Another excellent College Alliance meeting - always so much to take away from conversations with our neighbours - to build stronger, adaptive systems. @aoc-info.bsky.social @lewis-cooper.bsky.social @hughesdavid.bsky.social

Opportunities to share best practice in TVET aren't a nice-to-have but essential. Feels like coming home to join so many EU delegates at the 2025 VET summit at the fabulous Guggenheim Bilbao. Equally brilliant to spend time with the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnic board.

"I welcome this report as an important contribution to progressing devolution, helping us to transform the skills system in England," says Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire. Read more here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

The government has announced a boost to construction funding, including a range of measures that will impact colleges - read our full response here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

"It will open up thousands of opportunities for young people and adults to get the skills they need and which employers are crying out for." - @hughesdavid.bsky.social welcomes the Chancellor's £625 million college infrastructure investment. Read our full response here: aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Student mobility should never be limited to those who can afford it. Good to see this @feweek.bsky.social coverage of the Turing Scheme. To enable opportunity for the majority, we need a long-term vision for student mobility - funded appropriately.

Learn about the need for greater collaboration between colleges, universities, and local authorities to tackle skills issues and drive long-term economic development in our new #ThinkFurther blog. Read the full blog here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Soft power, data and internationalisation on the agenda today at #Digifest25 Thank you @jisc.bsky.social for inviting me to speak. Great discussion with British Council, UUKi and Russell Group

In #CollegesWeek2025 @aoc-info.bsky.social launches our latest report on college international activity. There are huge benefits from international engagement for colleges, students and staff. With a few simple policy changes, the FE sector could export more. www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Today's #CollegesWeek2025 theme is 'break down barriers to opportunity'. ✨ We celebrate the life-changing overseas opportunities for FE learners & staff in Wales, made possible by Taith and Turing Scheme. 🌍✈️ These experiences boost skills, confidence and employability! #FE buff.ly/kNvvhTK

Without adequate and sustainable investment, colleges cannot meet their potential to support more young people and adults into education, training and employment. Which would be a huge missed opportunity #LoveOurColleges

Packed house again for this year's @aoc-info.bsky.social HE conference, expertly chaired by Dr Arti Saraswat. Great panel looking at what's next for higher technical skills with Chris Millward, Jane Gratton, Ewart Keep.

"Our ask is simple: protect the economy's capacity to deliver skills. It’s not the only way out of the current malaise, but it should be a top priority," says Gerry McDonald from New City College in our latest #ThinkFurther blog. Read more here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

@rachcable.bsky.social @davehagendyk.bsky.social @kellyledwards.bsky.social

It’s been an incredible afternoon at our AoC Awards event celebrating the best and most innovative practice among UK further education colleges. #CollegesWeek2025

Attend our upcoming webinar on the role of colleges in becoming a green energy superpower to find out what @myerscoughcollege.bsky.social is doing to contribute to the second government mission. Book our #CollegesWeek2025 webinars: www.aoc.co.uk/events-train...

Book your place at our upcoming webinar on the new Office for Students’ E6 condition on harassment and sexual misconduct. The session will cover the requirements of the condition, the Sexual Misconduct Survey and more. Register here: www.aoc.co.uk/events-train...

I'll be kicking off #CollegesWeek2025 celebrating the role of colleges as social and economic anchors in their communities:

London looking magnificent this evening

Get involved in Colleges' National Green Week 2025, taking place from 17-21 March 2025! Align your sustainability activities with the week - plan staff and student events, host roundtables, or support local initiatives! #CNGW2025 Find out more: www.aoc.co.uk/corporate-se...

Excellent discussion today about skills needs & enormous potential for fair growth in #LiverpoolCityRegion with @darrenpjones.bsky.social & @metromayorsteve.bsky.social at the nearly finished impressive new Everton stadium, a beacon for regenerating the docks over next decade

The AoC Curriculum Conference programme includes updates on post-16 technical education from the Department for Education, a discussion on designing a future-proof curriculum by Catalina Marin from Activate Learning and more. Read the full programme here: www.aoc.co.uk/events-train...

"Colleges have the facilities to educate and train people for a changing economy but need to work with government to ensure these are suitable, sustainable and sufficient to support national skills priorities" - @hughesdavid.bsky.social. Read our full response here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a Colleges' National Green Week from 17-21 March 2025. This will be an exciting opportunity to highlight the key role colleges play in delivering the government’s mission on clean energy. #CNGW2025 Get involved: www.aoc.co.uk/corporate-se...

“If the government wants to achieve its missions and ambitions for economic growth and fairness, additional, sustainable investment across all post-16 education must be provided in the spring spending review.” says @hughesdavid.bsky.social. Read in full: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Let's celebrate the record number of post-16 students achieving grade 4+ in GCSE English and/or maths in November. These are mostly college-based ‘retake’ students who hadn't achieved grade 4 in Year 11. See our AoC briefing on the November results: bit.ly/4jd2B6m

Join us for AoC Sport Curriculum Conference in February. This event is designed for staff in colleges who have a responsibility for planning and delivering study programmes in sport, physical activity, fitness and active leisure. Book now: www.aoc.co.uk/events-train...

Excellent start to 2025 with a day in snowy Merseyside. First to Wirral Met College for @aoc-info.bsky.social /Bell Foundation ESOL in devolved authority report launch. Finishing with green skills campus tour at The City of Liverpool College

4/4. AoC comment notes that DfE ministers promise a more coordinated / less fragmented post 16 education system. There’s a DfE vision statement on its way. Possible role for strategic authorities in joining things up but only if they cover all publicly funded providers www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Pleased to give evident today to the School Teacher Review Body on the unacceptably low level of college pay causing enormous recruitment, retention & morale problems which in turn create risk for delivery of many of the government's manifesto commitments view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx...

“It shows that the government has engaged and listened to college lecturers as well as employers." - @hughesdavid.bsky.social responds to today's announcement in the House of Commons on the outcome of the Level 3 rapid review. Read our full response here: t.co/M62PuU4eVL

8/8. Young people are outperforming international peers in literacy and numeracy England no longer an outlier in distribution of skills by age Improved literacy scores for young people only in England, Norway and Finland There you go OECD Here’s FE week’s summary feweek.co.uk/oecd-finds-s...

“Colleges are the lead providers of Level 4 and 5 qualifications and offer opportunities to those who would otherwise not have access to higher education." - AoC's Arti Saraswat responds to new report from UCAS. Read more: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

The wide range of people willing to share a quote in support of this shows the complex web of relationships colleges have. Doing their jobs as systems leaders, anchor institutions and vital local partners

We were thrilled to launch our 'Mission accepted' report in the House of Lords yesterday, celebrating the incredible work of colleges alongside college members and parliamentarians. You can read the report here: www.aoc.co.uk/news-campaig...

Really good first day of the College Alliance's international conference, at Belfast Met College - a great range of international inputs from Sweden, South Africa, Singapore and the OECD, along case studies from across the four UK nations and Ireland #TCAinternational