WIREDGOV

The Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) has published "Recruiting and supporting student governors in further education and sixth-form colleges: A guide to effective practice (2008)".

Designed for principals, chairs of governors, clerks and those involved in supporting learner involvement and student governors, this easy-to-use and accessible guide aims to help them attract, select, support and retain student governors. It addresses issues raised by colleges concerning the recruitment of student governors, and is illustrated by recent case studies outlining effective practice.

The guide is divided into clearly identifiable sections, with key hints and tips and illustrated by short case studies. The sections cover the following aspects of a successful student governor recruitment process:

* Attracting potential student governors
* Election
* Induction
* Support and training
* Retention and active involvement
* Succession planning.

Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, said, "We want to make sure the learner is at the heart of learning. To this end we have introduced a requirement to increase the number of student governors on the boards of FE corporations. We know that when learners participate in decisions affecting their learning, they are likely to play a more active role in improving the service they receive by getting involved in the provider’s quality improvement processes.”

Kat Fletcher, CEL’s leadership of learners strategic coordinator, said, "The development of this guide has been part of our work to promote the learner voice; support providers in devising and implementing effective learner involvement strategies; and develop individual learners to become more representative and influential. We would like to thank DIUS, NUS and AoC for supporting this project, and all the agencies and colleges whose valuable contributions informed this guide.

"We strongly believe that embedding the learner voice throughout the organisation has benefits for the curriculum, learner satisfaction, quality improvement and the learner environment. We hope that this guide will help colleges bolster engagement and make it easier for them to recruit, work with and get the best out of their leading learners."

The guide will be launched at CEL's annual governance conference in Manchester, from 6 to 8 March 2008.


NOTES TO EDITORS

1. "Recruiting and supporting student governors in further education and sixth-form college: A guide to effective practice (2008)" is available to download in PDF format from the CEL website at http://www.centreforexcellence.org.uk/UsersDoc/StudentGovGuide2008.pdf

2. CEL will host its annual governance conference at the Midland Hotel in Manchester from Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 March 2008. Further information and booking details are published on the FE governance website at http://www.fegovernance.org/governance_conference_2008.html

Please contact Lindsay Baugh if you would like a press pass.

3. The 2007 Instrument and Articles of Government for Further Education Corporations, which came into force on 1 January 2008, increased the number of student governors on the boards of FE corporations from one to a minimum of two.

About CEL

The Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) was launched in October 2003, as a key national agency within the Success for All initiative.
CEL has a crucial role to play in developing organisational leadership in the further education system to anticipate, influence and respond to government policy initiatives, including, for example, the 2006 white paper, "Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances".

CEL's remit is to foster and support leadership improvement, reform and transformation throughout the sector. It serves the existing and future leaders of all providers within the further education system, including FE colleges, training and work-based learning providers, adult and community providers, offender learning, specialist colleges and voluntary organisations.

Following the publication of the white paper, CEL is involved in the introduction of a mandatory principal's qualification and the development of the quality improvement strategy for further education.
The white paper also heralded an expansion of CEL's diversity and equality remit.

CEL now operates through a charitable trust formed by its operating company on 1 April 2006.

To date, more than 1,160 different organisations and 37,195 individual participants have engaged with CEL.

CONTACT

CEL press office

Lindsay Baugh: 07736 246 697 or 01707 392 552
Email: lindsay.baugh@howardsgate.co.uk