Barnsley College backs report calling for greater collaboration between colleges and universities
Today, Barnsley College welcomed a new report urging a “step change” in collaboration between further education (FE) colleges and universities to tackle the UK’s skills shortages and expand access to higher-level learning.
The report, Partners in Progress: Colleges at the Forefront of Technical Education, has been published by the Lifelong Education Institute (LEI) in partnership with the Mixed Economy Group of Colleges (MEG), which includes Barnsley College.
It argues that breaking down long standing barriers between FE and HE is essential to boosting economic growth, widening participation, and meeting urgent skills needs in key sectors.
The paper highlights that FE colleges already deliver around 10% of all Level 4–6 provision in England and play a vital role in widening participation for adults, working learners, and those from disadvantaged communities. It reinforces the critical contribution of FE colleges nationwide, which collectively teach:
• 80% of Higher National Certificates
• 61% of Foundation Degrees
• 53% of Higher National Diplomas
Despite this, many colleges continue to face a power imbalance within traditional HE partnership models, alongside limited recognition for their contribution to higher technical education.
Barnsley College, which offers a range of higher education programmes including Higher Technical Certificates and Diplomas, Higher Technical Qualifications, bite-size HN Flex modules, foundation degrees, full degrees, and higher and degree apprenticeships, has backed the call for closer and more equal FE-HE collaboration. The college also supports the report’s emphasis on fully recognising the role colleges play in designing and delivering the higher-level skills that regional economies depend on.
David Akeroyd, Principal and CEO of Barnsley College, said: “Colleges are at the forefront of delivering the higher technical skills that our regional and national economies depend on, and this report rightly recognises their critical role within the higher education landscape. At Barnsley College, we see every day how strong partnerships between colleges, universities and employers expand opportunity, raise aspirations and respond directly to the skills needs in our communities.
“We support the call for a step change towards more equal, strategic collaboration across further and higher education. By working together, we can widen access to higher-level learning, strengthen technical pathways and ensure that our students and employers benefit from a more connected and responsive skills system.”
The report sets out a series of recommendations to strengthen partnership working across the tertiary education system, including:
• Financial incentives for co-designed and co-delivered FE-HE courses designed and co delivered FE HE courses
• Streamlined awarding powers to help colleges expand Higher Technical Qualifications
• Mandatory joint governance, ensuring FE and HE expertise is represented on each other’s boards
• Stronger local planning, requiring universities to actively engage in Local Skills Improvement Plans
Read the full report here.
