Mission, vision and values MissionTo enhance the lives of our students and other customers, maximising their potential through learning.

VisionWe will work:

To raise ambitions and expectationsTo raise levels of knowledge and skillsTo improve employment prospectsTo improve community cohesion.

We will do this through:

The provision of education and training which meets the needs of students, other customers and employers

The consistent improvement of quality and student success

The effective delivery of contracts

Continuous improvement and development of resources and staff.

The College’s activities, and staff behaviours, are governed by our values;

ValuesRespecting and helping each otherEngaging people through teaching with expertise and enthusiasmDeveloping people through learningBringing out the best in each otherPlaying a positive role in our community.

www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk

Strategic Development Plan 2015-18

Strategic Development Plan 2015-18

www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk

Context and purpose

Northampton College is a successful general further education college in the region with nearly 10,000 students, a turnover of over £28 million, nearly 800 members of staff. Just over 45% of students are engaged in full-time study and nearly 41% are aged 16-18. There are a high proportion of adult students (just under 60%) on programmes both in college and in the workplace including growing numbers following Apprenticeships. The introduction of Higher Apprenticeships in 2015 will support local employers.

The College is growing its higher education provision and has gained accreditation for new courses in conjunction with The University of Northampton and The University of Warwick. The College is also now directly funded for higher education delivering Pearson Edexcel HNC/D products.

All 16-18 students are profiled for English and maths so that their development needs are understood and individual targets are mutually agreed.

We have developed an inclusive English and maths strategy with clear and supportive routes to GCSE achievement at grade C or better.

The College has a curriculum map that spans a wide range of subjects from Entry Level to Level 5, including programmes for students with learning difficulties and or disabilities, to those on higher education (HE) courses.

The College also offers a wide range of training programmes for small and large employers. We have developed a dynamic employer engagement strategy which responds to local and regional businesses.

Approximately 30,000 businesses are situated in Northamptonshire.

Over the last five years, there have been unprecedented challenges within the national and global economy. Developments in government policy have resulted in significant changes for the education sector and its funding. There are early signs that business confidence is improving and economic recovery for the UK is underway.

Northampton College has a central role to play in supporting economic productivity for its communities and employers. We deliver a responsive curriculum that will ensure that we are meeting the needs of our county, surrounding areas and Local Enterprise Partnership priorities (Northampton Enterprise Partnership and South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership).

Northampton College’s purpose is to provide high quality further education, training and associated services to people and businesses in Northamptonshire.

The College’s mission is to enhance the lives of our students and other customers maximising their potential through learning.

Over the next three years we will build on our good foundations to further develop the College as a centre of excellence for our customers including young people aged 14-19, adults, apprentices, higher education students, partners and businesses. We will develop new

ways of working with existing partners and find new partners; we will build our capacity to respond to the people of Northamptonshire, so that we can better serve our community. We will continue to improve our levels of efficiency and effectiveness within the market.

Recent progress

Northampton College has excelled in many areas over the last five years. It has completely re-developed its campuses in Northampton delivering state of the art facilities for the local community. Working in partnership with SEMLEP and Daventry District Council, plans for a new college to open in Daventry in 2016 are well underway.

Ofsted has confirmed that we are a ‘good’ college.

Ninety-five percent of our students achieve their qualification and eighty three per cent go on to further study or employment.

The national authority on quality and standards in higher education has awarded Northampton College with the highest possible rating for the delivery of its programmes in the Arts and Initial Teacher Training. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) judged that they had full confidence in its management of standards and quality.

Northampton College has won the highest accolade in the country for four years running following its response to the national Six Book Challenge organised by The Reading Agency. The College collected Gold Awards between 2012 and 2015 for the highest level of engagement with the scheme in the UK.

The College is proud to hold the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award for the Effective Integration of Libraries in Curriculum Delivery. More than 30 colleges from around the country have now visited our state of the art library to find out about this project that is designed to help students develop research and study skills.

of ourstudentsachievedTHEIRqualifications

95%

of ourstudentswent on toFURTHER STUDY

OR EMPLOYMENT

83%

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£“There is a culture of high expectation and high achievement.”

Introduction from the Principal Northampton College is going from strength to strength; a successful college, financially strong with good governance. We are passionate about our students; we place them at the centre of all our activity. We have very high standards of teaching, training and assessment, combined with outstanding student support enabling each student to make good progress.

There is a culture of high expectation and high achievement.

We are committed to developing the professional and technical skills of our students who are the future employers and workforce. We pride ourselves on the support we offer employers through our Business Centre. We work closely with many partners with an Apprenticeship offer that spans 504 employers and is tailored to our local and regional industries. We aim to support the labour market by making good use of everybody’s talent, strengthening and challenging our students to reach their potential and be the best they can be.

As the education sector experiences radical changes in funding and education reform, the Strategic Plan provides greater clarity of direction reflecting opportunities and challenges. As part of the process, we have involved our governors, partners, employers, students and staff.

Northampton College is a central resource for our community. We will play an important role in reforming our region. We aim to be excellent in all we do.

Pat Brennan-Barrett

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Innovation and changeTo ensure we can meet the needs of our students and partners, we have implemented a new IT infrastructure, new project management system and a leadership change management programme.

Higher educationPolicy change from government allows new entrants into this market.

In response to our Local Enterprise Partnership priorities, we have initiated a new Higher Education Strategy providing more choice and flexibility at Level 4 and above. We aim to grow our higher education offer to complement our extensive curriculum map and offer clear progression routes for Level 3 students.

SchoolsWe aim to work with partner schools, building on strong relationships and developing others to strengthen the education for 14-19 year olds in Northamptonshire. In the future, we will invest in our support. As part of our inclusion strategy, we will work with parents, carers and partners to support disadvantaged groups, looked after children and NEETs.

Our successes

Aspiring hat maker and fashion student Melissa Mehrtens won first prize of £1,200 in the international millinery competition the Feltmakers’ Design Award and the chance to work for designer Rachel Trevor Morgan who supplies headwear to the Duchess of Cambridge. Melissa was named the overall winner of the prestigious competition, organised by the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers of London and has subsequently been nominated for the Association of Colleges’ Student of the Year award.

Engineering student Matthew Quincey secured an Apprenticeship with Formula 1 world champions Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP). He will start his Apprenticeship with HPP after completing his full time engineering study programme giving him the chance to pursue a career in Formula 1 motor sports.

Also as part of our relationship with Mercedes, the Brixworth-based company named engineering student Levi Medina as its ‘Student of the Year’. Mechanical engineer Levi was rewarded for his commitment to learning, good grades and hard work. Levi won £500, a week’s work experience with Mercedes HPP and a place at the motorsport company’s Apprenticeship assessment centre.

A group of eleven Dance students won through to the prestigious Festival of Dance, fending off competition from across the region to earn the right to perform on the national stage. The students were selected to represent the East Midlands at the national festival after impressing judges at the regional finals in Nottingham. They went on to perform in Plymouth alongside some of the biggest names in dance at the national festival. It is the first time Northampton College has been represented at the festival.

Engineering student Gina Hammersley and apprentice Courtenay Wells won International Women’s Day bursaries of £5,000 from Northampton Borough Council. Gina and Courtenay will use the prize money to help with their studies as part of a scheme launched by Northampton Borough Council to encourage women into less traditional vocations.

The Nursery at Booth Lane has been awarded a Grade 2 (Good) by Ofsted at its recent inspection. Ofsted inspectors observed children at play in the nursery rooms and outside areas, spoke to children, parents and staff and looked at children’s the nursery’s records, policies and procedures. The report praised the Nursery for its professionalism.

A former Northampton College student is hoping to represent the UK at the 2017 World Skills competition in Abu Dhabi, having been selected as part of the provisional squad. Electrical engineering graduate Connor Bing works as a mechatronics engineer for Brackmills-based automation company Festo, and will be using his expertise in circuit design, robotics and automated machinery to impress the judges at the UK Skills showcase at the NEC in Birmingham.

Companies across the county are set to give students real life experience in the world of work following a successful campaign by the Business Centre. The ‘100 companies in 100 days’ campaign was aimed at getting 100 local businesses to sign up to offer work experience to college students. The target has already been exceeded with 150 companies having signed up to the scheme.

A team of Business students from Northampton College became finalists in the Subway ‘Design a Sub’ challenge. The competition challenged budding entrepreneurs to design and market a brand new sandwich.

Strategic Development Plan 2015-18

www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk

Four students, Tom Anderson, Olly Betts, Sian Kennett and Josh Welsford produced a unique sandwich named ‘The St. George’s Sub’, themed around the Rugby World Cup and designed to be healthy and nutritious. The students faced a nerve-wracking Dragons’ Den style pitch at The University of Cambridge. They won an award for best presentation and were rewarded with £250 in Amazon vouchers.

Strategic planning cycle The key to our business planning process lies with our strategic priorities and key performance targets. These are informed by our self-assessment process, regional priorities and economic drivers.

A theatre of learning

Priorities and strategic aims

1. Quality teaching and learning – excellence for all

Quality remains paramount. Our highest priority is to ensure that our students achieve well and develop during their time in college so that they are ready to move on with confidence into further study, employment or self-employment.

We will; Place students at the centre of all our activities

Provide an outstanding experience of teaching, learning and assessment

Stretch, challenge and inspire our students

Build knowledge, skills, character and resilience

Improve continuously through innovation – sharing ideas

Provide an outstanding environment as a learning organisation.

2. Be an effective and productive college

Resources continue to be constrained by the national climate of austerity. Our aim is to use the resources available to us in the most efficient way possible so that we develop and grow through effective planning.

We will; Achieve the College’s overall financial plan by ensuring that commercial reality drives decisions and directions

Ensure sound business planning

Use data, research and information effectively

Develop an entrepreneurial culture and alternative income streams to reduce reliance on government funding

Maximise operational efficiency

Promote a culture of sustainability throughout the organisation

Continue to invest in world class learning environments

Respond to the changing landscape.

3. Be the college in the community – drive the economy

We are passionate about our community. The College belongs to Northamptonshire and exists to serve the interests of local people. We will listen carefully to the communities we serve and develop our offer alongside other organisations to make sure we support wider economic prosperity and productivity.

We will; Give our students an outstanding opportunity to reach their goals

Develop the curriculum map for our community and Local Enterprise Partnership priorities – Apprenticeships and Traineeships

Develop entrepreneurship and employment skills

Deliver a skilled workforce through upskilling technical and professional workers

Identify and respond to the needs of our customers

Develop the college reputation through outstanding outcomes for students and employers.

Strategic Priorities

KeyPerformance

Targets

Curriculum Planning

Assessment of Progress

Improvement Strategies

Review of Progress

Strategic Development Plan 2015-18

www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk

The College’s offerThe College offers a broad range of full-time and part-time courses, many funded by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the European Social Fund (ESF). In addition, it provides higher education courses in conjunction with The University of Northampton, The University of Warwick and Pearson Edexcel and provides support for a range of other organisations including the voluntary sector.

The curriculum offers programmes from within the following Subject Sector Areas;

• Accountancy

• Arts, Media and Publishing

• Beauty Therapy

• Business, Administration and Law

• Childcare

• Education and Training

• Electrical & Electronic Engineering

• Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies

• English and Mathematics

• English for Speakers of Other Languages

• Fashion

• Foundation Programmes

• Hairdressing

• Health and Care

• History, Philosophy and Theology

• Hospitality and Catering

• Information and Communication Technology

• Languages, Literature and Culture

• Leisure, Travel and Tourism

• Logistics

• Motor Vehicle

• Music

• Performing Arts

• Preparation for Life and Work

• Public Services

• Science

• Social Sciences

• Sport

• Supported Learning

• Travel

• Welding & Fabrication.

All full-time students follow a comprehensive Study Programme that includes a main qualification which helps them prepare for employment, Apprenticeships or higher education.

In addition, as part of the Study Programme, students continue studying maths and English and work towards a qualification if they haven’t already achieved a GCSE in both subjects at Grade C or above. Study Programmes also encompass work experience and students are helped to develop their employability skills through work experience.

For young people, the College offers a unique experience with opportunities to embrace greater independence and self-reliance while they continue to be supported.

For adults looking for career advancement or those returning to work, there are a number of options for gaining qualifications either in the workplace or through part-time study in the evening and at weekends. The College offers a popular Access to HE programme for which those aged over 24 can apply for a student loan, funded by the government, to pay for the cost of their course.

The College works with hundreds of employers and has developed advisory boards that help keep us informed about the latest industry requirements on education and training. Our aim is to be sufficiently flexible and agile so that we can respond to the changing needs of businesses and design our offer for the local market.

The College exists to serve everyone within its communities and that includes providing a service to those who may have missed out on education in their earlier years. Our Skills Centres in Northampton and Daventry offer help with maths, English and IT skills at flexible times to suit people who work. We also provide job-search skills, CV-writing and interview techniques.

In terms of high level skills, the College is also gradually expanding its professional qualifications base, continuing to offer some traditionally successful courses in accounting, for example, alongside the addition of new programmes such as human resource management. We aim to develop our capacity still further to train people in their place of work and many already benefit from gaining qualifications without attending college.

£20bn

About Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire has been identified by the Centre for Cities as one of the best places in the UK to start a business and the third best county in the country in the Halifax Quality of Life study.

The economy is showing strong growth with turnover amongst the Top 100 private companies increasing by 7% in 2014 to £5.5bn according to Grant Thornton.

Northamptonshire aims to grow its economy to £20bn overall by 2020. This will be aided by the delivery of superfast broadband for all by 2017.

Growth in the economy will be supported by £120m of government growth fund investment that will help deliver 32,500 new jobs, attract 1,600 new businesses and see the provision of 37,000 new homes in the county.

The county is home to many significant brands and international companies including Barclaycard, Carlsberg UK, Mercedes-AMG, Weetabix and Cosworth. It hosts a high concentration of high performance technology businesses and supports key sectors such as logistics, food and drink and creative and cultural industries.

Employment levels are rising and increased by 5.7% to 2015 to levels above the national average. Unemployment is at its lowest rate for six years across all the county’s towns.

Jo Lappin, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) said:

“The availability of a qualified and skilled workforce is critical to meeting Northamptonshire’s ambitious economic growth plans, with the FE sector and Northampton College key to delivering this. Northampton College is an important strategic and delivery partner making a strong contribution to identifying the needs of business and ensuring that their curriculum meets these needs.The principal and members of the senior management team play a full and active role in Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership’s governance structure sitting on both thematic and sectoral strategy boards and helping to set the direction of the work programme for each of these.The College is genuinely helping to create a 21st century learning environment for Northamptonshire making sure that all students have the best possible learning experience. Importantly, it has created a supportive learning experience that allows all of its students to reach their full potential.”

Northamptonshire has one of the fastest growing populations in the country and 83% of its residents are economically active (compared with a national average of 77%). The proportion of the population claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) is slightly below the national average at 2%.In terms of educational attainment, the county lags behind the rest of the UK with lower levels than average qualified at Level 4 or above. A further challenge is the slightly higher than average proportion of those aged 18-24 claiming JSA (4% compared with 3.8% nationally).

The county benefits from the support of two Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). The College works in close partnership with Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership to develop the skills base in the county focusing on industry-specific skills, meeting the demands of employers for workforce development and building capacity in Apprenticeships and Traineeships.

The College is pleased to contribute to NEP’s aims through its membership of the Employment & Skills board and key sub groups that cover the logistics, high performance technology, creative and cultural, and the food & drink sectors.

South East Midlands Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) is responsible for promoting growth in Daventry and Northampton and its remit also extends as far south as Aylesbury and as far north as Corby.

SEMLEP aims to deliver more new homes, create more sustainable jobs, attract more new businesses to the region and increase investment in infrastructure and the environment.

It also aims to increase the number of Apprenticeships in the region especially as part of the development of the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone.

Dr Ann Limb, CBE DL, Chair of South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), said:

“Northampton College works to create a learning environment in which students graduate with the skills and experience that local employers need. Businesses across the region are rightly engaging with Northampton College to find new talent, to upskill staff, to recruit apprentices and to access expertise. 

“Skills are essential to the growth and economy of the South East Midlands and Northampton College works closely with SEMLEP and other colleges in the South East Midlands to drive this agenda and to create the offer, the training and qualifications that fit business needs.”

SEMLEP assisted the College to secure funds of £6.5m from the Local Growth Fund to invest in the £13m re-development of a new campus for Daventry due to be unveiled in 2016.

The Daventry project is also supported by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP).

Strategic Development Plan 2015-18

www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk

Northampton College Booth LaneNorthamptonNN3 3RF

Northampton College DaventryBadby Road WestDaventryNN11 4HJ

Northampton College Lower MountsNorthamptonNN1 3DE

email: enquiries@northamptoncollege.ac.ukPhone: 01604 734567