Apologies for Cross
Posting.
FE AND URBAN RENEWAL:
The
Challenge for Colleges
Thursday 12 October 2006, London
The conference is unique in putting focus on the role of
colleges in supporting and invigorating urban renewal, to the benefit of
communities and individuals.
Regeneration is all about renewal, changing things for the
better:
Colleges have a major role to play in their communities -
creating opportunity, providing skills, stimulating demand
Partnerships are crucial - with local authorities, with
voluntary organisations, with employers
Urban renewal is about social inclusion, and the role of
colleges in widening participation and reaching reluctant learners is a vital
strength
This is where the Skills Agenda and social inclusion are
inextricably linked, and the experience of the colleges in both areas, of skills
development and the provision of access, needs to be fully mobilised and
utilised.
As the report from Lord Richard Rogers emphasised in
"Towards a Strong Urban Renaissance", (published November 2005) social
wellbeing is a vital ingredient of any successful community. Further education,
as one of the best-regarded and most successful of public services in this
country, has a key role to play in creating that success through improving the
skills base of both vocational and soft skills and through securing active
involvement.
This conference will:
Seek to identify the key issues and the critical success
factors
Emphasise the crucial importance of the ‘soft’ skills (focus on
upskilling people technically alone does not deliver sustainable
communities)
Present examples of best practice from local authorities and
from further education
Offer an opportunity for participants to contribute to
a vital debate
Feature presentations on the immense challenges and
opportunities provided by the necessary regeneration of East London,
kick-started by the 2012 Olympics.
The work, which will be described, goes to the heart of
the successful college's mission, and will provide valuable stimulation for the
work of delegates and their colleagues.