In March 2007, London Higher established the “FE and HE Communications and Coordination Unit - 2012 Games” which will work with the FE and HE sectors and the Games organisers, so that all groups are kept fully informed of opportunities in the run-up to the Games.

The Unit is a result of the initial studies done last year, headed by London Higher, in support of the Olympics bid.

 
We talk to Kate Potter, the Unit’s Head, about the challenges ahead:

To start with, what have you done before joining the Unit?

I worked in the FE/HE sector and more recently for Sport England on the wider legacy benefits of the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and the UEFA Women's European Championship in 2005.

What can London FE and HE do for the Games?

We need to think about the bigger picture, what sort of legacy will the Games leave? The bid was won partly on the basis of focusing on youth, and we think it essential that the education sectors use the Games as a catalyst to build community engagement, so that people realise they can use colleges and universities for many things, including getting accredited qualifications for work, greater employment opportunities, life-long learning and a better quality of life through active participation in sport and volunteering. In a similar way the business community needs to understand the opportunities FE and HE provides, such as improving the skills base of their workforce.

Who are you working with inside and outside of London?

There are various stakeholders and partners, from the Department for Education and Skills, Sport England, Youth Sport, to regional development agencies, the National Union of Students and so on. The money for our project comes from HEFCE and the Learning and Skills Council who are also supporting the development of the project.

What are you priorities for the next six to 10 months?

I’m putting together a business plan on higher and further education engagement, along with my colleague Gareth Smith, who has worked in both the HE and FE Sectors and has strong experience of the student movement.

We will be launching the "FE and HE Communications and Coordination Unit – 2012 Games" on 15th June at the ICC Birmingham coinciding with "A Place on the Podium" which will feature speakers from LOCOG, DfES, HEFCE and the LSC  as well as hearing from paralympian, Sarah Bailey.

For further information please contact Kate.Potter@londonhigher.ac.uk or Gareth.Smith@londonhigher.ac.uk.

For the first time, London Higher joined over 250 exhibitors at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) three-day HRD 2007 Exhibition held in April at the ExCel centre in London's Docklands. HRD 2007 is the UK’s premier learning and development exhibition bringing together over 6,000 HR professionals. For London Higher this was an opportunity to promote the variety of courses on offer at London’s HEIs to public and private organisations.

One aim was to highlight courses customised to meet the specific training needs of staff, delivered at flexible times and locations.  Out of 73 visitors surveyed, approximately 44% had previously worked with HEIs to provide training courses for their staff. When asked what factors would persuade HR officers to use HEIs for staff training, two common opinions were the need for greater awareness of the range of training courses on offer, and competitive pricing.

Visitors were given a copy of the leaflet Higher Returns which provides information on the means-tested financial support available from the Government for individuals who study for part-time HE qualifications - only 40% of visitors surveyed were previously aware of this funding.

For an insight into some of the ways in which London’s HEIs work with employers in meeting their training needs, download the brochure Skills and the City which contains recent case studies.