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Producing an HE strategy –
A guide for governors,
senior/executive staff and
HE managers in FE Colleges
NOTE: all examples are used with permission and taken from actual
documentation used currently or previously by participating FE or HE
contributors. They are intended for guidance only, and should be
contextualised to meet your own specifications accordingly.
Produced for the Higher Education Academy HE in FE Project Supporting
Higher Education in Further Education Colleges
September 2006 ver.3b (print)
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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................. 3
Background ............................................................................................ 3
So why have an HE strategy? ................................................................. 4
What might an HE strategy look like? ..................................................... 5
An HE strategy usually includes: ......................................................... 5
Thinking about creating an HE strategy .................................................. 6
Analysis of your programme (where we are now) .................................. 8
Creating and Writing the strategy ............................................................ 9
Strategic Aims
(what do we want to achieve?) ..................................... 9
The business plan
(how do we get there?)........................................... 9
Example of review headings from an FEC strategy document .......... 10
Example aims from an FEC strategy document ................................ 11
Stratagem – a plan or trick, especially to deceive an enemy (Collins
Dictionary)
Strategy – the art or science of planning a war (Collins Dictionary)
Strategy (as a perspective)- a “mind-set” where everyone in an
organisation shares a common vision of the purpose and direction of
the organisation which……informs and guides decision-making and
action (Minzberg et al, 1988)
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Introduction
This brief guide aims to assist coordinators and managers of higher
education in further education to support college Governors and senior
managers in their thoughts for creating a strategy for the development and
delivery of higher education provision. It is based on examples of good
practice drawn from further education colleges who have significant HE
provision.
This guide is not meant to be prescriptive, a text on strategic planning, nor
a “how to write” document. It does however, offer some practical
suggestions and food-for-thought from experienced HE in FE Managers
which could be used, for instance, as a basis for a presentation to
Governors and senior managers.
Background
Most FE colleges have some HE provision, and the Government (via recent
White Papers etc) are encouraging colleges, whatever their current
commitment, to become more active, especially with vocationally-based HE
programmes such as Foundation Degrees, and data from HEFCE suggest
that around 12% of HE in England is provided by FECs, with about 30 of
the 350 or so general FE colleges in England delivering about half of this
(the “Mixed Economy Group”)
For some colleges, HE is a major source of income, its provision forms a
significant aspect of their mission, and they may recruit locally, regionally,
nationally, and even internationally
For others, provision may be relatively small, and targeted towards a
specific local need, eg offering progression opportunities for students
leaving Access into HE courses where access to a university campus is
difficult because of geography, providing for a local industry, eg logistics, or
offering professional development/teacher training provision for existing or
new college staff
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So why have an HE strategy?
Where colleges are already involved with or are planning to start or grow
HE-based activity, a well thought-out and robust strategy for HE is equally
as important as that for other provision, in order to ensure that the needs of
the market can be met effectively and efficiently, with the minimum of risk to
the financial stability of the college
As laid out in its Handbook for Integrated Quality and Enhancement
Review, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), in its
approach to institutional audit, will focus particularly on how quality
assurance of higher education provision in colleges is managed, and as
part of this, would expect each college to have a strategy for its HE
provision. http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/IQER/default.asp
Furthermore, the existence (or lack of) an HE strategy is one of those
aspects of HE in FE which is regularly identified as an area for improved
practice by external reviewers and examiners.
In practical terms, college management and governors will need to be able
to understand the value and place of a Higher Education programme within
the institution. Some colleges rely heavily on the financial contribution HE
makes, whilst others value it as a way of enhancing and broadening the
curriculum and providing extra participation opportunities for FE students
who would not normally be attracted to HEI offerings.
Approaches to strategic planning vary in many ways, often related to the
size of the programme and the aspirations of management. What is
common is that an HE programme with a clearly thought-out strategy,
based upon a sound vision, an accurate review and assessment of current
performance, and the creation of achievable, realistic business/operational
plans is more likely to create a positive impact on the college, its community
and all persons involved.
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What might an HE strategy look like?
Regardless of the size of a college and its provision, there are a number of
basic elements that should be considered and included in an HE strategy,
which should offer to all stakeholders a good oversight of where the college
is now, and where it wants to be in the future, and why
An HE strategy usually includes:
Sections on:

What’s running now? What is the content of the current portfolio,
how successful has each component been in attracting and
retaining students, and what in the way of financial benefit has it
brought to the college?

What are the trends? in applications, student numbers and
progression. Are these signs of strengths or weakness and the need
for change?

What’s already planned for the future – and why? Does it match the
vision and mission of the college, will the planned growth meet the
needs of (local) employers, as well as the aspirations of students,
will it bring financial benefit to the college, and will the resources
needed to deliver growth be available?

What might be considered for future growth and development – and
why?
•
•
•
How much is potential growth and development based on
“market needs” – ie is it demand rather than supply-led?
What’s taken place in terms of market research? How much
dialogue has taken place with HEFCE, partner HEIs, and
others about the funding possibilities?
How much consideration has there been about resource
implications (capital, staffing, other costs)?
(see later section on Creating and Writing a Strategy)
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Thinking about creating an HE strategy
The following may need to be done:

Go through a business planning process, to include market
research, financial and operational considerations (in particular
staffing and physical resources), and a (financial) risk assessment.

Undertake internal consultations with Governors and relevant
college staff .

Establish/develop relationships with key external agencies eg HEIs,
partner colleges, employers, etc
and you may wish to consider the following questions as part of your
review:

How is the current HE provision reviewed, using quality indicators
such as recruitment, retention, and achievement, together with
consequent financial considerations, of each component of the
existing HE programme? The use of a range of financial and
marketing tools could be helpful here to assess the “value” of each
component to the college.

Is the curriculum development strategy based upon analysis of
future trends and developments or has development been ad-hoc
and reactive to suit internal needs i.e. progression and staff/facility
resources?

How does the college identify a need for more, or new sorts of
HE provision eg in discussion with employers, sector skills
councils, Regional Development Agencies, HEFCE Regional
aspirations etc? This will help to ascertain what sort and mode of
provision is likely to grow, remain stable, or decline in popularity, to
meet the needs of (local) industries and the community at large.

How does meeting the need fit with the college’s vision and
mission, ie does any proposed new provision fit with the college’s
existing overall approach to education and training?

What steps have been taken to analyse the risks for growing and
developing HE provision, in terms of finance, the college’s
reputation, and its relationship with external organisations including
(partner) HEIs and funders? Have issues about (local) competition,
and partnership working, been explored (and resolved)?

Are relevant college staff aware of Government (and thereby
HEFCE and LSC) priorities, targets, and funding arrangements,
in respect of HE provision in FE colleges? These will certainly
influence the direction that the college wishes to take in terms of its
future provision, and so formulating a sound financial case for
involvement in providing (more or different) HE
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
Are relevant college staff aware of other external influences on
the provision of HE, especially where conforming with these
carries a significant cost, eg the QAA institutional quality audit?
Such (hidden) costs need to be taken into consideration when
making the financial case for HE provision

Will the college be able to identify a partner HEI to work with, for
validation and quality assurance arrangements?

How can partnership arrangements e.g. through LLN’s be used to
enhance curriculum provision and staff development?

Does the college feel able to attract students to new or growing
provision? The college may wish to review its marketing and IAG
strategies, to ensure that existing students on level 3 programmes,
and (local) employers, are fully aware of the unique selling points of
local HE provision, as well as keeping websites, prospectuses etc
fully up-to-date

What will the college do to ensure that it can attract additional
staff, and ensuring that facilities (teaching and support), pay and
conditions of service for staff, staff development opportunities, and
so on will be in place in order to create or enhance a genuine HE
experience for students and staff?

What arrangements will the college make and what resources
applied so that quality systems are in place and working to
ensure continuous improvement?

Are administrative arrangements and support systems for HE
programmes robust? Is the number of administrative staff
sufficient, and are they trained to cope with the differing demands of
HE students, and the complexities of external HE agencies? For
example, Student Loans, UCAS, HEFCE, QAA, LEA’s

Is the college making sufficient headway in enhancing the “HE
Experience” for its students and staff? What opportunities are there
to review the physical environment, curriculum and teaching,
learning and assessment strategies to generate a real ethos of
Higher Education within the HE cohort?
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Analysis of your programme
(where we are now)
A strategy document and subsequent business plan might usefully include,
or be based upon, the following points for ANALYSIS :

Summation of CURRENT values and aspirations for the college
relating to HE and where it sits in the overall Corporate plan for the
college. It might also include listing the current aims of the
programme – (useful to know before QAA reviews).

Analysis of the nature of the current HE environment and
conditions that could lead to future strategic direction, including:




Regional /national trends in education and policies
Value and effectiveness of current partnerships
Nature of competition - public and private
Analysis of current performance:












Programme portfolio - range and appeal – availability
of modes of attendance
Financial contribution or performance of individual
programmes
Trends for applications, numbers, progression
Quality performance by programme (internal and
external audits)
Student evaluations
Teaching and Learning strategies – nature and
currency of teaching methodologies
Staffing resources and capability - teaching and nonteaching and including technician support
Currency of staff skills
Learning resources and facilities, accessibility.
Support systems for learning and IAG
Marketing processes and information for prospective
students
Level of support and the priority senior management
attach to HE in the college.

Identify significant achievements and distinctive strengths of
the Programme - upon which to build confidence and opportunities
for growth.

Evaluate your Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats
Analysis of the areas in the sections above should present an
opportunity to identify key items for development in the business
plan. (see below).
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Creating and Writing the strategy
A strategic plan is usually the culmination of much discussion and
agreement with colleagues and partners. A strategy and its
subsequent operational plans is only likely to work if the key
stakeholders have some ownership or feel their views have
been included in the overall submission.
Above all, plans should be REALISTIC, FEASIBLE and ACHIEVABLE
Strategic Aims
(what do we want to achieve?)
Set out the context for the plan in the short and long terms. Explain the
overall educational and business development aspirations. Make clear
anticipated opportunities, benefits and risks to the organisation and its
stakeholders. Outline the position and image that the college wants to
establish for itself in the HE community.
Set out the aims of the plan and how they fit with the overall corporate
direction. (See Example of aims)
An executive summary is always useful
The business plan
(how do we get there?)
Based upon your previous (SWOT) analysis, set out your Business Plan to
meet your strategic aspirations – It should consist of (at least) 3 elements:
Operational, Financial and Marketing/Publicity
Summarise the aims and the time scale for the plan



The Operations Plan
describing the activities which will be undertaken to remedy
weaknesses and improve operations. This will include targets and
plans for resources, staff development, systems improvement, etc
as appropriate.
It may be appropriate to include bids for resources here.
The Financial Plan
will set out anticipated income and comparative running costs for
the programme. Direct funding or indirect/franchised income,
financial performance targets, plans for capital cost , marketing,etc.
The Marketing Plan
Describing plans for attracting new students. How it differentiates
from the FE marketing; defining markets, and using the most
effective means to get its message across to students and
sponsors.
Review your plans – are they Realistic, Feasible and Achievable?
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Example of review headings from an FEC strategy
document
One large “mixed-economy” college has an extensive 20-page document
(including appendices), which contains the following headings:

Context – which includes reference to the “fit” of HE provision as
part of the college’s mission

Current status – in terms of the curriculum and student numbers,
current and planned, with some historic data.

Strategic influences and implications – including local, regional
and national pointers from Government, the LSC and HEFCE, the
Regional Development Agency, and the local city’s economic and
educational plans

International students – which includes a clear statement about
the intensity of competition from other UK-based providers of HE

Areas of weakness – including recruitment in some curriculum
areas, progression from FE into HE, complexity of validation
arrangements with a range of HE partners, competition, need for
further capital investment, etc

Quality assurance arrangements – including the need for
continuous review and improvement, related to the QAA Code of
Practice

Risks – the risk assessment focuses particularly on the financial
implications for the college
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Example aims from an FEC strategy document
An example of the key aims from one small college’s strategy (a two-page
document plus recruitment targets and financial information) are:

To extend provision at levels 4 and 5 and widen access to higher
education programmes in the area, to ensure equal opportunities for
local students to learn locally

To improve/develop information, advice, and guidance services
for students and employers to ensure maximum awareness of HEbased progression opportunities, including work-based study and
assessment

To work with employers and partner HEIs and colleges to develop
an HE-based curriculum which offers a broad range of curriculum
pathways

To work with local agencies and partners, including the local
Lifelong Learning Network, and Aimhigher, to develop progression
pathways on a regional basis.

To enhance students’ learning opportunities by embracing new
learning technologies and managed learning environments,
ensuring that facilities for vocationally-based learning matches those
available for more academic-based courses

To work in partnership with HEIs and colleges to ensure the
college’s provision is accredited and quality-assured, in order to
enhance students’ opportunities for success and for further
progression
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