City College Plymouth

2010/11 Annual Report

The achievements of City College Plymouthstudents in 2010/11 place the College 1st inthe South West and 5th nationally

If you would find it easier toread this report in larger typeor a different format, pleasecall 01752 305300 or e-mailinfo@cityplym.ac.uk

As the new Chair of Corporation itgives me great pleasure tointroduce the 2010/11* AnnualReport for City College Plymouth.This year has been a mixture ofchallenge, success andinnovation - with the College

gaining outstanding results in many areas, movingus towards achieving wider recognition as one ofthe top colleges in the country.

The success of our students in all areas of thecurriculum, and their extra-curricular achievements,demonstrates that City College Plymouth can holdits head high in both the local community, the SouthWest region and nationally, and that the College’stotal student experience and successful outcomesare incomparable. A recent student survey indicatedthat over 90% of our students rated the quality oftheir teaching and training experience at the Collegeas good or better.

This feedback is reinforced by the College’s highattendance and retention rates. College students areour best ambassadors and, despite the removal ofgovernment financial support for disadvantagedyoung people (Education Maintenance Allowance),our 16 to 18 recruitment rate for 2011/12 hasincreased - defying the national trend.

The College’s estate has been significantly enhancedby a full refurbishment of the constructiondepartment, including a fully-equipped energy centrewhich concentrates on providing training inenvironmentally friendly construction practices, andrenewable energy. In addition, our hospitalitykitchens have been renovated and installed with‘state-of-the-art’ equipment and a demonstrationkitchen. These new facilities were christened bycelebrity chefs, the Tanner Brothers. Our tower blockat Kings Road has also received a long awaited‘facelift’. This has improved its external appearance,and also significantly enhanced the workingconditions inside for students and staff. In additionthese renovations have helped reduce further theCollege’s carbon footprint.

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At the time of writing, the College has learnt that it hasbeen awarded a £1.5 million Enhanced Renewal Grantand £100,000 Renewal Grant by the Skills FundingAgency. The grants have been awarded to enable theCollege to further modernise its facilities and its estate.The next phase of the College’s property strategyfocuses on a £4.5 million refurbishment project for itsengineering facilities. A state-of-the-art and inspiringlearning environment will be created for September2013, which meets the exacting BREEAM environmentalstandards for sustainable building design.

As the economic downturn continues to threaten incomefrom the private sector and there is an expectation ofmore for less from the public sector, the College strivesto overcome these challenges as it has done in 2010/11.

The appointment of a new Principal, and the continuedsuccess and achievement of our students as a directresult of the hard work and commitment of College staff,will - I believe - see the College come through thistesting time with further success.

City College Plymouth aims to secure a key role in theeducational, economic and environmental future ofPlymouth, and embraces the ‘Positively Plymouth’partnership. Most importantly, we will continue todevelop the best possible learning experience for thevariety of students who are proud to call City CollegePlymouth ‘their College’.

Gerry CadoganChair of Corporation

In a recent survey over

of our students rated thequality of their teaching and

training experience at theCollege as good or better

90%

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City College Plymouth hasincreased the success of

its work-based learningprovision - it is now

above the sector average

14%

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As the newly appointed Principal atthe College, it is a tremendous honourto take the helm of such a vibrant,successful and forward thinkinginstitution. The College continues toplay a significant role in delivering theskills which local and regionalemployers need in this continuallychanging economic environment.

2010/11 was a challenging year for a lot of organisationsin both the public and private sectors. As a furthereducation college we have had to deal with a verydifficult funding environment. Simultaneously we havehad to ensure that City College Plymouth continues toprovide the best educational experience for ourstudents, a relevant portfolio for the region’s businesscommunity and good value-for-money. Against thisbackdrop City College Plymouth has successfully:

• increased the success of our work-based learningprovision - it is now 14% above the sector average

• increased the success of our traditional full-time post-16 provision - it is now well above the sectoraverage and has significantly contributed to raisingachievement rates in Plymouth

• increased the impact of our provision to help reducethe number of young people in Plymouth classified as‘not in education, employment or training’ (NEETs)

• developed a portfolio with progression pathways, andwith courses from foundation level to university andprofessional level

• extended our work with local and regional employersto ensure our courses support the businesscommunity and are relevant.

This year the College gained many external awards andaccreditations including a successful GovernmentReview of our higher education (university-level) provisionand ‘Healthy FE College’ status by the Learning & SkillsImprovement Service (LSIS). Further details can befound later in this report.

Additionally, City College Plymouth was the first furthereducation college, outside of the pilot, to be awardedthe Association of Colleges (AoC) Charter forInternational Education and Training. The success of ourinternational work is evidenced by 26 of our internationalstudents who progressed from foundation degrees tothe final year of undergraduate awards at PlymouthUniversity were awarded first class honours degrees.

I do hope that the examples shown in this report giveyou a flavour of how diverse and inclusive the College is,and what an essential role the College plays in itscommunity.

Moving forward, there are many challenges ahead of us,but there is no doubt that the College will continue toplay a significant role in the cultural, social and economicdevelopment of the City and the wider region.

Phil DaviesPrincipal

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VisionTo be the South West’s leadingprovider of innovative, skills-basedvocational education and training.

MissionBuilding a better Plymouth through thedelivery of high quality education and trainingwhich will enhance students’ employabilityprospects, and which is responsive to theneeds of our communities.

Students FirstThe needs of our students comefirst and every student will beprovided with opportunities toachieve their full potential within asafe, stimulating and supportiveenvironment.

We bring a dynamic andrefreshing approach to ourrelationships with employers,partners, statutory bodies andother providers in the local andother communities at all timesdemonstrating civic responsibility.

The achievements of our studentsand staff are celebrated and wetreat others as we would wish to be treated.

We are professionally andfinancially sound, effective andefficient with a commitment toprotecting the environment in asustainable manner.

Equality, diversity and integration,fair treatment, mutual respect,trust and openness are the rightsof all.

Creativity, enterprise, ownershipand teamwork are hallmarks ofour success.

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IQER Confidence in Higher Education (HE) - an externalgovernment review of the College’s university-level provisionwas carried out in 2011 and found some excellent examplesof good practice, including the creation of a dedicated Facultyof Higher Education; a strong working relationship withPlymouth University and the wide involvement of studentambassadors in supporting new students.

The review identified “a positive and enthusiastic highereducation ethos and identity and demonstrates the College'scommitment to the standards and quality of its highereducation provision.”

Source: Quality Assurance Agency’s Integrated Quality and EnhancementReview report, March 2011

AoC International Charter - wewere the first further educationcollege, outside of the pilot, to beawarded the Association ofColleges (AoC) Charter forInternational Education and Training. We have also beenawarded Highly Trusted Status by the UK Border Agency forour recruitment of international students. We are continuing todevelop links with institutions in China, Nepal, Korea andVietnam.

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Korean Partnership - City College Plymouth waschosen as one of the first UK partner colleges to furtherthe development of international vocational traininglinks between Korea and the UK. This is the first timethe Korean Government has sent students to the UKand is part of a sponsored Global Workplace TrainingProgramme. City College Plymouth is one of only twoUK colleges selected by the Korean Government toreceive students.

Project Search - the College has successfullylaunched an internship programme for skillsdevelopment students with Derriford Hospital. This hasalready resulted in five of the eight students withlearning difficulties and/or disabilities, findingemployment.

Employer Endorsement Scheme - this schemeformalises our excellent relationships with localemployers, enabling them to contribute to ourcurriculum design and for us to have guest lectures,workplace visits, work experience and even provide jobopportunities for our students. In conjunction with ournew employability centre, theworkspace, we arecontinuing to ensure that our students are work-readyfrom day one.

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University Technical College (UTC) Lead Partner - inpartnership with Plymouth City Council and PlymouthUniversity, we have been successful in the Plymouthbid to establish a 14 to 19 technical school fromSeptember 2013. The Plymouth UTC, to be based atthe former Parkside School site, will focus onengineering, marine and product design - vital sectorsfor our local economy.

National Skills Academies (NSAs) - we are a memberof the NSAs for Manufacturing, EnvironmentalTechnologies and Retail and a founding college of theNSA for Creative and Cultural. In addition, we are alead partner in PRET, the Plymouth Retail Educationand Training Group.

MATRIX and Investor in Careers Accreditation - wepride ourselves for our commitment to providingpotential and current students with advice andguidance to help them make informed decisions andappropriate choices for their future. In recognition ofthis work, and in particular for the impartiality of ouradvice and guidance, we continue to hold the MATRIXand Investor in Careers accreditations.

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Apprenticeship Success - the success of apprenticeswith City College Plymouth in 2010/11 is outstanding, at14% above the national benchmark. The South West is thehighest performing region for apprentices, and the College -with nearly 1,000 apprentices - is the highest performingprovider in the South West.

Source: Quality Success Rate database, as of November 2011

Overall Success - the achievements of City CollegePlymouth students in 2010/11 place the College 1st in theSouth West, and 5th of the 223 further education collegesin the country*.

*When the 2010/11 achievements for City College Plymouth students areoverlayed on the 2009/10 data for other SW colleges’ achievements for2009/10.

Source: National Success Rate Tables 2009/10.

National Competitions - City College Plymouth studentscompete in national skills competitions, includingWorldSkills, and in 2010/11 over 20 students won awardsfor their vocational excellence.

Uganda Project - City College Plymouth supported theUganda Project by sending machinery and equipment foreducational use. The equipment is used in a centre thattrains young people in practical skills such as tailoring,carpentry, joinery, motor vehicle mechanics, building andconcrete practice, electrical and plumbing. The contributionhas meant that the number of students studying at thecentre has doubled from 500 in 2009/10 to 1,000 in2010/11.

Work-based Learning Recognition - our award-winingWork-based Learning department goes from strength-to-strength with four staff members winning prestigiousexternal awards, including a coveted City & GuildsPresident’s Award, highlighting the fantastic work they do.

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Colleges’ Week - the College teamed up with ThornPark Care Home to celebrate Colleges’ Week 2010.Colleges’ Week is a celebration of the role colleges playacross the country in unlocking talent in communitiesand transforming the lives of students. Residents at thehome, located in Plymouth, were treated to musicalperformances, armchair aerobics, bingo sessions, minimanicures and hand massages.

Plymouth Life Centre - nearly 200 College constructionstudents got the chance to really get their hands dirty, asthey commenced work experience with Balfour Beattyon the £46.5 million Plymouth Life Centre project.

Go4SET - City College Plymouth played host to theEngineering Development Trust’s (EDT) launch ofGo4SET Plymouth. Go4SET aims to enthuse Year 8 and9 students with science, engineering and technologysubjects through environmentally-themed projects.

Energy Centre Sponsor - City College Plymouth signedup ABB, one of the world’s leading companies in powerand automotive technologies, as the main sponsor of itsnew state-of-the-art energy centre. The new high-techfacility, known as The ABB Energy Centre, displays thelatest low carbon technology products and trainingsystems and will be used to train the next generation ofstudents as well as upskilling the current workforce.

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In what continues to be a challenging economicenvironment with pressures on government spending,2010/11 has been a testing year for the College.However, in 2010/11 the College Group generated anoperating surplus of £600,000 for the year, and anhistoric cost surplus of £921,000.

The College has a subsidiary company, AchievementTraining Limited, a private training provider operating inPlymouth. Any surpluses generated by the subsidiaryare transferred to the College under Gift Aid.

The College Group attracted approximately 13,000funded and 3,700 non-funded students.

During the year, the College Group invested£3,724,000 in building improvements and equipmentpurchases to improve further the infrastructure availableto students and local businesses. This was splitbetween land and buildings acquired of £2,735,000and equipment purchased of £989,000. In the main,this related to the building works for the refurbishedconstruction building and tower block re-cladding.

Cash balances represented 53 days in hand at 31July2011 (2010:68 days). At £288,000 outflow (2009/10£2,167,000 inflow), operating cash reflected significantcapital expenditure on the Kings Road refurbishmentproject.

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2010/11 2009/10£000's £000's

Income

Funding body income 27,669 27,388 Tuition fees and education contracts 6,561 7,443 Other grants and contracts 722 845 Other income 1,223 1,482 Investment income 77 486

Total Income 36,252 37,644

Expenditure

Staff 22,213 23,069 Other expenses 11,352 12,414 Depreciation 1,537 1,451 Interest 550 753

Total Expenditure 35,652 37,687

(Deficit) on continuing operations prior to costs relating to the property strategy 600 (43)Profit on disposal of assets 0 2 Taxation 0 (10)

(Deficit) on continuing operations after depreciation of assets at valuation 600 (31)Historic cost adjustment 321 321

Historic Cost Surplus 921 290

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2010/11 2009/10£000's £000's

Fixed Assets 23,332 21,148 Current assets 6,357 8,177 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (7,035) (7,712)

Net current (liabilities)/assets (52) 465

Total assets less current liabilities 23,280 21,613Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year (194) (117)Provisions (967) (1,082)

Net assets excluding pension (liability) 22,119 20,414 Net pension (liability) (16,354) (11,348)

Net assets including pension (liability) 5,765 9,066

Deferred capital grants 4,784 4,405 Income and expenditure account excluding pension reserve 10,225 8,578 Pension deficit (16,354) (11,348)

Income and expenditure account including pension reserve (6,129) (2,770)Revaluation reserve 7,066 7,387 Capital reserves 44 44

Total 5,765 9,066

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Funding CouncilRecurrent Grants

Other Council Funding

Train to Gain

Tuition Fees andEducation Contracts

Other Grants andContracts

Other Income

Work-based Learinng

HE FundedActivity

Investment Income

62.3%

31.8%

4.3% 1.5%

Staff Costs

Other Operating Expenses

Depreciation

Interest Payable

The College long successrate (courses over 24

weeks) was

exceeding the latest SkillsFunding Agency (SFA)

benchmark by 4.5%

83.3%

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College Facts for 2010/11• Number of full-time students - 4,192

• Number of part-time students - 10,980

• Total number of students - 15,172 whichincludes 914 higher education studentsand 176 non-EU ‘international students’

• Number of apprentices - 921 (includingsubcontracted apprentices)

• Number of employees - 840

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Success• The College long success rate (courses over 24

weeks) was 83.3%, exceeding the latest SkillsFunding Agency (SFA) benchmark by 4.5%.

Retention• The College long retention rate was 86%,

meeting the latest SFA benchmark.

Achievement • The College overall achievement rate was

96.2% exceeding the latest SFA benchmark by5%.

Progression• In 2010/11, 389 students completing level 3

programmes progressed onto higher educationvia UCAS - please note these figures onlyinclude students entering higher educationthrough UCAS and who obtained theirapplication form from the College.

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The College has a long standing and wide rangingcommitment to equality and diversity. We aim to be anexemplar in the sector, and were rated ‘good’ atinspection in September 2008.

Starting from our policy of cascaded responsibility, theCollege embeds equality and diversity throughout ourwork and practices. Each year, to increase equality ofopportunity, the College has set equality and diversitytargets.

The targets in 2010/11 were set to improve theperformance of underachieving groups by reducingachievement gaps between disadvantaged groups andtheir peers. Seven out of ten of these targets wereachieved and significant reductions to the gaps havebeen made. Further targets have been set to improvethe performance of disadvantaged groups in 2011/12.

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The College successfully attracts people from allsectors of its community. The College provision issubstantial in 13 out of the 15 subject sectorcategories, offering a wide range of learningopportunities to suit the needs of local employers andthe community.

There is tailored provision for disadvantaged groups,including those with profound and multiple disabilities,disengaged young people and asylum seekers, forexample. Every year staff training is given in supportingpeople with disabilities and disadvantages.

Students ranged in age from 13 to 79 years in2010/11. There were approximately equal numbers ofmen and women, with 43% female and 57% malestudents. 13% of students declared a disability and11% a learning difficulty. The black and ethnic minoritypercentage was 11%, above the 9% estimated for thePlymouth area. A growing number of internationalstudents (176 in 2010/11) contribute to promotingcultural diversity and awareness.

The College’s learning accommodation is highlyaccessible for people with motor and sensorydisabilities. Details are set out in the annual‘Accessibility Commitment’ and on the nationalDisabledGo website - www.disabledgo.com.

There is a College chaplaincy team which aims toprovide spiritual support to students and staff of allfaiths and none, and provides quiet rooms at KingsRoad and Goschen.

The College meets its legal requirements for an equalityand diversity policy with clear statements on preventingunfair discrimination for all the protected groups. Thecomprehensive three year Single Equality Schemeended in July 2011 and was evaluated.

This scheme incorporated targets for all teams acrossthe protected groups and achieved 86% of its actions.It has been replaced by Equality Objectives and anEquality and Diversity Action Plan. The EqualityObjectives are cross-College targets set to promoteequality for our students, workforce and in our workingpractices. The Equality and Diversity Action Planunderpins the Equality Objectives and will be updatedannually.

We seek advice from local organisations including thePlymouth Religious and Cultural Resource Centre, FataHe, and the Race Equality Council, as well as nationalbodies such as the Equality and Human RightsCommission, the Royal National Institute for the Blind,the Association of Colleges, the Higher EducationFunding Council for England and the Learning andSkills Improvement Service.

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The College has gone through an exciting yeardeveloping sustainability initiatives. We continue todrive for change, educating students, staff andstakeholders to make the College more sustainable,and influencing everyone to think about theenvironment.

An end of year report (2010/11) has been produced bythe College’s Sustainability Working Group, highlightingour successes. A summary of the College’s keyachievements include:• the College website now has a section on

sustainability, which can be viewed atwww.cityplym.ac.uk/about-us/corporate-social-responsibility/csr-and-environment

• new staff are educated on sustainability through theCollege’s induction programme. Sustainability issuesare communicated and discussed to staff throughteam meetings, self-assessment reports,faculty/departmental plans and performance reviews

• Sustainable Future Groups within the College havemade excellent progress over the last academic year,and are continuing to embed sustainability into theCollege curriculum

• sustainability posters, designed by students, havebeen displayed in all teaching rooms, educatingusers about energy efficiency and recycling

• sustainability workshops for curriculum-focused staffare now available during staff training days.Introduction to sustainability, green travel and‘bikeability’ workshops continue to run

• students and staff now have access to the College’sEnergy Remote Monitoring (ERM) system. It is hopedthat having a live case study will broaden thestudents’ learning experience

• the College continues to support the Uganda Project,sending unwanted useable equipment to the trainingcentre in Lira

• the College’s catering contractor, Aramark, is makinggood progress with local/sustainable purchasing andworking with students and staff on initiatives andcampaigns

• Fairtrade status has been maintained by being pro-active with selling and using Fairtrade products.Students and staff have been raising awareness ofthe benefits it brings to those in developing countries

• the College continues to encourage students andstaff to use public transport/bicycles/car sharing toget to College, and has set-up a Bike Users’ Group

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• Nearly £6,000 was received through the Post-16Transport Partnership to cover walk ways fromthe bike shelter and to purchase lockers forcommuters

• the College continues to reduce its energyconsumption and has been successful inreducing the rating on Energy DisplayCertificates.

The College’s sustainability programme highlights,again, our commitment to being a responsiblemember of the community. We are continuallylooking at ways in which we can reduce thenegative environmental impact we may cause dueto our business activities, and we are activelyencouraging and supporting students and staff totake responsibility for reducing their individualimpact wherever possible.

Produced as sustainably as possible byPepper, using vegetable based inks andpaper from responsibly managed forests.

© City College Plymouth 2012