Principal’s Update

Olivia Morton

Communications Executive omorton@bedford.ac.uk

Editor’s

Working with our local communities

In this issue you can read how we continue to develop links with the local communities we work and live within. This varies from Volunteering at hospitals, designing poster campaigns for local support services and building on partnerships with employers in the area to improve the experiences of their staff and apprentices.

If you would like to add your staff news to the next issue of CONNECT which will be circulated at the end of March, please send your article and photos to omorton@bedford.ac.uk no later than Monday 15 March 2021.

Contents

Key Dates Principal’s Update Research Wellbeing Life in lockdown Group News Volunteering at Kettering Hospital Royal Society success Rapid Testing Job Opportunities Equality & Diversity Staff Perks

Your Diary

All staff meeting

3 March 3.00pm - 4.00pm (virtual)

Shuttleworth College Open Day

16 March, 5.00pm-8.00pm (virtual)

National College for Motorsport Open Day

18 March, 5.00pm-7.00pm (virtual)

Tresham College Open Day

23 March, 5.00pm-8.00pm (virtual)

Bedford College Open Day

24 March, 5.00pm-8.00pm (virtual)

Easter Break

w/c 29 March

For more diary dates visit www.bit.ly/collegecalendars

Ian Pryce CBE

CEO The Bedford College Group

Principal’s

Doing our homework

At our first management briefing of the year we asked managers to discuss with you, and feedback, practices that you have adopted and enjoyed during lockdown/ working from home, that we should keep for the long term. A number of managers have already made suggestions and all the ideas will be considered and shared in the next few months. We also asked managers to identify areas where the enforced new way of working has produced improvements in productivity or saved money. For example, online meetings can save travel costs, travel time (a hidden cost) and increase meeting attendance. Please make sure you engage with the exercise. It is important because it seems unlikely that we will fully return to the preCOVID position.

A nice day for a White Paper

You will hear much about the government White Paper “Skills for Jobs” that proposes colleges and employers at the heart of a new skills system, building on the work of the Commission for the College of the Future. The paper envisages a key role for colleges but also for Chambers of Commerce and local employers to create a local skills improvement plan. It also proposes a lifetime skills guarantee (access to loans) and a push on higher technical qualifications. We will set out the proposals in more depth at our next staff meeting.

Computer says …Yes!

It was pleasing to get over 300 laptops from the DfE to help the most disadvantaged students cope with lockdown. Colleges were only included in the scheme last month but at least delivery was speedy even if the wait to be included was long. They will make a big difference to the students.

Upstairs, Downstairs

The Bedford Sixth Form has shown exceptional growth this year. Although the building is photogenic it has all the problems you would expect of an old building. We have therefore agreed to invest heavily in developing the remaining upstairs wing, to cope with extra students, but will also look to make important repairs throughout the site.

The wrong sort of merger

I assume everyone has enjoyed the Handforth Parish Council fun and games (did Jackie Weaver have the authority?) and the lawyer who turned into a cat? Our star local apprenticeship provider Weetabix won tweet of the month however with its suggestion of beans on Weetabix.

Perhaps BCS Ltd will put it on their menu when we return? But if you want something to make you smile, dig out the tweet and all the hilarious replies.

Double whammy

As UK College of the Year the media is keen to report our views on further education topics. We even managed to appear in the two main FE journals on the same day. The links are here if you’d like to see them. https://feweek.co.uk/2021/02/03/profile-ian-pryce-chiefexecutive-the-bedford-college-group/ https://www.tes.com/news/education-shouldnt-be-aboutpandering-employer-need

Did you know you can follow Ian on Twitter? @ipryce