Inspiring, Innovative & Outstanding
Vision Inspiring, Innovative and Outstanding Mission To enrich the lives of all by providing high-quality, responsive education and training Values Our learners and customers are paramount We strive to provide excellence in all that we do Working together with mutual respect Acting with integrity at all times Strategic Objectives Focus on learners by providing them with an excellent learning experience Grow our business through an innovative curriculum and market development which meets the needs of employers and the communities in which we work Work in partnership with employers to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of our curriculum and services to become outstanding Retain, reward and recruit a high-quality workforce Our Communities The Grimsby Institute Group serves many and varied communities; from our place in the centre of our local town we serve the wider regional landscape as well as working with employers and learners from the national and international community. Community to the Group is broader than what is immediately surrounding our campuses. We use community to describe the key audiences we seek to develop meaningful and successful relationships with through delivering this strategic plan. To us, community is not a limiting factor but describes an ambition for delivering our curriculum and services where we can fulfil the needs of others by delivering value. 2
Welcome Welcome to the 2014 to 2017 Strategic Plan for the Grimsby Institute Group. In 2010 we set an ambitious vision for the Group and we started our journey with a wide ranging set of goals and strategies to move towards achieving our vision for the Group by 2017. This new plan builds upon the achievements of the past three years and the journey we started in delivering the second phase of our transformation to becoming an inspiring, innovating and outstanding education business. We have made subtle changes to our Mission to better reflect the current policy context and economic environment. Our external environment is dynamic and constantly changing and since the current mission statement was developed in 2010 the economy has changed, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have been introduced and are commanding a significant share of voice in relation to skills and the government agendas for change within our sector. We believe our revised Mission Statement guides our role in the community and our purpose of providing our education and training activities that enrich the lives of learners, employers and the communities we work with. Throughout the next three years, the Grimsby Institute Group will strive to work with transparency, integrity and a focus that ensures our learners come first. Through delivering this plan over the next three years we will serve the needs of all learners and contribute to economic and social prosperity. Mike Parker Chair of the Corporation Sue Middlehurst Principal and Chief Executive 3
About GIG The Grimsby Institute Group is one of England s largest providers of Further and Higher Education. With a rich history of developing innovative training and education solutions for the community, the Group comprises of the Grimsby Institute, University Centre Grimsby (UCG), Yorkshire Coast College (YCC) in Scarborough, Lincolnshire Regional College (LRC) in Skegness and Lincolnshire Rural Activities Centre (LRAC) in Louth. Our Nuns Corner Campus, located in the centre of Grimsby, is the main provider of vocational training in the region. It provides a broad curriculum that encompasses full and part-time provision from 14 years onwards. The vast array of training options includes Further and Higher Education, Apprenticeships, community provision, business training, work-based training and commercial activities. The Nuns Corner Campus is home to the Engineering & Renewable Energy Centre, a brand new 6million Sports Centre and, being unveiled in 2014, the Grimsby School of Art. There are two other principal sites in Grimsby; the Academy Grimsby, for 14-16 provision, located on Westwood Ho and the Nunsthorpe Community Campus, which offers some Construction provision which is offered alongside some of our Land Based Studies courses (Horticulture & Animal Care) that are also offered at the LRAC Campus in Louth. Nuns Corner is also the home to the 20million University Centre Grimsby. UCG opened its doors in 2011 and offers a dedicated home for our Higher Education programmes that we offer in partnerships with the University of Hull and Teesside University. From September 2014 we will be awarding our own Foundation Degrees from UCG after receiving Foundation Degree Awarding Powers from the Privy Council on 1st August 2013. 4
The Grimsby Institute is also the base for a large Workforce Development provision and for the Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre (FRPERC). We are also a key partner with industry leaders in the Humber Seafood Institute and Seafood Processing Cluster. The Graduate Salon, our Hair & Beauty training salon, was recently named as the CIBTAC International Centre of the Year and other accreditations include being a BBC Education Partner for Media and Estuary TV, the first local TV station to be launched on Freeview, is broadcast from our Nuns Corner Campus. We have also achieved National Skills Academy status for Creative & Cultural Skills, Food Manufacturing and Environmental Technologies. The Group launched Skegness Lincolnshire Regional College (LRC) in 2009. LRC provides a large number of GCSEs and vocational courses and an everexpanding curriculum that trains almost 500 learners every year. LRC is located on Heath Road in Skegness and offers learners the chance to train in first-rate facilities that include a Hair & Beauty Salon, industry-standard training kitchen and modern workshops fitted with the latest equipment. Serving the community in Scarborough and the surrounding region the Yorkshire Coast College (YCC) merged with the Grimsby Institute in 2010 and offers a varied selection of Further Education and a small Higher Education provision. YCC operates out of two campuses; Westwood Campus is home to the Creative School of Arts and the Underground Music Department. Westwood is based on Valley Bridge Parade, in the centre of Scarborough and offers a wide range of creative courses that includes the renowned BA Fine Art and BA Historical and Performance Costume for Stage and Screen degree programmes. The main campus is situated on Lady Edith s Drive. Some of the innovative courses on offer include the chance to study Motorsport Technology and the campus also boasts the Yorkshire Coast Business Solutions, a business support service offering innovative solutions for training in the region. Both campuses offer excellent teaching coupled with first-rate, industry-standard workshops and training facilities. 5
Key Achievements from 2011-2014 Tom King becomes SkillPLUMB Champion 2011 Former student John Hurt CBE awarded an AoC Gold Award in May 2011 December 2011 - Scott Berry named as RAC Apprentice of the Year 20m University Centre opened in November 2011 January 2012 - Mike Parker OBE announced as new Chair of the Corporation April 2012 - LRC student, Neil Jones, named as a City & Guilds Lion Awards winner Andrew Boyd-Patton crowned SkillPLUMB Champion 2012 June 2012 - Student, Ben Searby, and Tutor, James Jackson, chosen to carry the Olympic Torch July 2012 - Keziah Howden named as CIBTAC Student of the Year Jamie Carter chosen to represent Great Britain in 2012 Paralympics February 2013 - Albert Roux hosted charity dinner with Hospitality students April 2013 - Grimsby Institute Group signs new partnership with Teesside University April 2013 University Centre Grimsby achieves accreditation from the Higher Education Academy for its Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework May 2013 - Grimsby Institute s new Sports Centre opens to students July 2013 - The Graduate Salon named as CIBTAC Centre of the Year Achieved our operating income targets in 2012-2013 August 2013 - Grimsby Institute granted Foundation Degree Awarding Powers September 2013 - Grimsby Institute Group launches Business Professors scheme November 2013 - Grimsby Institute Group launches Estuary TV, the first local TV channel to go digital in the UK November 2013 - Grimsby Institute Group wins the Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award for Higher Education in Further Education December 2013 - Ofsted grade the Grimsby Institute Group as Good with Outstanding elements January 2014 - Grimsby Institute Group gains Matrix Standard accreditation 6
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Policy and Economic Context Skills and economic policy continues to change the environment; creating both opportunities and challenges for the Group. The Government s policies; Skills for Sustainable Growth (DBIS, 2010), the reform plan New Challenges, New Chances (DBIS, 2011) and Rigour and Responsiveness (DBIS, 2013), are designed to put skills at the heart of the education and skills system for economic growth creating many opportunities that will be maximised through this strategic plan, however, at the same time the same policies and the Government s long-term budget strategies will create more competitive markets and reduce central government funding for many areas of education and training. Positively, the Government aims to ensure the FE sector provides the skilled workforce employers need delivered through a rigorous and responsive skills system. This creates a big opportunity for the Group to proactively grow its business. Whilst there are opportunities for growth, the recently announced Skills Funding Statement (February 2014) also brings challenges for the Group from shifts in funding models; for example funding colleges for success and funding employers directly for Apprenticeships. Our strategies for growth will challenge us to develop broader income streams. The Group s operates within three Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas: The Humber York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Greater Lincolnshire Each LEP is very supportive of skills but as they are ambitious for economic growth they will be setting high demands on the sector to respond. Our strategies recognise this and will position the Group to be responsive and compete on innovation and quality to ensure we deliver to the needs of local and regional employers. The continued trend of falling numbers of school and academy leavers across all geographic areas presents a key challenge to the Group. Despite the challenges of adult funding, the high levels of unemployment in 18-24 year olds and the high levels of unemployment in all age bands within North East Lincolnshire presents opportunities for developing relevant curriculum that can lead to employment or Higher Education. Similarly, many adults within our communities have no qualifications or only low levels of attainment which is a further indicator that our adult skills offer should be responsive to the needs of business and community growth. Policy and the economic environment have developed requirements for the sector to support social cohesion and create social impact; our strategies will have a key role in responding to the changing needs of a dynamic economy and society. We have set stretching objectives and developed strategies that enable the Group to compete for learners, market share, public and private income and sustain competitive advantage. 8
Working with LEPs, Businesses and the Community We will strive to ensure we are held in high regard locally and regionally by LEPs, businesses and the wider community. The Group enjoys an excellent reputation delivered through high quality teaching and learning, outstanding student success, new specialisms, new developments, improved accommodation and increased collaboration with our partners. We will continue to celebrate our successes, of which there are many, as widely as possible. We will embed the core principles of reputation and engagement in all that we do, across all areas of activity. Our strategies, outlined in this plan will support the continued emphasis on delivery of our vision. 9
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Strategic Objectives and Strategies Our corporate objectives, which will be met over the life of this plan have been developed to fulfil our vision, the strategies outlined for each objective are designed to continue our journey of development and deliver our mission. Strategic Objective 1: Focus on learners by providing them with an excellent learning experience. Provide a market-led campus, work-based and distance learning curriculum, from Entry Level to Higher Education, which has seamless progression opportunities and pathways Deliver an accessible curriculum where delivery is flexible and responsive Continuously assess our teaching and learning activities Continuously improve student support through effective Learner Journey activities Providing relevant and practical learning in realistic and authentic working environments Embed enterprise, entrepreneurship and employability in our course design Develop e-learning and blended learning in order to meet individual needs and aspirations Participate in key local forums, in order to plan provision and progression routes Ensure our strategic curriculum planning engages with key employers and their representative organisations Key Performance Indicators for Strategic Objective 1 Achieve overall success rates of 85% on long qualifications Achieve an OTL profile of 85% good or better lessons with 20% assessed as outstanding Achieve a stakeholder satisfaction rate of at least 85% 11
Strategic Objective 2: Grow our business through an innovative curriculum and market development which meets the needs of employers and the communities in which we work. Open a 14-16 Academy Develop Higher Education provision that meets the needs of employers and the community Increase market share through developing unique curriculum offers for specific target segments, for example; Gifted and Talented Develop a market-led curriculum that is focused on future business needs. Develop and provide a flexible and innovative curriculum that enables unemployed adults to progress onwards into either employment and/or further study Work in partnership with a wide range of other providers to ensure a coherent approach to meeting the needs of employers and the community Grow the number and range of employers we work with and establish strategic and operational engagement. Increase the number of employers who are Business Professors. Grow distance learning income through the development of distance learning curriculum Develop our International offer to target emerging markets within countries with a growing middle class Develop strong partnerships with our Local Strategic Partnerships Improve reputation at YCC Key Performance Indicators for Strategic Objective 2 Improve market share of school leavers by 5% at the Grimsby Institute (13/14-41.6%) and by 10% at Yorkshire Coast College (13/14-18.2%). Increase the number of Higher Education enrolments by 10% Improve internal progression rates by 15% To achieve a positive destination rate of 85% Maintain annual turnover of at least 50m 12
Strategic Objective 3 Work in partnership with employers to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of our curriculum and services to become outstanding. Achieve continuous quality improvement year on year in all curriculum and support areas judged on Ofsted, QAA and service level measures. Deliver customer-focused teaching and learning that ensures it meets learners needs and enriches their lives Further develop our proactive culture so that it supports our vision for self-improvement Embed performance management, personal and professional standards and accountability across all areas of activity Create business support structures, processes and practices that provide internal and external customers with an outstanding experience Further develop systems and opportunities for stakeholder feedback to assess how teaching and learning and business support activities are meeting learners needs and improving the quality of services Key Performance Indicators for Strategic Objective 3 To achieve a position where all curriculum and business support areas are self assessing at good or outstanding Achieve an operating surplus of at least 1% Increase the investment in teaching, learning and assessment by 5% 13
Strategic Objective 4 Retain, reward and recruit a high-quality workforce Implement a recognition and rewards scheme Gather and use staff feedback to improve systems, processes and practices; use feedback to strive for the high levels satisfaction of all staff Continue to invest in staff development to ensure the right skills are in place to support the attainment of our vision Ensure the performance review and appraisal process supports and develops staff to deliver the strategic objectives Implement a range of employment models to support the needs of the individual and fulfil the needs of the organisation Develop a high-performing leadership culture across all levels of the organisation Build capacity within staff teams to support strategic change Promote equality and respect diversity Key Performance Indicators for Strategic Objective 4 Achieve an increase in staff satisfaction by 5% each year Achieve a 100% completion of staff appraisals; set with SMART targets which are supportive of our strategic objectives Reduce staff turnover to 15% 14
Monitoring and performance management Monitoring and performance management of the delivery of the plan will be undertaken by Senior Management Team and Governors. An annual review of the plan by Governors will take place. Targets Targets to support the achievement of the strategic plan will monitored and set annually. 15