30 November – 1 December 2007 Belfast

1. MA Leadership and Management (Further Education)Godfrey Pryce Hurley, Mike Jones, Gavin ThomasIPDAInternational Conference 30 November – 1 December 2007 Belfast

2. Workshop Objectives • Context of MA Programme • Why? • How? • What? • Aspects of Delivery • Nature and Scope of Provision • Research Themes • Future Developments

3. Why? • Training needs analysis: • FE institutions in Wales = 25 • Total Number of learners = 300,000 (75% part-time, 25% full-time) • Funding allocation 2007/08 = £238mn • Employees = 3,000 Full-time teachers 7,000 Part-time teachers 7,000 other staff • An estimated 800 Managers • Information from institutions – clear lack of bespoke Management Training and Qualifications for FE staff in Wales

4. Why? • Succession planning in FE institutions - Ageing profile of the FE Workforce (50% of the workforce could retire in the next 10 years) • External factors: • Welsh Assembly Government commitment to improving public sector management • Estyn (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales) concerns about the quality of middle management training • FENTO/LL UK leadership and management initiatives • Professionally qualified workforce

5. How? • Partnership arrangement:University of Wales, Newport and fforwm (Association of 25 further institutions in Wales) • Higher Education Funding Council for Wales – main support of funding support • Education and Learning Wales (ELWa) financial support: one-off grants for management training • Support from individual FE institutions for participants

6. What? • Programme Structure : • 3 Core Modules Credit Rating • Current and Continuing Issues 30 in Education and Training • Leadership and Management Theory and 30 Concepts • Management in Practice30 • Independent Study/Research Methodology 30 • Dissertation 60 Total 180

7. Award Structure and Credit Rating Postgraduate Certificate - 60 Credits Postgraduate Diploma - 120 Credits MA - 180 Credits

8. Action Research – Institutionally or Sector Based • Programme incorporates much of the FENTO National Occupational Standards for Leadership and Management published in 2002 and more recently the National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership • Action research : definition of the problem; data collection and research methodology, analysis, conclusions and recommendations

9. Aspects of Delivery • 2 x 2 days per semester • Videoconferencing • Personal tutors • Mentoring • Moderation and Quality Assurance • External Examiner • Assessment (note : Welsh medium) • Written assignments of : • 5,000 words : Modules 1, 2 and 3 • 6,500 words : Independent Study • 20,000 words : Dissertation

10. Nature and Scope of Provision • Total Enrolment : 124 • Participation: - 21 out of 25 FE institutions in Wales (including WEA; YMCA) - Higher Education - Voluntary Sector - Local Authorities - Learning and Skills Sector (England) • Males 50 (40%); Females 74 (60%) • Average age on entry : Males 42.5 years; Females 41.5 years • Designation of Participants : Curriculum Areas 75 (60%); Functional Areas 49 (40%) • Successful completion : Summer 2007 • MA (Full Award) - 25 • Diploma - 2 • Certificate - 3 • Promotion – 15 participants

11. Research Themes Examples include : • An investigation into the effectiveness of the link between financial and strategic planning at a college of further education. • An investigation into the management of the student services function, in colleges within England and Wales, with critical evaluation of models based on service level agreements. • Striving for excellence: an investigation into factors influencing the development of a strategy to improve the quality of teaching and learning within a college of further education in Wales. • How can senior managers in FE colleges, working towards Total Quality Management, successfully bring about a change of culture? • An investigation into the factors influencing the effective management of a tutorial system at a FE college.

12. Research Themes Examples include : • The impact of self-assessment on teaching staff performance. • Mentoring for success : An investigation into the feasibility of establishing and effective mentoring system for teaching staff within a further education college in Wales. • An analysis of the quality and effectiveness of the leadership and management of further education colleges in Wales offering automotive engineering education and training to the retail automotive industry. • An investigation into the feasibility of introducing the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification into a FE college.

13. Characteristics • High retention and completion rates • Bilingual – in line with ‘Iaith Pawb’ • Accreditation of Prior Achievement • Contextualisation of action research assignments • Networking • Mix of academic/functional managers • Use of expert practitioners to present case studies to provide tutorial support • Enhancing the ‘promotability’ of managers and succession planning • Impact of the research on individuals, institutions and the FE sector • Partnership between the FE Sector and HE in Wales

14. Future • Certificate in Management in Practice for front line managers • Links : • Centre for Excellence in Leadership • Lifelong Learning UK • Wales Management Council • Higher Education • Research Observatory • Publications • Concerns : • Funding • Coherent direction of Leadership and Management in Wales • Tutors: Recruitment of experienced practitioners