Richmond 2020: Strategic Plan 2016-2020 at Richmond upon Thames College

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“We live in transitory and adaptive times - the pace of change in London, as one of the world’s leading cities, requires a continual supply of skilled and capable individuals. Our desire is to exceed this expectation and compete at the highest level in today’s changing environment to meet tomorrow’s demands.

To do so, Richmond upon Thames College is evolving with a focus on providing high-quality value for money programmes and services. Our vision is to create a college of further and higher education recognised locally and across London for its technical, professional and academic rigour, where students and the college work in partnership with business, parents, carers and the local community.

Our future students will be proud to have been ‘Made in Richmond’, progressing into their futures full of ambition, aspiration and achievement, while being valued by the world of work and society.”

Robin Ghurbhurun, CEO and Principal

R I C H M O N D 2 0 2 0 B E PA RT O F O U R J O U R N E Y

ForewordWe are pleased to introduce the Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) strategy, Richmond 2020. It describes the future we are working towards, and the challenges and opportunities we must respond to, over the next four years.

The college plays a significant role in the local community and within the further education sector, it provides education and training at all levels from pre-entry to higher education, with nearly 3,700 students and 320 employees.

“Richmond upon Thames College is on a journey to a dynamic, successful and sustainable future. Over the next few years, RuTC will transform itself into the first class further education college that it knows it can be, one in which students create their own chosen journeys towards their professional, academic, or specialist future. Our students are our life blood, our reason for doing what we do. We want to do our best for them, to make them proud of being ‘Made in Richmond’. This strategy explains how we are going to achieve our vision for the future.”

Cathy Bird,Chair of Corporation

IntroductionThe Richmond 2020 strategic plan sets out the aims and ambitions we hope to achieve over the next four years; it has been written within a complex, changing and challenging educational environment. Underpinning the strategic plan are annual development plans and success targets (KPIs). These will be under continual review by management and the Corporation to ensure timely and measureable delivery.

Our strategic vision is for RuTC to become a technical and professional hub for West London with a reputation for academic excellence. We aim to establish the college as a destination for the public, local community and employers while creating a major gateway to employment and higher skills. This will be achieved by creating a vibrant and rewarding learning environment where students and stakeholders work together to contribute to their own and the nation’s prosperity and economic well-being.

We will become a leading Further Education College with the ability to offer in-demand niche specialist professional skills responding to the most recent evidence for future skills and employment growth in both the local and London economies.

We will set out our intentions to make learning accessible to all, taught and supported by qualified and confident professionals who are passionate about learning, ambitious and will act as ambassadors for the college. Our ambition is to ensure that enduring values of service and education are translated fully into a world-class 21st century college.

Our success will be defined by the creation of a learning organisation that provides for professional and personal development, in a culture of innovation and excellence while ensuring everyone can contribute to student success through continual improvement and learning.

It is our intention that every plan or project delivered within the college will clearly link back to this strategic plan and contributes to our success.

Our values and beliefsThe guiding principles of this strategic plan and the process that created it represents the RuTC’s core values and beliefs:

• Mutual respect - we will respect the rights, differences and dignity of others, regardless of their circumstance and allow individuals to achieve their potential.

• Honesty - we will act with openness and transparency at all times.

• Integrity - we will act with integrity at all times.

• Personal accountability - we take responsibility for our individual behaviour.

These values and beliefs will guide our conduct and that of our students.

Our vision for 2020A college that enhances careers and life chances with inspired provision and a commitment to our community values of mutual respect, honesty, integrity and personal accountability.

The vision commits to creating life-changing opportunities that encourage individuals to be purposeful and considerate citizens who are capable of making significant contributions to the world of work and society.

Our purpose 2016-2020To drive aspiration, ambition and achievement.


Students Our students are creators of their education, their college and are partners in a community of learning.1Staff Our staff are qualified and confident professionals who are passionate about learning, ambitious and will act as ambassadors for the college.

2Stakeholders Our stakeholders can contribute to the overall success of the college, through partnerships that are mutually beneficial.

3Skills There is an evolved rationalised mix of curriculum capable of addressing the future skills shortage and priority growth areas required by London.

4Systems There are developed and embedded systems in response to curriculum delivery models that enhance learning and our way of working, capable of optimising business competitiveness in an ever-changing educational landscape.

5Sites There are vibrant and rewarding learning spaces, where we can grow together in environments that foster learning, community and employability.

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Our future 2016-2020Principles to guide our future

We have identified six strategic ambitions. Within these ambitions, we identify the themes and some changes we need to make to deliver our purpose and realise our vision. Richmond upon Thames College will be an organisation in which:

Success in 2020By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College will deliver:

• Academic, professional and technical learning for 14 - 18-year-olds

• Access to Higher Education

• Sub-degree and Higher Education

• Traineeships and Apprenticeships

• Professional and technical education and training for adults seeking employment

• Workforce development for employers

• Learning for personal development and leisure


By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College will achieve:

• 90th percentile success rates Our ambition is to achieve success rates of 90% by 2020, placing RuTC in the top 10% of providers in England.

• Turnover at £20 million +As we launch this strategy we have a strong foundation of enrolments to maintain and grow our future funding levels for young people. We anticipate an increase in Apprentices to 1000 by 2020, and growth in income streams such as Access to HE, sub-degree provision and commercial revenue to offset an anticipated reduction in adult funding. This combined with an approach to cost reduction and efficient delivery of services will ensure a profitable and sustainable college for the future.

• Ofsted outstandingOur ambition is to create a culture that enables staff and students to succeed. Through excellent leadership and governance, we will ensure that staff have the necessary resources to deliver outstanding teaching and learning and that our systems are efficient and fit-for-purpose. Everything we do will focus on improving outcomes for our students and Ofsted will recognise our efforts as ‘outstanding’.

• Destination of choice for staff and studentsWe believe that RuTC has the commitment from its people, and the necessary resources to meet the challenges of this strategy and to remain a destination of choice for students, staff and external partners.

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We will have a student body who are engaged, proud of their college and expect success. We will create an innovative and nurturing college environment that will empower students to achieve excellence in whichever field they choose to learn.

Students will be ready to engage and are enthused about opportunities in which to participate. To achieve this, we will embed student engagement into operating practices and systems within the college.

By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College students will be:n Independent learners Able to access learning on-site, off-site and online.

n Inspired and excited Enjoying the experience of learning for the purpose of personal and professional reward.

n Understanding the demands of higher education levels of studyTaking advantage of and accessing support for high order thinking and learning through the acquisition of knowledge, assimilation and research techniques.

n Media-connectedTaking full advantage of the media-connected world, both to enrich the content of studies and to enhance their independent learning skills.

n DemandingHaving high expectations of service, content and teaching and learning.

n CollaborativePart of a learning community that has value and a great reputation, which leads to solution and innovation.

n InfluentialExpecting to be heard and displaying positive attitudes in doing so.

n EmployableHaving strong connections between college and employers through mentoring during the transition to work.

n ConfidentPrepared for the next stage in their career and able to use their personal attributes to enhance life chances.

n Entrepreneurial Ready to engage in innovation, have an entrepreneurial mind-set and be willing to take managed risks.

Strategic themes

Ambition one

Students

2020 vision:Our students are creators of their education, their college and are partners in a community of learning.


1We have identified the following themes that will support our journey, to deliver our purpose and realise our vision for students.

Take an inclusive approach to student experience through business and curriculum planning.

Create flexible delivery models for students who may face barriers to participation e.g. part-time or work-based students.

Provide excellence in customer services for students at the point of demand. Displaying courtesy, professionalism and knowledge at all times.

Build and maintain excellent working partnerships with our stakeholders to ensure progression to further or higher learning and employment including apprenticeships.

Ensure our teachers and tutors are committed to supporting progression outcomes for students.

Increase the number of work related and volunteering opportunities for students to develop their employability and social responsibility skill set.

Provide opportunities for our students to develop and apply entrepreneurial and creative thinking.

Engage with students at all times to ensure they feel connected to the college community.

Recognise students as key stakeholders and listen and act on student voice.

Involve students in senior management recruitment wherever possible.

Invest in and support our student representation structures to improve the curriculum and student experience.

Continue to provide opportunities for students to express their views within an atmosphere of openness, confidence and trust at college management and governance levels.

Be creative in the ways that we work and communicate with our student body, including the use of appropriate technology.

Provide the appropriate level of intervention to meet the aspirations and ambitions of the high-achieving.

Build models of early intervention for student support to allow individuals to reach their full potential.

Provide through the tutorial, enrichment and support programmes, the mechanisms to enhance our students’ personal development, behaviour and welfare through access to activities and experiences they would not ordinarily have.

Provide access to the latest career guidance tools and methods to broaden horizons and focus effort.

Identify, assess and monitor at-risk students and deliver targeted and effective student services to support their inclusion and achievement.

Provide the necessary interventions to help reduce under-employment and unemployment to those living in the most disadvantaged localities.

Provide personalised feedback to demonstrate the value of their input in enhancing the quality of their education and environment.

Reaffirm the commitment to our partnership with the Students’ Union by supporting individuals who wish to become involved at a national level.

Attend Students’ Union sponsored events and make college facilities and staff available to them. Invite students to address or have discussions with staff and management where relevant.

Create a Sabbatical President post and invite them to represent the student body at College Leadership Team.

Allow space in the college calendar to celebrate success and achievement for all.

Celebrate and connect with our alumni, ‘Made in Richmond’, to encourage them to keep in touch, volunteer, act as ambassadors and advocates for the college, and even re-enrol.

Ensure our strategic approach and working practices will have a clear focus on putting ‘students first’.

1.1

Commit to improving outcomes for students. 1.2

Embed student engagement into everything we do and actively listen to student voice.1.3

Provide appropriate, accessible and effective support.1.4

Support a strong Students’ Union.1.5

Celebrate the success of our current students and our alumni.1.6

By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College staff will be:n Responsive & adaptiveResponsive to change, creating new opportunities for meeting new challenges.

n Creative, imaginative and entrepreneurialInnovators and commercially aware.

n CollaborativePromote ‘team-ship’ through collaboration and taking pride in their work and the college.

n Passionate professionalsRole models committed to continually improving themselves and ultimately the experience and success of our students.

n AccountableUnderstand the impact of (and take responsibility for) their actions upon college stakeholders.

Strategic themes

We believe that continuous professional development is a key fundamental driver for change and improvement in an organisation, and we hold the effectiveness of college staff as the chief resource in our grasp. This must be the case in our college if we are to establish a reputation that we can be proud of, for the learning it delivers to its students and the impact it has on the local community and the wider economy.

It is clear that this decade is subject to unprecedented political, social, and technological changes, and the organisation of systems is becoming more complex, and undergoing rapid change.

For RuTC to secure a stable future in an expanding economy, it has to compete globally and support locally. To survive and be successful, RuTC has to be able to respond quickly to new demands and change internally faster than the external environment, thus ensuring that it is always one step ahead of the economic demand for new skills.

We want all our staff to be equipped to address the current challenges of industry and the economy, to achieve and sustain excellence and prosperity for the college and its students, and continually utilising the learning from change to build a better future for all.

22020 vision:Our staff are qualified and confident professionals who are passionate about learning, ambitious and will act as ambassadors for the college.


Ambition two

Staff

2We have identified the following themes that will support our journey, to deliver our purpose and realise our vision for our staff.

Ensure that leadership and management capability remains a critical focus through a College Leadership Academy.

Develop a work shadowing programme to support career development, expertise and knowledge of best practice.

Introduce coaching and mentoring programmes for staff who are new to the organisation or moving into senior roles.

Identify and nurture talent from within, through performance reviews, appraisals and effective professional development.

Continue to refresh our annual CPD programme to focus on education and development, and the strategies required to deliver outstanding customer and student outcomes and experiences.

Introduce ‘Industry Updates’, opportunities for our business services staff to experience working in a different organisation to gain insight and knowledge of best practice.

Provide access to ‘Industry Placements’ to ensure our teachers have industry experience and the opportunity to update their curriculum and pedagogic practice to meet the needs of employers and higher education.

Develop our teachers as research informed practitioners.

Develop our people and our leadership capabilities through managing talent. 2.1

Manage our people’s performance effectively, to align the skills and capacity of the organisation to its goals and intentions.

Promote RuTC as an employer of choice for both academic and support staff at all levels.

Recruit high-quality teachers with relevant industry experience identified in emerging areas of curriculum development.

Maintain and enhance efforts to recruit, nurture, value and retain a diverse workforce to provide outstanding support to students.

2.2

Nurture a culture of equality, diversity and promote mutual respect.

Create a culture of high performance and success driven through high levels of curriculum management and personal accountability.

Establish a Teacher Training Centre of Excellence with a focus on the use of technology.

Support business services staff to understand better their value in servicing the curriculum and student experience.

Create and sustain a culture that supports teaching excellence and student experience2.3

Engage staff at all levels in delivering our strategic priorities.

Use a variety of means to communicate and engage with the staff, including face-to-face and digital technology.

Develop communication plans to support major projects.

Equip staff with the necessary client skills appropriate to specific projects and programmes.

Operate an effective staff feedback model to provide timely responses to organisational improvement.

Provide regular assessment of services through monitoring performance and improvement against business support service standards.

Improve our employee engagement, communication and consultation.2.4

Actively consult, recognising the value and contribution our people make to the overall college success through opportunities to lead on change.

Develop a workforce that has an appetite for change and embraces cross-college working to achieve results.

2.5

Facilitate opportunities for staff to collaborate with our students and external partners encouraging them to learn from each other, and take pride in their work.

Invite employers to become co-creators of our curriculum alongside our specialist teachers.

Ensure a shared understanding by staff of performance, risks and opportunities for their own development and that of their students.

Work in partnership with our staff, students and external partners to our mutual benefit.2.6

Promote a healthy and considerate balance between work and our lives outside work through our well-being programme.

Celebrate staff success and create opportunities to share best practice.

Maintain staff well-being practices and continue to strive towards improvements and staff morale.

2.7

By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College’s stakeholder relationships will be:n Responsive to employer demands Have a wealth of strategic partnerships, creating new opportunities for staff and students.

n Trusted and forged alliances Working together with our respective priorities aligned.

n Innovative and collaborativeWorking collaboratively to support both the curriculum and students.

n Held in high regard and valued by the community and industry Create a hub for the heart of West London that delivers on the Twickenham Area Action Plan.

Strategic themes

Over the next four years, the need to strengthen our work with stakeholders will never be greater. As the economic landscape shifts, there be will a stronger imperative to create new partnerships to share knowledge, skills, resources and vision. Critical to this is the need to ensure that RuTC has a strong brand and positive reputation for engagement and performance, recognised and held in high regard by the London Enterprise Panel, Greater London Authority, politicians, funding agencies and partners.

We will seek stakeholders with whom we can build lasting relationships to benefit our community, our staff and our students. RuTC will embrace the responsibility to enhance the life chances of young people and adults, and revitalise the local communities as an essential part of the Twickenham Area Action Plan.

The college has reinvigorated its business links capacity and will place this operation at the forefront of the campus experience to ensure an industry-led approach to education. Employers will have the opportunity to co-design the curriculum experience and model, to drive their success through access to employer forums, skills and apprentices.

Over the lifetime of this plan, we will remain in honest and transparent dialogue with our partners and will continue to be open and responsive to new ideas for collaboration.

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2020 vision:Our stakeholders can contribute to the overall success of the college, through partnerships that are mutually beneficial.


Ambition three

Stakeholders

3We have identified the following themes that will support our journey, to deliver our purpose and realise our vision for our stakeholders.

Continue to develop our employer engagement strategy; including the creation of enterprise spaces and an enterprise advisory service.

Secure participation from employers in college Employer Forums to drive college initiatives.

Create opportunities for students, teachers and trainers to work alongside leaders of business.

Ensure college representation at key strategic and business networks.

Leverage our networks, partnerships, alumni and collaborative working to strengthen the learning experience for our students.

Establish recruitment and placement services, ensuring employers have access to high-quality candidates.

Build on existing relationships between the college and the Chamber of Commerce.

Increase partnerships with Higher Education Institutions as ‘validating partners’ to offer new industry-led higher qualifications at Level 4 and 5.

Increase engagement with other colleges, schools, voluntary groups, private training organisations and universities to ensure education synergy and avoid duplication.

Seek to engage with sector groups, the local authority, Greater London Authority, Association of Colleges, to ensure our offer is demand-led and recognised for its high-quality outputs.

Create sustainable partnerships that deliver improved knowledge sharing, commercial sponsorship and enhanced student experiences.

Support the LEP strategic priorities for jobs and growth in the capital and help neighbouring boroughs with skills development.

To work with other providers of post 16 education to secure European funding grants in support of social mobility and economic well-being.

Create an ‘Employment Gateway’ working with Job Centre Plus, Local Housing Associations and community groups.

Create opportunities for both ‘one-way’ and ‘two-way’ communication and timely feedback on student progress, utilising multiple channels for time-efficiency and preference.

Create opportunities for students to profit within a mutual model of learning and commerce.

Create business start-up spaces, partnering local agencies to enable SMEs to access business support and incubation opportunities.

Offer workshops where students can work with stakeholder/mentors to develop their entrepreneurial skills.

Work with Richmond’s business community and leverage Richmond’s above average thriving SME growth.

Support business to build apprenticeships into their workforce.

Provide access to business led seminars and a hub for business intelligence.

Provide public access to the arts, culture, leisure, lifestyle, sport and well-being services and experiences.

Welcome and encourage community groups to use the facilities.

Develop a RuTC ‘Charitable Foundation’ to support the most disadvantaged to succeed.

Create a one-stop-shop for information and advisory services related to education, skills and careers.

Develop our employer responsiveness in line with local and regional need.3.1

Develop and collaborate in local and regional strategic activities with other aligned agencies.

3.2

Work towards the alignment of goals with the principal partners.3.3a

Develop parental engagement to support student learning and build stronger home-school partnerships.

3.3b

To develop students as strategic partners in commercial learning services.3.3c

Develop the technical talent to help SMEs to innovate and grow capacity.3.4

Create a unique community offer in the heart of Twickenham.3.5

Education is evolving and the time has come for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and London as a whole, to benefit from a contemporary education ethos within a commercially enabling environment, developed in a partnership between the students, the college and local stakeholders.

RuTC understands its obligation to its students, to prepare them for the future, achieving this requires a fundamental shift in our approach to curriculum design. Outcomes must respond to emerging local and regional priorities and we must place equal value on the development of employability skills required by future employers as with academic excellence. Skills that are considered valuable for the future are shifting and we must embed opportunities for our students to practise and learn these skills.

Higher education will continue to be a priority throughout the lifetime of this strategy. The emphasis will be to provide high-quality, academically challenging provision that is accessible to all. We wish to attract academically talented individuals from across West London, but also those who have not traditionally seen a university education as appropriate for them.

While delivering core underpinning knowledge as a priority we must also deliver skills demanded in the workplace including; problem-solving, entrepreneurialism, teamworking and communication. These employability skills, combined with literacy, numeracy and ICT, will be delivered to a high standard.

It will be vital to stimulate a greater number of local businesses working in collaboration with the college to achieve a industry-led approach to skills development. The college will work directly to build the capacity to help provide the higher skills talent from within the borough to take advantage of the future growth in jobs.

We will embrace the pace of change in technological advancement and prepare our students to be adaptive and responsive.

By 2020, the Richmond upon Thames College skills offer will be:n Re-aligned and responsive Providing an education and skills offer that meets the emergent and evolving needs of the economy.

n Recognised for higher technical delivery Responding to the Greater London Authority economic forecast for rapidly increasing demand for higher technical and professional skills.

n Significant at Level 3 and Level 4 Increasing recruitment and progression to advanced level and sub-degree programmes.

Strategic themes

42020 vision:There is an evolved rationalised mix of curriculum capable of addressing the future skills shortage and priority growth areas required by London.


Ambition four

Skills

4We have identified the following themes that will support our journey, to deliver our purpose and realise our vision for skills.

Create a responsive curriculum in line with government priorities informed by labour market intelligence that is capable of developing skills sets for jobs for the next decade.

Create Entry Level - Level 5 pathways within specialised sectors, to drive students to aspire to reach the top of an industry service.

Provide appropriately tailored courses for those students who complete KS4 without a GCSE pass at A* to C in English and/or maths.

Create progression pathways for students with severe learning difficulties and disabilities ensuring they can lead positive and rewarding lives.

Deliver programmes for job seekers and low paid in collaboration with Job Centre Plus.

Diversify funding streams to avoid over-reliance on any single source and reduce susceptibility to cuts in funding in any one area.

Increase delivery of non-funded provision in line with local industry and population needs, and provide courses to meet leisure requirements of the over 50s.

Re-align to a responsive curriculum model.4.1

Design curriculum in consultation with our partner universities and employers providing routes into higher education, work placements, internships, apprenticeships and employment.

Develop a 14+ curriculum model in collaboration with the Local Authority, Schools and FE providers to deliver specialised technical skills opportunities.

Continue to establish partnerships and progression agreements with our local HE providers.

Take a partnership approach to curriculum design.4.2

Re-model our teaching and learning strategy to deliver for a new generation of students and develop an ICT strategy that embraces emerging technologies and social platforms for e-learning.

Place employability and study skills at the core of our teaching, developing entrepreneurial skills and capabilities to provide students with the confidence to embrace the world of work and academia.

Develop expert student and contemporary pedagogies aligned to the demands of industry and HE.

Focus on higher level thinking, inquiry-based instruction and the development of independent study skills.

Ensure teaching and learning reflects equal access to learning for tomorrow’s students.4.3

Collaborate with HE and employers to provide all students with the opportunity to access and continue their education for tomorrows’ careers.

Design pathways in collaboration with leaders in each of our specialised technological career strands.

Create a framework that invites input from external specialists promoting experience and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.

Continue to provide excellent careers advice, to ensure students access the right course to gain the specialist knowledge they need for a specific occupation and their intended career destination.

Develop clearly identified career ladders for each sector mapped to our curriculum offer.4.4

Deliver specialist curriculum pathways leading to the best higher education establishments.

Deliver higher education, foundation degree and higher apprenticeship professional programmes in partnership with local HEIs and national employers.

Develop Access and Pre-Access programmes across our curriculum offer as an alternative route into Higher Education.

Develop a research informed learning model to support progression to higher education.

Provide access to the highest quality higher learning.4.5

Incorporate the outcomes of professional body review and feedback from industry/professional partners in awarding body selection.

Establish a reputation for flexibility and expertise in piloting new and innovative curriculum delivery.

Work closely with awarding bodies, employers and HE in designing tomorrow’s curriculum and assessment models.

Establish a ‘Career Cluster’ hub in West London in partnership with other educational providers.

Create a strategic partnership with our awarding bodies, Government, education departments and funding agencies.

4.6a

Offer trailblazers and traineeships alongside specialist apprenticeship pathways predicated on employer demand.

Deliver a portfolio of corporate training with core management, leadership and compliance programmes alongside professional certificates.

Secure preferred skills supplier status for medium to large employers4.6b

We will focus on end-user technology solutions to improve operational effectiveness across RuTC. Our management information systems and infrastructure will support both the staff and the college’s business and curriculum requirements.

RuTC recognises the value that Information Learning Technology (ILT) can provide for its students, enhancing the relationship with teachers and providing a blend of integrated online and face-to-face contact. This opportunity will be extended to previously unreached students and communities, by providing an innovative, appropriate and responsive range of IT services, that support the learning, teaching and commercial aim of the college through an infrastructure adaptive to emerging technologies and new standards.

We will review the governance of systems in the college to ensure that strategic needs are addressed with access to expertise, tools, and guidance to assist business service areas to effect business change. These will include tools for efficient provision and storage of data, for access and retrieval of information and secure and active collaboration with external and internal stakeholders.

By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College systems will be:n Fit for purpose Capable of supporting student and business success.

n Advanced in end-user technology solutionsProviding access to solutions that are innovative, agile and responsive.

n Efficient and provide value for moneyCapable of supporting lean processes and return on investment.

n Resilient, responsive and robustAccessible and reliable on-site, off-site, online all year round.

n Environmentally sound Procured with integrity and disposed of in an environmentally sound way.

Strategic themes

52020 vision:We have developed and embedded systems in response to curriculum delivery models that enhance learning and our way of working, capable of optimising business competitiveness in an ever-changing educational landscape.


Ambition five

Systems

5We have identified the following themes that will support our journey, to deliver our purpose and realise our vision for our systems.

Develop systems that are efficient and agile in supporting business review, planning and implementation for student success, providing access to real-time information from multiple sources.

Utilise data analytics to inform smarter business decisions and enhance overall student recruitment and performance.

Support business cases to justify resource allocation, changing our culture to business oriented evaluation.

Promote the development, deployment and adoption of ‘smart’ technologies that can improve the efficiency of systems power consumption and reduction in energy use.

Ensure that energy efficiency and consumption of consumables have sustainable targets.

Move to a dynamic cloud-based and conferencing environment which enhances communications and reduces travel and surface mail.

Ensure that the sustainable and ethical procurement strategy is aligned to college equality and diversity statements.

Migrate towards optimum paperless solutions to improve productivity, content sharing and reduction in paper costs.

Provide a technological environment that is ergonomically designed, accessible and intuitive at the point of access across our network while maximising return on investment.

Create a document management system that satisfies compliance and retention legislation.

Create a single sign-on integrated system that improves productivity and enhanced end-user experiences.

Develop secure access to facilities and systems through proximity technology.

Design systems that allow users to rectify faults and make rapid adjustment minimising maintenance requirements.

Regularly assess system performance against service standard KPIs and feedback from end-users.

Design and develop quality assurance and improvement systems capable of evolving with the demands of curriculum delivery changes.

Use business planning as a primary driver for change.5.1

Consider sustainability as a critical factor in the development of all business solutions.5.2

Achieve operational efficiency through ease and effectiveness of use, and value for money obtained.

5.3

Design a simple system architecture.5.4

Adopt robust quality assurance and control measures.5.5

Our challenge is to create physical and virtual learning spaces to deliver the strategy and, in particular, the learning behaviours and relationships defined by our ambitions within the strategic themes of Skills and Students.

Today’s pedagogy calls for flexible learning spaces. Given their age and appearance, the existing buildings no longer represent a stimulating or inspiring place to learn and this presents a significant barrier to the realisation of our future strategic objectives.

Over the lifetime of our strategy we will create an outstanding campus for education, skills and enterprise. The complete renewal, rationalisation and modernisation of the college estate will deliver industry-led, highly flexible and modern classrooms and workshop spaces.

The existing site at Egerton Road is to be redeveloped to provide a new education and enterprise campus in Twickenham. It will include new college buildings, a new secondary school - The Richmond upon Thames School and purpose built accommodation for a special educational needs school. A state of the art ‘tech hub’ and digital media incubator will be operated by Haymarket Media Group, providing access for students studying within this sector. The redevelopment will bring together education, enterprise and the local community, delivering innovative curricula that exploit the latest technologies.

The new campus will provide the highest-quality education with outstanding opportunities for developing skills and pursuing employment. Access to industry defined resources, experiences of work specific to the sectors, apprenticeships, higher education and employment.

We will develop a virtual hub which will create harmonised virtual experiences harnessing today’s and tomorrow’s technologies to enhance knowledge acquisition and student application. We will build on commercial uses of augmented reality for education, endeavour and expression. These experiences will be supported by visual data systems capable of analysis and conceptualisation to aid understanding.

We will provide, maintain and develop a high-quality environment in a professional, efficient, cost effective and customer focused manner to enable the college to meet its aims today and in the future.

The renewal plan will take place over a three-year period with completion in 2018, with the first of the two main phases completing in 2017.

By 2020, Richmond upon Thames College sites will be:n A modernised employer-facing facilityProviding digital skills, creative industries, construction, engineering, health and well-being, life sciences and business services, together with a re-focussed sixth form centre and a gateway to student, employer and community services.

n A transformational skills and enterprise environment Designed to be flexible, fit for purpose and responsive to change, offering unparalleled learning, skills and business development opportunities.

n Providing industry simulated classrooms and flexible workspacesCreating learning environments that are capable of adapting to the future demands of industry and deliver the technical talent to meet economic growth.

n Demonstrating educational synergy and stakeholder collaborationCreating a fully integrated education campus site with redevelopment partners.

n A Virtual Hub Providing access to online resources from any device at a time and place to suit stakeholders.

Strategic themes

62020 vision:We have vibrant and rewarding learning spaces, where we can grow together in environments that foster learning, community and employability.


Ambition six

Sites

6We have identified the following themes that will support our journey, to deliver our purpose and realise our vision for our sites.

Collaborate with industry specialists and design architects to co-design key technical spaces.

Create flexible open access spaces capable of evolving with demand.

Develop technology-enabled spaces that enhance multiple use.

Design infrastructure in line with key environmental impact assessments.

Ensure compliance with all statutory requirements including sustainability.

Use responsibly sourced materials, those with a low embodied energy and recycled materials where appropriate.

Adopt the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) best practice model for sustainability.

Procure the most efficient contracting arrangements for safety and cleaning services.

Continue a rolling programme of maintenance and statutory work to ensure compliance with new and existing legislation.

Provide customer facing site services during all operational hours.

Provide best practice in signage and ‘way-finding’ technology for stakeholder access to the college.

Work towards a safer neighbourhood for all by operating in partnership with local public safety services.

Continue to deliver planned maintenance with the aim of reducing overall reliance on reactive works and minimise impact on the stakeholder experience.

Reduce costs through space efficiency and reduction in the overall footprint while creating sustainable buildings.

Provide areas where students can adapt and choreograph the space to their chosen method of learning; whether in groups or individually.

Work with employers who positively influence the design and layout of classrooms and learning spaces.

Provide a campus design code for building design, landscaping, infrastructure and user experience to be adopted by principal campus partners.

Provide shared services and shared use of facilities with principal campus partners.

Provide access to community and commercially operated services for public use.

Inform, engage and consult with the community during the redevelopment of the campus.

Develop learning environments that simulate work-place settings. 6.1

Incorporate measures to reduce our impact on the environment. 6.2a

Provide a clean, safe and pleasant environment for staff, students and visitors to the college.

6.2b

Enhance the campus environment during the transition to the new building.6.3

Ensure value for money as a key driver in delivering the new building.6.4

Creating fit-for-purpose learning and campus spaces in collaboration with our stakeholders.

6.5

Put the campus at the heart of the community.6.6

Phase one includes:n The creation of a state-of-the-art buildingcirca 14,000 m2 on the unoccupied north western section of the site enabling the removal of circa 25,000 m2

n The sale of circa 4.9 acres to campusdevelopment partners to enable the creation of an 11-16 Free School, a Special Educational Needs school and an employer operated media Technology Hub

n The release of circa 3.3 acres forresidential development.

Phase two includes:

n The delivery of the remaining circa6,000 m2 comprising an innovative Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) centre

n The release of a further circa 1.7 acres for residential development.

1

2

Ensure our strategic approach and working practices will have a clear focus on putting ‘students first.’

Commit to improving outcomes for students.

Embed student engagement into everything we do and actively listen to student voice.

Provide appropriate, accessible and effective support.

Support a strong Students’ Union.

Celebrate the success of our current students and our alumni.

90% Attendance. 93% Retention. 85% Success rates.85% of students would recommend a friend to the college - Student survey.

Destination data recorded for 95% students.Work related and volunteering opportunities taken up by 80% of the student body. Students competing at National Skills Competitions.

80% of students participating as Student Representatives. Student attendance at key events in college.

85% Success rates for students receiving in-class support / or specialist one-to-one support.90% Success rates for students with high support needs.

Student Union attendance at National events. 50% of students attending a Union event in college. Creation of a Sabbatical President post.

50 alumni recognised as ambassadors and engaged with at least one college activity per annum.

95% Attendance.94% Retention. 88% Success rates. 90% of students would recommend a friend to the college - Student survey.

Destination data recorded for 100% students.Work related and volunteering opportunities taken up by 100% of the student body.

90% of students participating as Student Representatives Student attendance at key events external to the college.

Student Union hosting National events. 75% of students attending a Union event in college.Sabbatical President representing the college at external events.

Increase of 50% by 2020.

11.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

Students 2016-2018 2018-2020

Success measures We will use a range of performance indicators to monitor our progress throughout this plan. Below is a high level set of targets that will provide clarity on outcomes by 2018 and 2020.


Develop our people and our leadership capabilities through managing talent.

Maintain and enhance efforts to recruit, nurture, value and retain a diverse workforce to provide outstanding support to students.

Create and sustain a culture that supports teaching excellence and student experience.

Improve our employee engagement, communication and consultation.

Develop a workforce that has an appetite for change and embraces cross-college working to achieve results.

Work in partnership with our staff, students and external partners to our mutual benefit.

Maintain staff well-being practices and continue to strive towards improvements and staff morale.

100% of CMT recruited onto a leadership programme. 20 staff engaged in internal shadowing programme.Ten cross college mentors including teaching mentors with eight cross college mentees. 50% of departments with one industrial placement per annum.

100% Business Services staff to observe a minimum of two lessons per annum.Reduce time taken to recruit teaching posts in high priority sectors by 30%.100% completion of staff appraisals and target setting Reduced turnover of staff to 20%.80% success on first round recruitment. Annual recruitment fair targeted at undergraduates to ‘Teach First’ at RuTC.

Establish equality champions for teaching and learning to share best practice. 100% compliance with systems and processes.30% of staff appraised at ‘above expectation’.A minimum of 65% of staff appraised at ‘in line’ with expectation.85% internal customer satisfaction achieved in Business Services Standards. The opening of a Teacher Training Centre of excellence.

70% of staff recognising improvement in internal communication.

Develop and integrate change teams through college staff professional development. Introduce a new category of staff award for innovation.

Evidence through the appraisals system of staff working in collaboration.

80% of staff responding positively against ‘I feel valued at the College’ status as measured by staff survey.Reduction of staff sickness by 3%.Explore options for staff healthcare benefits.

10% progression to external management school programmes. 50 staff engaged in internal shadowing programme.20 staff engaged in external work shadowing programme.100% of departments with one industrial placement per annum.

Reduce time to recruit teaching posts in high priority sectors by 50%.90% success on first round recruitment.

35% of staff appraised at ‘above expectation’.A minimum of 60% of staff appraised at ‘in line’ with expectation.

80% of staff recognising improvement in internal communication.

Four change teams per annum.

85% of staff responding positively against status ‘I feel valued at the college’ as measured by staff survey.Reduction of staff sickness by 5%.

22.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

Staff 2016-2018 2018-2020

Develop our employer responsiveness in line with local and regional need.

Develop and collaborate in local and regional strategic activities with other aligned agencies.

Work towards the alignment of goals with the principal partners.

Develop parental engagement to support student learning and build stronger home-school partnerships.

Develop students as strategic partners in commercial learning services.

Develop the technical talent to help SMEs to innovate and grow capacity.

Create a unique community offer in the heart of Twickenham.

Re-align to a responsive curriculum model.

Take a partnership approach to reflect design.

Ensure teaching and learning guarantees equal access to learning for tomorrow’s learners.

Develop clearly identified career ladders for each sector mapped to our curriculum offer.

Provide access to the highest quality higher learning.

Create a strategic partnership with our awarding bodies and Government, education departments and funding agencies.

Secure preferred skills supplier status for medium to large employers.

100% of technical and professional sector curriculum engaged in employer forums. Staff representation on a minimum of three strategic business networks.Secure two corporate social responsibility partnerships with large employers.Establish three sector based work-academies in IT, retail and health care.

Co-location of Chamber of Commerce services within the college. Secure three HEI validating partners. Secure partnership arrangements with two colleges and Childrens’ Services to maximise guidance to schools, signposting to local choice.

7.5% 16-18 progression into full-time employment.Secure at least one supply chain delivery project from European Social Funding.Shared campus services for sport, well-being and special educational needs activities.

Record and benchmark parental attendance at consultation events and digital engagement through parent portal.

Two commercial services developed as a mutual profit share with students.

Engage with 70 SMEs. Four start-up spaces available for local business and student-led projects.Five workshops a year with business mentors.Three business-led seminars per annum.Host Richmond Business Awards in 2018.Engage with ‘Richmond’s Den’ enterprise scheme.

5000 interactions with the general public, engaged in the new facilities. Three permanent community groups using the facilities.Establish a local scheme for visiting artists.40% 16-18 students engaged in Social Action activities.

Enrolment numbers target:2800 16-18.200 Access to HE.500 Apprenticeships.Non government income: £1.56 milion.To have developed three foundation degrees. To increase the engagement with the over 50s to 500.

14-19 delivery of five vocational courses for schools across local authority.Foundation degrees with two local universities.Joint delivery and sharing of resources with at least one local college.

Progression to HE, employment or apprenticeships over 80%.Implementation of the Teaching & Learning strategy.Implementation of the ILT strategy.Enterprise and employability workshops become elements of core programmes of study.30% of 16-18 students engaged in enterprise workshops. Secure recognition from Ofsted for the quality of teaching learning assessment as “Good”.100% of courses have 10% delivered online.

80% of students progress from year 12 to year 13 and 50% between levels i.e. level 2-3.

75% of 16-18 students progress to HE. Progression from Foundation Degrees to partner universities exceeds 70%. 60% progression from Access to HE.

Four new programmes validated by employers and professional bodies. Develop Trailblazers apprenticeship in IT and Engineering. Establish a ‘Career Cluster’ service with partner college, schools, HEIs and employers.

Increase in employer based training, introduction of two traineeship programmes, pre access and an advanced apprenticeship. Secure contracts with at least two companies.Two bespoke fee paying courses designed and delivered in collaboration with local employers.

Access to media tech-hub for digital and creative students. Shared services for utilities and campus operations.

Five commercial services developed as a mutual profit share with students.

Engage with 100 SMEs.Eight workshops a year with business mentors.Five business-led seminars per annum.

Increasing to 7000. Establish STEM ambassador scheme linked to school visits on-site. Establish a local scheme for visiting chefs.

Enrolment numbers target:3200 16-18.300 Access to HE.1000 Apprenticeships.Non government income: £1.76 milion.To have developed four Higher Apprenticeships. To increase the engagement with the over 50s to 1000.

14-19 delivery of eight vocational courses for schools across local authority.Foundation degrees with four local universities. Joint delivery and sharing of resources with at least two local colleges.

Progression to HE, employment or apprenticeships over 85%.50% of students engaged in enterprise workshops.Secure recognition from Ofsted for the quality of teaching learning assessment as “Outstanding”.100% of courses have 25% delivered online.

85% of students progress from year 12 to year 13 and 60% between levels i.e. levels 2-3.

80% of 16-18 students progress to HE. Progression from Foundation Degrees to partner universities exceeds 80%.70% progression from Access to HE.

Five bespoke fee paying courses designed and delivered in collaboration with local employers.

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4

3.1

3.2

3.3a

3.3b

3.3c

3.4

3.5

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6a

4.6b

Stakeholders

Skills

2016-2018

2016-2018

2018-2020

2018-2020

Use business planning as a primary driver for change.

Consider sustainability as a critical factor in the development of all business solutions.

Achieve operational effectiveness through ease and effectiveness of use and value for money obtained.

Design a simple system architecture.

Adopt robust quality assurance and control measures.

Develop learning environments that simulate work-place settings.

Incorporate measures to reduce our impact on the environment.

Provide a clean, safe and pleasant environment for staff, students and visitors to the college.

Enhance the campus environment during the transition to the new building.

Ensure value for money as a key driver in delivering the new building.

Create fit-for-purpose learning spaces in collaboration with our stakeholders.

Put the campus at the heart of the community.

Have an established quarterly planning cycle using integrated real-time systems for analysis, input and forecasting outputs against annual college KPIs.Utilise the same systems for business case assessments and sensitivity analysis of return on investment.

100% of Systems EU Energy rated at 5 stars (Focus on stand-by, sleep and running).Inclusion of Low Energy specification in all tenders and procurement processes.Set targets for energy reduction.Deliver staff development programme on paper conservation.

To have a technological environment that is regarded by at least 80% of users as flexible, intuitive and widely usable and that has yielded 10% cost reductions.100% ergonomic access and single sign on extended where technically possible.All new software to implement integration opportunities on installation.Establish ‘Controlled Information’ release and ‘Virtual Identity’ options for managing services. Implementation architecture, includes review of existing procedures and policies linked to identity management and authentication standards.

On-demand portal in place.Embedded methodology for managing business continuity.

98% systems up-time outside of planned maintenance.Deploy and improve a project prioritisation process.Established project management protocols for consultation on systems.Established risk assessment and recovery reviews.Customer surveys to be achieving 80% customer satisfaction.

Industry endorsement and sponsorship of spaces.Positive feedback received from employers and students through surveys.

‘BREEAM Excellence’ rating awarded.Use of the The Environment Association for Universities and Colleges ‘Sustainability Online Resource and Toolkit for Education’.Maximise the use of low embodied energy and minimise the use of paper and consumables.Establish a waste and energy reduction strategy.

Implementation of a procurement strategy. Established use of augmented reality technologies integrated with buildings to aid direction signposting.Positive feedback received from staff and students through surveys.To have established a local community forum with representatives from public safety and health agencies.

To reduce reactive maintenance costs by 10%.Minimise down time in business operations to less than 0.5% (2 days) during term-time.

Deliver Phase 1 expenditure to budget and removal of category C and D estate stock.

Implementation of the agreed design code.Student feedback on space.Space utilisation analysis.Engage with a minimum of one employer per sector to influence design for student and commercial spaces.

Established community, voluntary and local employer forums.A minimum of 5000 community people utilising the campus.

Publish energy consumption data and deliver staff/student awareness/conservation programme.60% paper reduction through reusable paper deployment and document scanning/management solutions.

To have a technology environment that is regarded by at least 90% of users as flexible, intuitive and widely usable, yielding 15% cost reductions.Less than 5% data entry errors reported.

100% systems up-time outside of planned maintenance.Customer surveys to be achieving 90% customer satisfaction.

Repeat booking from industry for use of spaces.Spaces adaptive to demand and changes in curriculum offer with minimal impact on conversion.

To be recognised for excellence in energy and waste management (EAUC - best practice).

To reduce reactive maintenance costs by 20%.

Deliver Phase 2 expenditure to budget.

Shared services model adopted across campus by partners.

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6

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4

5.5

6.1

6.2a

6.2b

6.3

6.4

6.5

6.6

Systems

Sites

2016-2018

2016-2018

2018-2020

2018-2020

Richmond upon Thames CollegeEgerton Road, Twickenham

Middlesex TW2 7SJ

Telephone: 020 8607 8000Email: [email protected]

www.rutc.ac.uk

Richmond 2020: Strategic Plan 2016-2020 at Richmond upon Thames College

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Transcript of Richmond 2020: Strategic Plan 2016-2020 at Richmond upon Thames College