Key education report: ‘New, Next or Never Normal’ to be unveiled at virtual conference –

‘New, Next or Never Normal’ report released on 24th June by @C_learning_net – supported by @EduFuturists and in conjunction with @WCollegeGroup

Findings from a new report into the changing world of education will be revealed at an online conference supported by a leading college group.

The ‘New, Next or Never Normal’ conference will explore the changes that further and higher education institutions have made as a result of Covid-19 – and consider how these innovations will continue in the ‘new normal’.

The conference was originally planned to be hosted at WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group) but has been moved online, mirroring educational provisions in colleges and universities across the country.

It is being organised by C-Learning, supported by Edufuturists and in conjunction with WCG, and will welcome a range of high-profile speakers from across the sector on Wednesday, June 24.

David Jones OBE, former CEO at Coleg Cambria, will be among the speakers on the day and he will be presenting a report outlining the findings from a recent series of top-level meetings of compulsory education and training leaders from across the UK.

A panel of respected practitioners will then discuss what this means for schools, colleges and university leaders.

Other speakers on the day include David Price OBE, Khawar Hameed from Visiting Professor of Digital Innovation at Birmingham City University, Audrey Cumberford, Principal and CEO of Edinburgh College, WCG’s deputy principal Helen Kinghorn and director of corporate services (ICT) Matt Tennant.

Experts including Dan Fitzpatrick, Steven Hope and Ben Whitaker from Edufuturists, Simon Fasolo a FE/HE enterprise solutions consultant for Google and Noel Davis from JISC’s Enterprise Infrastructure team will be sharing advice for the future of the sector.

There will be sessions on cyber security and ensuring that colleges are following best-practice with the majority of learning taking place online.

Ian Nairn, Managing Director at C-Learning, said: “We have secured a strong line-up of leaders from across education to speak at this year’s conference, which we will be holding online for the first time.

“There has been a clear transition in recent months to delivering learning through online platforms and software, and this year’s conference will explore that change.

“David Jones OBE is widely respected and will be unveiling the outcomes report at the event. This report will provide clarity and guidance for people across the sector.

“We’ll be hitting the pause button and looking at the impact the pandemic has caused on colleges, school and business – and how this will change our attitudes moving forwards.”

Matt Tennant, Director of Corporate Services (ICT) at WCG, added: “WCG is a Google college and we were one of the first colleges in the UK to use Google to enhance our learning.

“It has positioned us well to deliver our provision throughout lockdown and emphasises the importance of technology in education, which will be further highlighted at the upcoming conference which we are delighted to be supporting.

“I will be leading a session on security and how it is more important than ever now with cloud networking. We will be sharing our experiences of delivering education during these difficult times and how we will look to continue using these methods in years to come.”

‘New, Next or Never Normal’ will be streamed live on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and LinkedIn. The conference is free to attend.

Registration is encouraged so delegates can take part in the Q&A but is not essential. To register visit normal.edufuturists.com