Strategic Plan 2017-2020

Overview

Confirmed in November 2015 as a Good College with Outstanding features by Ofsted, and with a positive inspection from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education in 2014, our learners continue to achieve excellent results, securing Petroc’s position as a leading College for A level, professional, community, technical and Apprenticeship provision in Devon. Petroc is in sound financial health with a robust forecast which demonstrates that good and outstanding financial health will be maintained over the next five years. 

2 | Overview and Our Mission | Strategic Plan

Petroc is a high performing, entrepreneurial and inclusive College of Further and Higher Education based in North and Mid Devon, supporting the skills and development needs of the wider South West region through exciting, innovative and productive partnerships. Serving a predominantly rural, geographically dispersed population with substantial pockets of economic deprivation, Petroc provides broad-ranging, high-quality education, training and development opportunities to meet the needs of the communities it serves. Our overriding aim is to be the first choice provider of education, training and skills for our communities.

Our MissionAn Excellent College, Inspiring our Communities through Learning

We are proactive in growing key areas of activity to meet local needs, such as Apprenticeships and Higher Education and have taken an entrepreneurial approach to improving our resilience through diversifying our income and increasing our efficiency, whilst maintaining our drive for excellence. 

Petroc’s Strategic Plan for the period 2017-2020 outlines the College’s approach to deliver Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Strategic Aims over the next three years.

Our Vision and Our Values | Strategic Plan | 3

Our Vision

Working closely with our stakeholders, including the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership and our Local Education Authority, employers across the region, local councils, schools and community groups, we will continue to drive forward productivity, social mobility and economic success; deliver excellence and meet local and regional skills and employability needs; and maintain robust finances and invest in our workforce, in high quality industry standard learning spaces, equipment and IT.

Petroc will support the development of sustainable economic growth and high- quality, productive jobs, and will create a pipeline of talent for local and regional businesses. We will continue to contribute towards creating a responsive environment where businesses and individuals can achieve their ambitions through working together to ensure they have the skills and technical competencies to capitalise on our area’s distinctive assets.

Petroc has an important role to play in ensuring individuals have the tools to reach their full potential. Unemployment rates in our area are low, but this masks under-performance against a number of economic measures, indicating significant untapped potential for growth

and prosperity. Through identifying, understanding and meeting the skills needs of our area and providing inclusive and inspirational teaching and learning, we will promote innovation, productivity and profitability. We will use technology innovatively and effectively to underpin delivery and equip our staff and learners with the digital skills required by today’s and tomorrow’s technology driven society. 

The Petroc Strategic Plan 2017-2020 is designed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate changes in the wider national economic and political landscape within which the College operates including:

• The outcome of the 2017 General Election.

• The changing curriculum, funding and accountability systems for Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE), notably the Apprenticeship reforms and the proposals for technical education (T levels).

• The impact of the continuing economic instability arising from Brexit, combined with uncertainty regarding the future levels of public funding for FE and HE.

Raising Aspirations, Realising Potential, Delivering Success In achieving our Mission and Vision we will be:

• 16-18 demography in Northern and Mid Devon, where student numbers are forecast to increase to 2010 levels again, only towards the end of this strategic planning period.

• The continued drive on English and Mathematics qualifications for all 16-18s who have not achieved a standard pass or above at school.

• Embedding Prevent and British Values.

• Government’s priority to narrow ‘the social mobility divide’.

• The alignment of post 19 student loans for study at level 3 and above for FE and HE, and associated reforms to quality assurance systems and learner feedback in a more consumerist market.

Our Values

• Professional • Trusted • Ambitious • Inclusive

4 | College Context | Strategic Plan

College Context• We deliver education and training to over 10,000 learners each year (of which 3,500 are full-time).

• We provide Higher Education, including Honours Degree level, to more than 500 people annually to address the higher skills needs of our area.

• We support nearly 2,000 employers with education, training and business development.

• We offer 15 career progression pathways to higher and degree apprenticeships; and we trained approximately 1,000 apprentices in 2016/17 with significant growth projected to 2020.

• We have an effective risk management system.

• OFSTED judged our provision to be ‘Good with Outstanding’ features in 2012, this grading was sustained at our short inspection in November 2015 and since then we have continued to drive forward significant quality improvements.

• The QAA for HE has confirmed that Petroc meets UK standards set for University Education with good practice in Employability and Special Support for learners.

• The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Silver Award recognises the delivery of high quality teaching, learning and outcomes for learners. It demonstrates Petroc consistently exceeded rigorous national quality requirements for UK HE.

• We are proactive in attracting investment and take pride in our strong financial management and control. Our turnover is around £29m, the vast majority of which is spent in our local communities, supporting local businesses and creating high quality employment opportunities.

• We employ over 800 staff, which equates to over 500 full-time equivalent posts; we are the second largest employer in Northern Devon and invest more than £200k in our staff development and welfare annually.

• Over the last 5 years, we have invested over £23m in improving our estate and IT facilities.

ConsultationWe consulted extensively with our communities and wider stakeholder groups on our Strategic Plan 2015-2020. We have undertaken further consultation with our staff team and current learners for this 2017-2020 update.

Our Strategic Priorities | Strategic Plan | 5

Our Strategic Priorities 2017-2020

Excellent teaching and learning experience• Flexible responsive curriculum and provision

• Delivering skills for today and the future

• Aspirational career pathways

Our people• Employer of choice

• Business-focused, people-centred

• Innovative and ambitious

Growth and innovation• Championing skills for business innovation

• Working with employers

• Growing productivity and the economy

Finance and resources• Efficient curriculum and business models

• Inspiring learning environments and social spaces

• Financial resilience

Partnerships and external engagement• Curious, listening and responding

• Building lasting relationships

• Delivering outstanding year-round service

Our Mission An Excellent College,

Inspiring our Communities through Learning

Our Vision Raising Aspirations, Realising Potential, Delivering Success

Our Values Professional, Trusted, Ambitious, Inclusive

Excellent teaching and learning experience

• It means that we listen to our learners and stakeholders and understand their needs.

• It means being forward-thinking and forward seeing, to develop an innovative curriculum offer.

• It means developing career pathways which offer the opportunity to gain qualifications to degree level, either at College or in paid employment in the workplace.

• It means embracing excellence and innovative teaching and learning, using e-technologies to support learning without boundaries, at College, in the workplace and at home.

• It means supporting our learners to be the very best they can be.

• It means we are the provider of choice for our communities.

6 | Learners, Curriculum and Quality | Strategic Plan

We are celebrated by our communities, stakeholders and employers for getting the best from and for our learners.We plan our curriculum strategically to meet the needs of all learners, developing their skills for today and for the future, enabling them to explore wider horizons and develop aspirational career pathways.

What does that mean in practice?

• Learner Satisfaction will be 90% in metrics for further and higher education.

• Our Performance Measures will be within the top 10% nationally.

• Become Ofsted Outstanding.

• Achieve Higher Education Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award.

• Deliver a minimum of 10% of our curriculum through e-learning technology.

• Working in partnership with local schools and employers to improve standards and raise the aspirations of our communities.

Key deliverables

Learners, Curriculum and Quality | Strategic Plan | 7

Key deliverables

LearningExcellent teaching and learning experience

SkillsSkills for today and the future

Car

eers

Asp

irat

iona

l car

eer

path

way

s Curriculum

Flexible and responsive

Young and Adult Learners ApprenticesHigher EducationPartnersEmployers

Quality

Inclusive Safe

Equality

Sectors and Industries• First class industry resources• Focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, and Local Enterprise Partnership priorities in Creative Arts and Innovation, Health and Care, Food and Tourism

Progression into sustainable careers and Higher Education• Developing a world view and experiences• Progression into sustainable careers and Higher Education

Employers and Universities• Skilled and professional staff

• Planned with employers to develop an experienced and skilled workforce for Northern and Mid Devon • Financially accessible to adults learners through loans and the employer levy

Schools, Parents and Carers• Excellent support and guidance, motivating learners to be the best• Innovative approaches to learning and problem solving

Our People

• It means continually engaging with staff on matters that affect them and the College.

• It means ensuring the College contracts of employment are modern and fit for purpose, whilst being future-proofed and comfortable with change management.

• It means proactive workforce planning, aligning the staffing needs with the business needs.

• It means effectively managing all performance and continually equipping and developing our people managers.

• It means managing talent and succession planning and continually developing our people.

• It means ensuring that staff benefits are competitive and valued.

• It means fostering a culture of wellness in our people.

• It means valuing a diverse staff team.

8 | Our People | Strategic Plan

We are business focussed and people centredWe strive to be an employer of choice. We value our staff team; we are professional, committed and hard working. All staff seek to ensure our learners’ needs are met and, where possible, exceeded. We invest in Continual Professional Development (CPD) and staff have access to both internal and external training and development. We have clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and we continually monitor these and address matters as they arise with compassion, professionalism and efficiency.

What does that mean in practice?• Overall staff satisfaction is 80% or higher.

• Vacant posts are recruited to within 12 weeks.

• All staff have a performance appraisal.

• 90% of staff are graded as good or better through the appraisal or lesson observation process.

• Staff turnover is between 10-20%.

• Staff sickness absence is less than 4%.

• All staff undertake CPD.

Key deliverables

Our People | Strategic Plan | 9

Culture

Communication

Enga

gem

ent

Effective Leadership and Talent M

anagement

Our PeopleEngaged Committed EmpoweredMotivatedHigh Performing

Attracted

Valued Developed

Retained

• Staff forum / Joint Consultative Committee• Newsletter• Staff briefings• Focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion• Effective use of My Petroc - the College’s intranet• Consultation / focus groups

• Effective HR policies and procedures• Effective HR system/s• Innovative recruitment• Strong employer brand

• Effective performance management• Agreed values• Inclusive culture• Attractive remuneration• Flexible benefits• Well-being focus• Effective reward and recognition

• Leading Empowered Organisation trained leaders and managers• Talent/succession management• Aspire to leader programme• Effective induction• Effective CPD: College / department / individual

Growth and innovation

• It means we have a systematic approach to developing employer relationships to ensure we reach more employers and engage in meaningful dialogue with them.

• It means we work with other organisations where appropriate to further our aims.

• It means we are curious to understand what employers, partners and communities need from us and that we are listening to what they say.

• It means that client facing teams work closely with curriculum and other staff to provide market intelligence on businesses’ needs, emerging markets and sectors and the wider skills agenda.

• It means that we design and deliver flexible and relevant products and services that meet the needs of employers and other markets.

• It means that we are able to articulate our offer and its value effectively in our verbal and written communications and that our proposals and responses to invitations to tender are compelling and successful.

• It means providing excellent Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) to our learners to ensure that there is a highly skilled work ready workforce for our communities.

10 | Growth and Innovation | Strategic Plan

We lead business growth and innovation activities with a skills focus for our areaWe engage with employers to shape our offer to meet their current and future workforce development needs and, in so doing, expand our customer base and contribute to economic growth. Our ambition to be a provider of choice for Apprenticeships, higher skills and professional development programmes will grow and diversify our income streams.

Income growth will support investment in Petroc’s learners, staff and facilities so that the College is vibrant and sustainable for the future. Our client-facing teams deliver excellent service and understand how their roles contribute to delivering growth and innovation. The College is committed to excellent delivery of high-quality products and services to businesses all year round.

What does that mean in practice?• Income streams and return generated from or with employers to grow by 15% by 2020.

• Client relationship management system provides appropriate management information about our business development engagement with businesses, enabling client enquiries to be acknowledged within 2 working days.

• Petroc is represented on key external groups to gather market intelligence about employer and sectoral skills and service needs or future development opportunities, as well as helping to drive the skills and innovation agendas.

• The College has an effective horizon-scanning process to ensure relevant opportunities are identified and maximised.

• Petroc’s marketing and communications are tailored and relevant to its different audiences and, additionally, supported by a suite of materials and social media activities designed specifically to engage employers.

• Internal commercial group, with representatives from academic, business development and support teams, meets regularly to shape products and services in response to business needs and market demand.

• Bidding success for new projects and programmes grows sustainable income.

Key deliverables

Growth and Innovation | Strategic Plan | 11

Key deliverables

Growth and InnovationChampioning skills for business innovationWorking with employersGrowing productivity and the economy

Innovation• Horizon scanning• Research and development• Knowledge exchange• Partnerships• Benchmarking and performance improvement• Delivery models and curriculum design

StakeholderRelationships• Delivering Partnership programmes• Delivering for funders• Work with the Board of Governors• Listening to learners• Influencing policymakers• Local and national government

Skills• Proactive curriculum design and development• Informed by labour market intelligence• Progression Pathways• Apprenticeships• Workforce Development• Enterprise and entrepreneurship• Delivering Higher & Degree level skills

Employers• Engaging employers• Focusing on key sectors• Designing and delivering with partners• Connected regional and national networks• Effective client relationship management• Providing high quality Apprenticeships• Meaningful relationships with our business development team• Informed by employer organisations

Productivity

Creativity

Developm

entIn

war

d In

vest

men

t

Successful

Engaged Relevant

Forward

Thinking

Finance and resources

• It means setting a balanced budget which is deliverable in an unstable external political environment and prioritises a reduction in our dependence on state funding.

• It means designing our learning and social spaces as a physical representation of the institution’s vision and strategy for learning – responsive, inclusive, and supportive of attainment by all.

• It means that we empower learners and our staff to fully exploit and develop further their own understanding of, and familiarity with digital technology, in the broadest sense, for their own learning purposes and for success in their wider lives.

• It means constantly reviewing and supporting business processes to ensure they are lean and focussed on supporting outstanding outcomes for learners.

• It means providing information, not just data, to inform decision making in the planning and delivery of learning excellence.

• It means reviewing our strategic estate options on a regular basis to take opportunities to rationalise when appropriate.

12 | Finance and Resources | Strategic Plan

Sound, safe, secure and effective services to the College and the communityWe set ourselves ambitious but achievable financial targets that can support the learners who are with us now whilst creating space for investment in the future. Focussing on the interaction between students and the estate to create a unique environment hosting recreational, academic and social functions, our vision is about encouraging synergy and social behaviour in a space learners find welcoming.

We aim for an environment where Information and Learning Technologies are deployed effectively to enable learners, staff and businesses to thrive and succeed. We provide information and support services that are sector-leading with a clear focus on providing an outstanding learner experience.

What does that mean in practice?• Delivery of a financial plan which at least maintains good financial health and seeks to improve to outstanding financial health, whilst retaining sufficient cash reserves for business security.

• Delivering capital investment of at least 3% of income (excluding projects) across the life of the plan to invest in sector-leading learning and social spaces and learning and business technologies.

• Ensuring staff and learners have access to a speedy and reliable IT network with less than 0.5% unplanned down time which facilitates learning platforms accessible for learning both on and off site.

• Staff and learners have adequate access to devices and appropriate software which is as up to date as practicable and that reflects current industry standards.

• To support all learners to ‘Bring Your Own Device’; access to the network should be as freely accessible as possible within the constraints of security.

• To maintain and develop the estate such that at least 80% of the delivery space is in good condition and 100% is safe.

• To ensure space utilisation increases year on year across the life of the plan.

Key deliverables

Finance and Resources | Strategic Plan | 13

Key deliverables

Finance

Information Technology

Esta

tes

Corporate Services

InnovativeEfficient Curriculum and Business ModelsFinancial ResilienceInspiring Learning EnvironmentsInspiring Social Space

InspiringSound

Safe Effective

Secure

Sector Leaders• Commercial• Intuitive• Investment

• Catering• Space Planning

Robust• Budgeting• Reporting• Safeguarding• Maintenance• Refurbishment• Uninterrupted• Reliable

Customer Led• Collaborative• Front of house• Departmental support• Dashboards• Planning tools

Compliant• Business planning• Timetabling• Rooming• Connected• Constant

Partnerships and external engagement

• It means being willing to explore opportunities for partnership, either as a leader or a participant.

• It means developing partnership approaches to address needs related to learning, skills and employment.

• It means working with other organisations to support the achievement of our aims or those of our partners.

• It means reviewing our partnerships, delivery models and memberships periodically to ensure they are sustainable.

• It means analysing and reporting on partnership working to encourage collaborative working across the College and providing reassurance to colleagues and the Board of Governors that partnerships are well managed.

• It means facilitating community activities to engage with local, regional and national groups.

14 | Partnerships and External Engagement | Strategic Plan

We are recognised by stakeholders for being connected and proactiveWe are represented on relevant networks and groups that enable us to contribute economically, socially and environmentally across our area and beyond. We seek partnership opportunities linked to the College’s strategic aims. We develop partnerships and funding bids that are sustainable and contribute to Petroc’s overall growth and strategic aims. We have clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for delivery and outcomes that give confidence to stakeholders both internally and externally and demonstrate good financial planning and operational management and review.

What does that mean in practice?• Membership of key groups that connect us to learners, employers and partners.

• Projects and programmes that support our core activity, strengthen our regional reputation or increase participation in activity to improve skills and employability.

• Partnerships, projects and programmes achieve their stated aims and outcomes.

• Stakeholder engagement strategy and communications plan.

Key deliverables

Partnerships and External Engagement | Strategic Plan | 15

Partnerships and External EngagementCurious, listening and respondingBuilding lasting relationshipsDelivering outstanding year-round service

Academic• Partnerships with schools and Colleges• Curriculum business advisory groups• Academic commercial champions• Connected to industry and qualifications bodies• Higher education partnerships

Marketing• Communications and PR• Social Media• Schools Liaison• Marketing Collateral• Events• Market analysis• Policy analysis

Support• Professional services• Streamlined engagement• Right first time• Analyse, inform, enable

Business Development• Employer Engagement• Networking• Client Relationship Management• Market intelligence• Business Development• Partnership development

Richness

Community

Am

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ion

Outw

ard Looking

Inspiring Consistent

Collaborative

North Devon CampusOld Sticklepath Hill Barnstaple Devon EX31 2BQ

01271 345291

www.petroc.ac.uk

Mid Devon CampusBolham Road Tiverton Devon EX16 6SH

01884 235200

Brannam CampusOakwood Close Roundswell Business Park Barnstaple, Devon EX31 3NJ

01271 852335