Just before the holidays I did an interview with FE News with my thoughts on FE in 2005 and what 2006 might look like. Have a read…

NUS’s Ellie Russell on the FE Year of 2005

The National Union of Students (NUS) represents the rights of FE students across the country, and this has been a particularly active year. FE News is delighted that Ellie Russell, Vice President of FE for the NUS, was willing to talk to us about FE in 2005.

2005

Question: “What was the most significant development for FE in your opinion in 2005?”

Ellie Russell: “We at NUS were delighted with the Foster Review and its emphasis on the Learner Voice. Students in the Further Education sector have been battling for many years to get their voices heard, held back by wary corporations, poor governance structures and a lack of communication channels. The Foster Review has put the learner voice back on the agenda and we look forward to colleges putting his recommendations into practice.”

Question: “What was the area of FE that you feel has been neglected this year?”

Ellie Russell: “Curriculum reform along the lines of Tomlinson proposals. Like most in the sector, we were totally disappointed with the government’s cherry picking of the excellent Tomlinson proposals for 14-19 curriculum reform. In his recommendations, Tomlinson presented a real opportunity to reform an old fashioned education system for 14-19 year olds and to challenge the academic/vocational divide which stops so many young people pursuing education to the furthest of their ability.

“They missed a momentous opportunity to address head on the UK’s poor staying-on rates and to genuinely improve access to education simply because they were running scared of upsetting the status quo ahead of May’s General Election. With our partners in the FE sector we will continue to campaign for curriculum reform and hope the government will revisit Tomlinson.”

Question: “What has been your proudest moment of the year?”

Ellie Russell: “In April, I became the first Vice President Further Education to be elected at NUS Annual Conference by students from the Further Education sector alone. This gave me a really strong mandate to tackle head on the many issues facing FE students. I was really proud to see a record number of students submitting motions to be discussed at our annual conference this year and look forward to taking further steps to ensure Further Education students can finally feel a valued and active part of their National Union.”

Question: “What was the funniest memory from FE – work or otherwise - from this year?”

Ellie Russell: “When Mark Haysom at the AoC Conference said the following: “The Learning and Skills Council will listen to the voice of the learner and then become the voice of the learner.” Until that point we weren’t aware that he was a ventriloquist.”

2006

Question: “If you had to choose three things for FE’s Santa to bring for 2006, what would they be?”

Ellie Russell: “Fair Funding for Colleges: The funding gap between schools and colleges needs to be closed and we will continue to campaign for this to happen.

“Better funding for Students’ Unions in the FE Sector: NUS research published this year highlighted the shocking under funding of Students’ Unions. Unions, where they exist, receive on average only 0.02 per cent of their college budget. Just a 0.03 per cent increase would make all the difference.

“EMA legislation: We will continue to campaign for changes in legislation to the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMAs) to ensure that students aren’t penalised for taking part in student activities.”

Question: “What is the agency / organisation other than your own that you expect to be most heavily involved in furthering FE in 2006?”

Ellie Russell: “Local Students Unions – particularly if Foster’s vision is put into practice and we see a strengthened learner voice at local level, with students sitting on Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs).”

Question: “What changes do you fear will affect FE negatively in the coming year?”

Ellie Russell: “With vast increases in fees, we may well see the disappearance of Access courses, not just those that provide a pathway to Higher Education but also in skills areas like NVQs at Levels 3 and 4. This is a great worry and will have a huge impact on the widening participation agenda. There will undoubtedly be more devastating cuts to Adult Learning provision – again a real contradiction considering the government’s emphasis on lifelong learning.”

Question: “Which of next year’s conferences do you think will be the most exciting / interesting and why?”

Ellie Russell: “We are looking forward to see what Leitch has to say in his Skills review.”

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