How can college-university relationships be further developed across the four nations of the UK to better support individuals, employers and communities?

Join the Independent Commission on the College of the Future and the Civic University Network on Monday 7 February, 13:00-14:30 to discuss their joint report at this online panel event.

At a time when conversations and reforms on the future of post-16 education in each of the four nations are taking place at pace and scale, this report will set out learnings and our recommendations for both practice and policy.

We are delighted to be welcoming experts from across the four nations and across colleges and universities.

Speakers include:

Sir Ian Diamond, Chair of the Independent Commission on the College of the Future

Smita Jamdar (Chair), Partner and Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau and member of the Independent Commission’s expert panel

Audrey Cumberford FRSE MBE, Principal & CEO at Edinburgh College and member of the Independent Commission on the College of the Future

Dr Shaid Mahmood, Chief Officer for Transformation and Change at Leeds City Council, Chair AoC and the Luminate Education Group and Pro-Vice-Chancellor designate at Durham University

Richard Calvert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategy and Operations) at Sheffield Hallam University and Strategic Lead for the Civic University Network

Mark Huddleston, Director at jheSOLUTIONS Limited and formerly NI Commissioner for Employment and Skills

Yana Williams, Chief Executive at Coleg Cambria

There will be a question and answer segment included in the event.

Joining the event

Registering via Eventbrite confirms your place on the launch event, Zoom joining instructions will be sent to you in advance via email at the address you use to register with.

About the report

Education has the power to be transformative. Colleges and universities sit at the heart of their communities and share a common purpose: to ensure that all people, no matter their background or past experiences, and no matter where in the UK they live and work, can access high-quality and relevant education and skills, and the opportunities that these bring.

Yet too often we present learners and employers with a system which is driven by institutional perspectives and interests, rather than focusing on the wider benefits which could be achieved through a more connected, more collaborative and more ambitious approach to what can be achieved together. This report will be a call to action for leaders of colleges and universities, and for the policy makers who can help or hinder them, to step up and to work together to ensure that the transformative power of further education and higher education extends to every corner of the UK.

The report is written by Sheffield Hallam University, on behalf of the Civic University Network, in partnership with the Independent Commission of the College for the Future. The analysis and recommendations within this report represent the views of the authors.

For more information about this event please contact: civicuniversity@shu.ac.uk