding beverages) SMEs accounted for 27% of employment and 19% of turnover.

We will continue to work closely with the National Skills Academy (NSA) through our £7 million Food Centre of Excellence which supports the UK and European dairy industry in the area of training and product development and trialing.

In 2017 more than a third of the SMEs were manufacturers of bakery products, whilst meat, dairy and drinks producers are also significant.

Beverages (including soft drinks and mineral water), is the largest manufacturing group with a Gross Value Added (GVA) of £6.7 billion in 2016; contributing 23% to the total food and drink manufacturing GVA.

In addition, we will actively promote our

Consumer expenditure on food, drink and

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External Influences: National, Regional and Local

catering has continued to rise despite the economic downturn. There was a rise of 0.7% in 2016 to £203 billion.

Sales in ethical food and drink, including organic, fair-trade, free range and freedom foods rose to £10 billion in 2016, a growth of 9.7% from 2015.

The total value of food and drink exports increased in 2017 to £22 billion. The trade deficit in food, feed and drink increased in 2017 to 7.4% equating to £24.1 billion.

The value of imports is greater than the value of exports in each of the broad categories of food, feed and drink except ‘beverages’ which had a trade surplus of £1.35 billionn in 2016.

The Food and Drink Federation has set an export ambition to grow exports of branded food and non-alcoholic drink by a third reaching £6 billion by 2020.

The industry is a key partner for British farmers: buying two thirds of all the UK’s agricultural produce. All this economic activity is carried out by almost 7,000 food and drink enterprises many of which are small companies employing less than 10 people.

External Influences: National, Regional and Local

as a result of ‘labour hoarding’ and a slump in automation in the last few years. Currently the sector has the largest share of EU workers, than any other UK sector, at 30%. It would be wrong however, to consider the sector as low-skilled and low in pay. The skills mix in the sector is evenly split with 31% low skilled, 37% semiskilled and 33% skilled. The impact of Brexit, the opportunities across the full spectrum of skills and the ageing workforce (between 10.5% and 20% of the workforce is due to retire in the next 10 years), demonstrates how critical it is for the sector to have better connections with education.

The Food and Drink Federation, in collaboration with Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has launched a vision to achieve 20% growth by 2020. In order to achieve this growth it is estimated that the industry will need over 140,000 new recruits to help it meet growing demand and skills shortages in areas such as food science and engineering (a significantly difficult role to fill). It is estimated that more than 45,000 of these roles will be in managerial.

The industry has seen growth in productivity slow

positions and other professional occupations (33%). The food and drink workforce, currently includes 117,000 EU workers, which may be impacted on following Brexit.

The FDM is worth over £9.5 billion to the north west economy. The agricultural, food and drink industry provides 12% of the region’s income and employs 103,000 people, which accounts for 3.5% of regional employment and 3% of the UK’s employment.

It is estimated that in the north west 18,000 new recruits will be needed.

The industry recruits at all levels, from school leavers with few or no qualifications through to highly qualified postgraduates, 38% of those working in food manufacturing are qualified to A-Level or above, 20% to degree level.

Employers report clear skills issues at management and supervisory levels especially in operational people management and softer skills such as leadership, motivation and confidence building.

The Food and Drink Federation has pledged to triple apprenticeships within the food and drink industry by 2020. [source: Sustainable Growth in the Food and Drink Manufacturing Industry - Food and Drink Federation] We will enhance our current offer through the development of new and existing courses, responding to the demand from industry to build a strong talent pipeline; supporting the creation of HS2 and delivering high quality training for food engineers.

We will work with employers to provide their current and future workforce with the right skills they need, supporting the priorities of the Food and Drink Sector Council.

Advanced Engineering The demand for people with engineering skills is still not being met through education in the UK. It is estimated by Warwick Institute for Employment Research that the sector requires

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External Influences: National, Regional and Local

External Influences: National, Regional and Local

an annual demand of 124,000 engineers and technicians with core engineering skills across the UK.

and therefore further stimulation is required.

Currently only 1 in 3 11-16 year olds know what to do next to become an engineer.

The north west accounts for 12.8% of UK Engineering employment and 25.9% of all Engineering establishments, an increase of 2.2% over five years. It is projected that the North West will require 9.8% of the UK’s net demand for engineering occupations. Every time a new job is created in engineering 1.74 jobs are created elsewhere. Engineering employment is geographically concentrated around Fylde, Knowsley, Crewe, Nantwich, Stockport, Oldham and Preston.

Current Level 3 and Level 4 delivery in advanced engineering should be maintained in technically specific leadership and management, whilst also considering how the adoption of digital technology can be accelerated in the sector.

An ageing workforce and low recruitment of young people are issues for the engineering industry in the North West, which will mean more people are required to meet replacement demand in future years however the number of 11-91 year olds who would consider a career in engineering, has risen from 40% in 2013 to 51% at the end of 2017.

Critical roles for the sector include planners, project and programme design, project and programme management, chartered engineers, specialist scientists, site construction managers and safety specialists and digital engineering specialists.

The main drivers of skills change over the next two years were identified as rail and associated skills (HS2), construction and civil engineering (CECA). Specifically these involve: •• The introduction of new technology and equipment •• New legislative or regulatory requirements •• Development of new products and services

The sector will continue to see a demand for ‘core’ engineering roles – those that require the consistent application of engineering skills and knowledge. Engineering UK research does indicate however, that 39% of roles will require a mixed application of engineering skills and knowledge alongside other skill sets (closely related engineering occupations).

Around 9% of the workforce (17,000) currently have no qualifications, rising to 16% in the automotive sub-sector, however 41.2% of job requirements for the period of 2014 to 2024 will be in professional occupations. This highlights the need to ensure that there is an appropriate education pathway through technical and academic routes into engineering occupations.

The development of HS2 in Crewe will create regional opportunities which Reaseheath will support through the provision of high quality technical skills development.

Historical trends show the take up of engineering provision is not as high as the sector needs

•• Increased competitive pressures •• Introduction of new working practices

Land Based Engineering

•• The industry is worth £4.5 billion a year in 2015, of which UK based manufacturers contributed £2.5 billion •• There are approximately 23,000 people working in the industry in the UK in around 3,350 businesses •• The industry employs around 2% of the environmental and land based sector’s total workforce •• 80% of businesses employ less than 10 staff, 18 employ between 10-49 staff and only 1.6% employ 50 or more staff •• 80% of the workforce is full time •• Skills requirements and Sshortages •• The current and future skills that will become

increasingly important include: •• Business and management skills (e.g. planning and organising, financial accounting) •• Technical job specific skills •• Essential skills (e.g. literacy, numeracy, communication and digital literacy) •• Specialist technical skills are the most required by employers

Leisure and Tourism We will continue to diversify our sports and leisure offer to encompass not only adventure sports but also sports science, public services, rugby, personal fitness other sporting areas.

In addition, we will promote the use of our facilities on the Reaseheath campus, including high ropes and low ropes courses, which are ideally suited for team and personal development. Our recent investment in a new state of the art sports facility will provide further opportunities for the college to support the government’s health and wellbeing agenda in tacking inactivity, elite performance testing and community sports participation. Outdoor exercise is thought to deliver and estimated £2.2 billion of health benefits to adults in England each year.

Reaseheath College offers a number of qualifications in adventure sports, sports performance, personal fitness and public services. The North West has the strongest regional concentration with 19% of learners (39,700), and it accounts for 18% of all funding in this sector in England in Further Education (FE) studying sport and active leisure related courses.

Latest figures from Sport England’s Active Lives Survey show that there has been a significant increase in people undertaking High Intensity Interval Training (HITT) classes, and adventure sports has demonstrated a boost in popularity, with 337,000 more people taking part in activities such as hill and mountain walking, rock climbing and high ropes.

More than a half a million extra people are playing sport regularly since 2010, and there have been gains in traditionally underrepresented groups such as women, disabled people and people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.

The contribution of sport to the economy has grown to £39 billion annually, with over 600,000 people employed in the sector.

The government published, in December 2015, its Sporting Future Strategy and has recently published its second annual report in January 2018. In this strategy they will be redefining what success looks like in sport by concentrating on five key outcomes: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community development and economic development. From this they will be expanding Sport England’s remit.

Sport England has created a five year £250 million strategy – Towards an Active Nation – which will help deliver against the five health, social and economic outcomes.

Key features of the new strategy are: •• Dedicated funding to get children and young people active from the age of five, including a new fund for family based activities and offering training to at least two teachers in every secondary school in England to help them better meet the needs of all children, irrespective of their level of sporting ability •• Working with the sport sector to put customers at the heart of everything they do, and using the principles of behaviour change to inform their work •• Piloting new ways of working locally by investing in up to 10 places in England – a mix of urban and rural areas •• Investing up to £30 million in a new volunteering strategy, enabling more people to get the benefits of volunteering and attracting a new, more diverse range of volunteers •• Helping sport keep pace with the digital expectations of customers – such as wearable

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technology •• Working closely with governing bodies of sport and others who support people who already play regularly, to help them become more efficient, sustainable and diversify their sources of funding.

•• The sector as a whole had an estimated UK gross value added (GVA) output of £20.3 billion in 2010. per annum it is estimate that the economic value of sport in terms of health generates an additional £11.2 billion. Across England, the industry as a whole employs over 674,000 people in paid employment; this is equal to 2% of the total UK employment.

There is considerable confidence in the growth of the sector - at present a projected 2.5% growth annually. The growth is being driven by a number of factors including the government’s drive to improve the health of the nation and an ageing population with more leisure time.

This confidence in growth of the sector will lead to high levels of investment in skills, training, business support and capital development.

Through its regional hubs and national centres of excellence, the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure aspires to capitalise on the input of employers, individuals and providers to become the one-stop shop for the industry’s training needs. Reaseheath College is a National Skills Academy Provider for sports industry apprenticeships.

External Influences: National, Regional and Local

Courses that are offered through Reaseheath will be relevant to the needs of industry, as well as being timely and as affordable as possible to encourage take up. There must be recognition that there are both common skills needed across all occupations within the sector, but also different types of training needs depending on an organisation’s size, sub-sector, location, business outlook, ownership (voluntary, local authority or private sector) and workforce composition (i.e. volunteers, freelance, seasonal and paid full or part time staff).

The college is suitably placed to support the Government’s health and social mobility agenda, in addition to improving social wellbeing and mental health through our sports and leisure provision. We will actively support the AoC ‘Every Student Active’ initiative in order use the power of sport and physical activity to provide quality educational outcomes for our students, and to improve health outcomes for students, staff and wider college communities. Reaseheath also recognises that our support of the Equine and Food and Drink industries is also key in the development of the Leisure and Tourism sector in the North West.

The sector has developed skills priorities which will help employers to improve the quality and range of their service offer: •• To improve recruitment and retention of the workforce •• To upskill and professionalise the existing workforce •• To match training supply to employer demand •• To redirect and secure new funding for training to meet employment needs •• •To increase sector investment in its people

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4 Your Views

Your Views

4 Your Views

Question 1

Your Views

Question 5

Do you believe our corporate objectives and commitments will ensure that Reaseheath College is able to meet your future needs?

YES NO

Is it clear, within our aim that we will endeavour to deliver outstanding high quality education and skills?

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Question 2

Question 6

Do you believe that we are interpreting Government strategy appropriately into our strategy?

YES NO

Do our objectives clearly show we are striving to provide our learners with progression opportunities for Higher Education and employment?

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Question 3

Question 7

Does our analysis of regional and local demand and strategies, including the enhanced role of the LEP, highlight what you feel we need to be focusing on?

YES NO

Does our strategy show that we will work with industry to drive innovation and deliver learning and training for the skills you need?

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Question 4

Question 8

Do you feel our corporate objectives and commitments are realistic in terms of delivery?

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Are our objectives explicit enough in outlining our continued focus on our communities and sectors we serve?

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