Overview of our further education and skills strategy from Robin Ghurbhurun, managing director further education and skills.

1. Elevating the UK further
education and skills sectors
Robin Ghurbhurun
Managing director, further education and skills
1

2. Shaping the digital future of FE and skills
Learning from mass transition to
remote learning and working
• Digital pedagogy
• Digital content
• Digital exclusion
• Staff capabilities and confidence
• Assessment
• Learner experience and wellbeing
• Staff experience and wellbeing
• Digital leadership
• Systems reform
2

3. Research partnership led by Jisc/AoC
• Carried out in June and July 2020 during lockdown
• 3 webinars
• 2 virtual roundtables
• Over 450 delegates
• 152 organisations including colleges, sector bodies,
awarding organisations, inspectorates and government
3

4. Key recommendations for:
• Colleges
• Government
• Sector bodies
https://ji.sc/shaping-digital-futures

5. Delegate quotes – College CEO
5
“To be fully successful, staff need to embark on a degree of re-framing their
teaching and support methods, in order to learn new approaches. This
must be done with encouragement, care and support to ensure successful
adoption if sustainable change is desired. It is easy to become overly
focused with the development of the digital skills of staff, who may indeed
need some CPD in these skills, over the pedagogical changes they will
need to explore before successfully experimenting and adopting blended
learning approaches in their own practice.”
Stuart Laverick, principal and chief executive, Heart of Worcestershire College

6. Delegate quotes - Learners
6
“Some teachers do not have the adequate technological knowledge or
confidence to make full use of such technology”
“We students timed one of the lecturers on how long it took for them to
access the learning materials they needed and it took 35 minutes of a two-
hour lesson.”
“It would be good if tutors had day courses on digital technology and how
to use it so they could then help us in classes”

7. Delegate quote – AoC President
7
“In time, as we emerge from the pandemic, I would hope that the
assessment boards, working with Jisc, will convene forward-looking teams
to scope out what could be done differently and better in future: what are
the lessons and opportunities of the ‘new’ world view of education?
Policymakers, professional associations and membership bodies should
also be involved in the process, and – critically – students.”
Steve Frampton, president, AoC

8. Key findings: Learners
• Accessibility: ensure all learners have access to learning (wifi, device and
learning space) and understand when they can participate online
• Online learning is different to face to face: learners need help to engage in
online and independent learning effectively
• Online lesson fatigue: lessons need to be short and informative, supported
by peer collaboration activities
• Feedback: ensure learners receive timely feedback on their learning and
progress
8

9. Key findings: Staff
• Accessibility: concern learners won’t have the necessary kit, skills or experience
to learn effectively online
• Relationships with learners: concerned about ability to build professional
relationships with learners and to support them to build relationships with their
peers in September
• Workload: 73% of delegates indicated they had seen an increase or significant
increase (38%) in their workload. 55% indicated increase in their productivity
• Continuing Professional Development: ability to access and participate in
appropriate digital CPD opportunities
9

10. Key findings: Digital pedagogy
• Digital capability of staff: need for comprehensive CPD programme for staff at all
levels of digital capability. Additional support for staff who feel digital is not for
them and may be at risk of leaving FE
• Mixed delivery methods: synchronous and asynchronous. Online participation is
different to face to face
• Quality of TLA: importance of good digital pedagogy, concerns about not being
able to deliver a high quality online/blended learning experience
• Quality learning content: access to interactive third party content
• Single sign on: reduce barriers for learners by ensuring single authentication
method and integration of multiple systems
10

11. Key findings: Digital leadership
• Inclusion and accessibility: increasing digital divide, impact on learner
wellbeing
• Assessment: new approaches including flexibility for hybrid delivery e.g. just
in time, simulated assessment and micro-credentials
• Funding, audit and quality: GLH/PLH, monitoring impact and sharing best
practice
• Staff confidence and consistency: differentiated professional development,
preparing new staff for digital delivery and access to high quality digital
resources across all curriculum
11

12. Jisc’s response to
shaping the digital
future of FE and skills
FE and skills existing product
and services offer

13. R&D and emerging products and services
•Digital content search and discovery
platform
•Digital diagnostic and mapping tool
(Elevation Model)
• Virtual classroom
• AR/VR content for vocational and
technical subjects
• Open badges
• College Analytics
• Careers Explorer applications
• Digital Assistants and Chatbots
• Managed services:
•Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS):
cyber and security operations, cloud,
networks, wifi;
• Software as a Service (SaaS):
vendor applications, virtual library
• People as a Service (PaaS):
consulting, technical experts
• Educational Virtual Private Network
(EduVPN)

15. Further education and skills context
The 4th industrial revolution is underway
Industry 1.0
Mechanical
production equipment
powered by steam
Industry 2.0
Mass production
assembly lines
requiring labour and
electrical energy
Industry 3.0
Automated
production using
electronics and I.T.
Industry 4.0
Intelligent production
incorporated with
Internet of Things,
cloud technology and
big data
15

16. The Digital Provider Environment
16

17. FES strategy
Over the next 3 years our focus on Digital,
Data and Technology will provide unrivalled
advice, guidance and services to:
• elevate the sector’s ability to serve
people as lifelong learners, increase
productivity and transform their place;
• be acknowledged as the trusted digital
partner for the sector;
• provide solutions through innovation
and co-design with the sector
17
https://ji.sc/FES-2023

18. Our Top 3 deliverables?
18
Supporting every provider to achieve as a minimum the
Foundation criteria within 3-years elevating learner and staff
digital experiences
Elevation of Digital Leadership across the FES sector through
insight, guidance and adoption of digital, data and technologies.
Provide every provider with a Digital Elevation Model
diagnostic tool and roadmap to self-assess and plan for
elevation with external validation of their e-maturity.

19. Ambition for FES
For the FES sector to be world
leaders in their use of technology.
For Jisc to support the FES sector to
ELEVATE:
• Leadership, culture and governance
• Learner experience
• Staff experience
• Curriculum development
• Underpinning technology services

20. Jisc’s digital
elevation model
The Digital Elevation Model
provides statements that allow
anyone working within a FES
Provider to review the status of
their Digital Elevation in terms
of the Foundations they have
put in place, the elements to
Transform and where possible
the Elevate components that
ensure a provider is at the
forefront of digital best practice.

21. help@jisc.ac.uk
jisc.ac.uk
Robin Ghurbhurun
Managing director, further
education and skills, Jisc
robin.ghurbhurun@jisc.ac.uk
4 Portwall Lane
Bristol
BS1 6NB
2
1