WHAT WE WILL DO. metal and heavy sheet metal engineering, automotive design and technical support, and electronics and control systems.

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1 WHAT WE WILL DO In line with Government aspirations we will develop a prospectus for the pilot Dudley Advance Institute of Technology. Making best use of the cutting edge facilities and resources in Dudley Advance and Advance II, our extensive advanced and higher apprenticeship offer and our effective partnerships with higher education institutions and key employers, our prospectus will propose a partnership approach and an innovative governance model. We expect Government to agree to our proposal. We will effectively use labour market intelligence to identify specific gaps in the market and proactively design new apprenticeship programmes to meet the identified training needs. The college, in partnership with employers and higher education partners and industry representative bodies will develop a range of professional and technical apprenticeship standards in local priority sectors, with a focus on advanced and higher level Apprenticeships, as follows. - The Black Country has twice the density of engineering and manufacturing firms than the national average and still faces significant skills gaps. Through Dudley Advance we will introduce a number of new standards to enhance the curriculum, provide clear careers pathways and support local employers; these will include fabrication and welding, advanced manufacturing engineering, engineering maintenance and installation, electrical and electronic engineering, welding, spot welding and projection welding, destructive and nondestructive testing, sheet metal and heavy sheet metal engineering, automotive design and technical support, and electronics and control systems. - To respond to technological changes in the construction sector, and in partnership with key construction employers, we will, through Dudley Advance II, develop a range of brand new apprenticeship standards, including digital engineering, on site assembly technician, town planning and technical support, building services management, sustainability and construction management, quantity surveying, facilities management, refrigeration and air conditioning, ground source and air source heat pumps, building services engineering (refrigeration), energy management, utilities engineering, renewable energies, energy assessment and advice, plumbing and heating engineering, and heating and ventilation. - We will work with the Stourbridge Advanced Technology Centre as it ceases operations to ensure apprentices and employers have continued access to technical, mechanical services and building trades programmes for the construction industry. This enhanced curriculum offer will be delivered in Dudley. - We will play a key role in the development of the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills and the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre leading on the development and delivery of new apprenticeship standards in these exciting partnership projects. On these initiatives we will work closely with the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, the University of Wolverhampton, the Black Country Skills Factory, the Warwick Manufacturing Group and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. - To meet a heightened need for a highly skilled sport and leisure workforce, we will, through collaboration with partners and our new facility based at Loughborough University, extend our apprenticeship offer to the sports sector. Through this hub, we will develop and introduce new standards in coaching and learning to swim, gym and leisure instructors, sports development, sports and recreation and a suite of business services standards aimed at the leisure industry. We will extend our current level 2 provision into intermediate and advanced standards. We will also enhance our curriculum through the development of the new Priory Road 3G Football Complex and associated facilities. 21

2 22 - To support our largest local employer and to meet local and national skills shortages in science and healthcare, we will introduce new standards in healthcare assistant practitioners, health care support worker, health care science assistant, and senior nursing assistant. In collaboration with the Federation of Healthcare, Birmingham City University and a consortium of regional colleges, we will develop a level 4 and 5 apprenticeship offer to ensure the national healthcare workforce receive vital higher level training. This will support the sector in promoting progression and upskilling for the healthcare workforce. We will conduct a feasibility study for the creation of a new dedicated health and life science centre in the Dudley Learning Quarter. - Building on the success of our hospitality and catering programmes, we will introduce advanced and higher level standards in patisserie and confectionery and hospitality management. Through partnership with a large local employer, we will broaden the scope of our current provision developing and delivering new Trailblazers in the food and beverage industry, including butchery. - We will support business, innovation and growth by establishing a suite of programmes dedicated to the needs of senior business leaders, including leadership and management, business improvement, recruitment, logistics, marketing and sales. To meet the Government s demand for the application of digital and media technologies across a range of sectors, we will introduce standards in information communication technology, network engineering, digital marketing, social media management, cyber security, data analysis, application development, game design and software development. We will maintain our New Engineering Foundation STEM Assured status to ensure we are continuing to offer apprentices on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) pathways the best possible provision and outcomes. We will involve employers and their supply chains in the design, delivery and the quality assurance of our apprenticeship programmes. We will build on the existing good-practice where employer partners are instrumental in shaping the delivery design and learning outcomes of our apprenticeship programmes, such as our logistic Apprenticeships with UPS and DHL and our butchery Trailblazer developed with Walter Smith Butchers. Furthermore employers will be well represented on the Dudley Advance II Advisory Committee ensuring the new innovative apprenticeship offer and the design and specification of the centre are fit for purpose. We will develop greater flexibility in the provision of off the job training moving to more block training release models. This will support apprentices joining our very specialist provision from across the wider region or on a national basis. Alongside our apprenticeship provision we will offer relevant short skill programmes to employers on a commercial basis to meet their very specific skills training needs. We will develop innovative solutions and programmes to equip employers of all sizes with the skills their businesses need for future growth and competitiveness. We will create new arrangements to attract and recruit industry specialists to deliver on new Apprenticeships, through enhanced conditions of service. This will include a programme of dedicated recruitment activity targeted at specific shortage areas such as advanced manufacturing, advanced building technology and science. We will upskill and reskill our existing staff to increase our capacity in delivering advance and higher Apprenticeships. We will ensure our delivery staff regularly participate in professional development activities to keep fully up to date with industrial practice. Where required we will second staff from our partner employers to deliver specialist technical skills, particularly at higher levels. We will also work with our partner employers to train their staff as assessors. This will help to build capacity for workplace delivery. We will continue to work with specialist partner providers to offer provision on a franchised basis that complements and adds value to the college s core offer. We will set individual, high and stretching targets for all of our apprentices, both from an academic perspective and aspirational targets for their next career steps. We will closely monitor the progress of apprentices, during off the job 4585DC 1664 strategic plan 2016 AW.indd 22 05/04/ :27

3 training and over the duration of their programmes, with the aim of ensuring their learning develops as quickly as possible and apprentices reach their goals as specified in their individual learning plans. Through rigorous attention to the needs of individual apprentices and their employers we will continue to maintain our very high timely success rates across all our Apprenticeships. We will continually review the skillset of assessors and tutors supporting apprentices with learning difficulties and disabilities. Further, we will develop resources to ensure these apprentices receive the best support possible. In doing so we aim to increase the number of apprentices with complex needs. 23 We will engage with apprentices to review our approach and to assist in the redesign of our e-systems, such as BlackBoard and ProMonitor, to most appropriately support a blended learning experience. In doing so, we will be positioned to review our delivery model allowing further flexibility, distance learning and short block delivery to best meet study and support needs for apprentices. We will consider the development or purchase of specific mobile apps which support mathematics and English or functional skills. Listening to what apprentices have to say about the college and their workplace is of paramount importance. We are therefore committed to continually developing, supporting and extending our highly effective learner voice strategy. 4585DC 1664 strategic plan 2016 AW.indd 23 05/04/ :27

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5 We will revise our employer facing services. In doing so we will develop new efficient and effective business to business services to ensure employers, particularly small businesses, successfully navigate the levy and other national reforms. We will provide our partner employers, especially those smaller companies, with an one stop shop relieving them of any administrative burden associated with the levy and new funding arrangements. Regular and effective communication with employers, digitally, one to one and through briefings will be a key component of our service. We will increase investment in our business development team and services, creating additional employer facing roles. Investment in resources for apprenticeship will be foremost in our minds throughout this strategic plan period. Where required we will agree bespoke sector focused routes to market approaches for the marketing of our apprenticeship provision. We will undertake a longitudinal analysis of the impact of apprenticeship on the careers of individuals and the productivity of the businesses they support. We will use this data to promote, evidentially, the value of Apprenticeships. We will develop more effective targeted marketing activities to encourage more interest in apprenticeship from young people in ethnic minority groups. In doing so we will further strengthen links with schools, promoting Apprenticeships as an alternative route to further or higher education. We will continue to build on the success of our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) event held in 2015 by designing and delivering a programme of annual events aimed at inspiring young people to take up careers in shortage local STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related Apprenticeships. As part of this we will focus on the number of young women embarking on careers in engineering and construction. We will enhance guidance for apprentices completing their programme and also for their employers. We will provide them with an accessible road map on their progression opportunities. In doing so we will increase progression to higher level Apprenticeships and, with our partners, degree level Apprenticeships. We will work in partnership with other local colleges and universities in planning a coherent regional apprenticeship offer, and in particular the development of specialist and higher level provision. We will continue to lead the Black Country College s Engineering Group and update regularly Sparking Talent the colleges engineering and manufacturing prospectus. We will participate proactively in cross region initiatives, such as The Midlands Engine, and work collaborative with others in the promotion of Apprenticeships. Building on good practice elsewhere in the college we will develop dedicated mentoring strategies to support young and adult apprentices. In doing so we will seek to make best use of information learning technologies and social media platforms. Through cross college staff development we will ensure that all curriculum and support teams in the college have a better understanding of apprenticeships. 12 MILLION INVESTED IN ADVANCED BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES (OPENING 2017) DC 1664 strategic plan 2016 AW.indd 25 05/04/ :28