Career specific recruitment events have had real impact on student enrolment this academic year

What do you think Ofsted are hoping to see from colleges when they talk about Curriculum Intent?

I think every inspection framework has had an element of intent in terms of the curriculum, what the curriculum intends to deliver to learners, will it help learners achieve their next positive progression in terms of their destinations? So, I don’t see a great deal of difference in my college in terms of how we will approach that.

We’ve always had a real focus on making sure that what we deliver results in the right outcomes for learners and that they progress to an apprenticeship, HE, the next level of study, or into employment. We’ve always used labour market intelligence from Emsi to help us determine what that is.

3 steps to Economic intelligence: The key to successful outcomes https://t.co/6leZcx5P5x

— FE News (@FENews) October 2, 2019

How does East Durham College use Labour Market Insight to shape its curriculum?

We use Emsi labour market intelligence to help identify where there is demand for local skills. We’ve used that particularly to help shape student demand for courses. Two areas in particular that we’ve looked at are construction and catering and hospitality, where labour market intelligence shows there are definitely jobs, and future predictions show that there are definitely jobs in that area.

We’ve taken that information, used that alongside employers in schools to help deliver career specific recruitment events in schools. That has had a real impact on student enrolment in this academic year.

How has East Durham College been using Emsi’s Curriculum Planning tool, Course Vision?

We trained all managers in Course Vision, we had Emsi staff in to train all curriculum managers, and it’s embedded into the curriculum planning process.

The vice principal of curriculum leads on this. She asks curriculum managers specific questions relating to which courses they want to grow, which courses they think should be removed from the curriculum and always refers to labour market intelligence to justify the curriculum decisions that we make.

Suzanne Duncan, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, East Durham College