Overview and background
During a collaborative consultation process from July to December 2007, LLUK invited all parts of the sector to play an active part in shaping and developing the first Workforce Strategy for the Further Education Sector in England through comments and feedback.
During this period, LLUK communicated with a wide range of employers and employees, key stakeholders, partners and other providers through presentations, focus groups and regular meetings to encourage responses. These included:
- a national consultation conducted via LLUK's website from July to October 2007
- a National Reference Group of partners established to provide inputs to the development process
- an externally facilitated event with sector representatives to obtain buy-in to the strategy and commitment to the actions and outcomes of the Implementation Plan
- national LLUK events where attendees were invited to share their views
- regional dissemination, consultation and discussion events
- focus groups with representatives from within the sector to explore particular issues and concerns and to suggest actions and outcomes for the Implementation Plan.
LLUK received formal responses from a wide range of individuals and groups. Comments were reviewed, analysed and incorporated into the publication on a continual basis to ensure that the sector's views on achieving the vision and implementation of the strategy were reflected.
Consultation has allowed LLUK to gain a better understanding of the composition and size of the workforce, skills shortages and gaps, to identify future workforce skills and development needs and also to reflect on other factors, including structural ones, which are integral to the development of the FE workforce.
Intended for the whole sector, the Workforce Strategy has also incorporated and recognised the huge volume of activities at national, regional, local and institutional levels, which already support workforce development and reform.
