East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

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FOCUSSED ON AN OUTSTANDING FUTURE

Contents:2 Our Mission

3 Chair’s Statement

4 The Year In View: Our Highlights

5 Principal’s Welcome

6 Strategic Aim 1

8 Strategic Aim 2

10 Strategic Aim 3

12 Financial Performance

East Kent College is committed to developing the prosperity and wellbeing of the communities we serve.

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Our Mission:

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

In my first Statement as Chair of Governors I am delighted to report a busy but highly successful and rewarding year.

It has been a year of exceptional change as we progressed from a one campus College to a College with three campuses in Broadstairs, Dover and Folkestone, and relocated our science provision and corporate services to Discovery Park, Sandwich.

What has not changed is the professionalism and dedication of our staff, who work tirelessly to deliver the skills our students need to move onto higher education or succeed in an increasingly tough job market.

Under the talented leadership of Principal Graham Razey and his senior team, commended by both Ofsted and the FE Commissioner’s Office, we have a solid foundation for future growth as we look forward to implementing our Strategic Plan for 2015 – 2019.

The driving force behind this plan is the well-being of our students, staff, the local community, employers and partners. As we move forward as one College, our focus on providing relevant skills and training, on the quality of teaching and learning and on instilling a culture that inspires excellence, enterprise and ambition will be vital to our success.

I am very proud of East Kent College’s achievements and look forward to working with the Governing Body and the senior management team to provide the strategic direction required for our journey to attain Outstanding College status.

Beverley Aitken Chair of East Kent College Governing Body

Welcome to our

Annual Review 2013–2014

The Governing Body 2013-2014

Michael Wright (Chair)

Beverley Aitken (Vice Chair)

Graham Razey

Liz Langton-Way

Leyland Ridings

Sue McGonigal

Patrick Hollis

Sarah Kemp

Stephanie Martin

Tim Kent

Hilary Askew

Jonathan Clarke

David Roper

Charles Buchanan

Reuben King (Student Governor)

Lewis Waitt (Staff Governor)

Pauline Solley (Staff Governor)

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

September• College forges welding training

partnership with Cummins.

• Launch of our Student Ambassador programme in which current students use their experience to promote life as a College student.

October• College student named Young Builder of

the Year.

November• College celebrates winning Association of

Colleges’ Beacon Award.

December• College awarded £9.7m to develop

4 star training hotel.

January• £3.3m Centre for Creative Industries

secures planning permission and is recognised as a ‘National Skills Academy’ for Creative Industries.

• College Principal awarded community ‘Oscar’ for contribution to Thanet.

February• College Director wins Lifetime

Achievement Award at TES FE Awards.

March• Launch of The Recruitment Agency at

East Kent College.

April

• Students celebrate triple win at the Pride in Thanet Awards.

• Launch of Skylight Café in partnership with the Golf Road Community Centre, Deal.

May

• Student named winner in CITB’s Junior Regional SkillBuild competition.

• East Kent College Football Club wins treble in fantastic first season.

June• Minister for Skills and Enterprise visits

Dover campus.

July• Centre for Environmental Technologies

opened by, Minister of State at the Dept. of Energy & Climate Change (DECC).

• Collaboration with Hilderstone College on International Foundation Programme.

August• East Kent College officially takes over the

running of K College’s campuses in Dover and Folkestone.

• Science curriculum and College’s corporate services relocate to Discovery Park, Sandwich.

• Ofsted approve opening of new nursery at Broadstairs.

The year in view: our highlights

Fact File:

East Kent College delivers a wide range of professional, technical and vocational skills and training, which includes Higher Education, for around 7,000 young people and adults in a catchment which now covers Dover, Shepway and Thanet.

Our seven specialist areas are:

• Business, Finance & Enterprise

• Interactive Media

• Environmental Technology

• Catering & Hospitality

• Hair & Beauty

• Health & Social Care (workplace learning)

• Leadership & Management (workplace learning)

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

Established for over 65 years, East Kent College has come a long way since its beginnings in 1947 as Ramsgate Technical Institute. 2013-2014 marks a year of unprecedented challenge and change in our history culminating in the takeover of K College’s former campuses in Dover and Folkestone on 1 August 2014.

This is a fresh start for both Dover and Folkestone and our mission is to ensure high-quality academic, vocational and general education across East Kent through well-funded and well-managed centres of learning. As a college we have a vital role to play in supporting the local economy. We are committed to delivering the skills needed by local businesses, but also to providing long-term career opportunities for our students.

We have responded proactively to cuts in government funding with a focus on growing our apprenticeships and workplace learning, higher and professional learning, supported employment and employability/community programmes.

We continue to be very successful in securing major capital bids to improve our vocational facilities. Over the last three years over £25m has been invested in our Broadstairs campus and plans are underway to transform facilities at both Dover and Folkestone.

I am confident that with our new five year strategy in place, and with the strong additions to the management team, we will achieve our goal of Outstanding College. My thanks go to our governors, staff, students and partners for their commitment to our continuing development and success.

Graham Razey Principal, East Kent College

We have built a strong platform for growth and are focussed on an outstanding future as we prepare to launch our Strategic Plan 2015 – 2019.

“The College will be offering new courses that are relevant to the skills local employers are looking for in their new recruits.”

Damian Collins,

MP for Folkestone and Hythe

Students at The Edge, the only facility of its kind in Kent

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

“The highlight has to be our trip to Abu Dhabi to the world Future Energy Summit. This was a great opportunity to meet people from companies working in the renewable energy sector, gain valuable careers advice as well as valuable contacts for future employment.”

Jayme Tidey, Student

Outstanding TeachingStudent satisfaction rates are high with 97% of students saying they are happy with the College and their course. Standards of teaching and learning are among the highest of any College in Kent with 100% rated as ‘Good or Outstanding’ and student success rates continue to improve.

More Than Just a QualificationEncouraging a culture of enterprise and the opportunity to do something different is central to the College’s culture. An excellent example of this is our Professional Cookery Students’ Student Enterprise Project, Viking Bay Fine Foods. Launched at the Broadstairs Food Festival to enthusiastic reviews in September 2013, the student produce brand has gone from strength to strength.

Last year the Broadstairs Rotary club endorsed their confidence in the training at East Kent College by funding a £20,000 project to build a Caterham Car, one of the fastest, most lightweight sports cars in the business, giving automotive students the opportunity to experience first-hand the

cutting-edge of motorsport technology. Students also visited the Caterham factory, and following successful completion of the car, which will be sold by Caterham to customers, the Club have funded the project for another year.

Sporting ExcellenceWe are proud of our Sport Maker status and the strong partnerships we have established with clubs in the local community. In July the College was awarded further funding from Sport England to support a new project called ‘Be Active’ to market sporting opportunities, extend links with community sport clubs and ultimately enhance the sporting facilities and opportunities for our students.

We are also extremely proud of East Kent College Football Club who have enjoyed a fantastic first season and achieved an outstanding treble victory winning the prestigious Kent Junior Cup with an unbeaten record, the Les Leckie Cup and finally bringing back the Kent County League Division 2 East Title.

Strategic Aim 1To be outstanding in everything we do.

We aim to offer our students outstanding teaching and learning as well as an exceptional and distinctive experience. We want to prepare our students for life and success beyond their studies.

Our award winning Supported Internships programmes

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

“East Kent College is driving efforts to build a bridge between education and the world of work. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to see first-hand the College’s strong bid for improved facilities and to have met local employers keen to engage with the College and its students.”

Matthew Hancock,

Minister for Skills and Enterprise

June 2014

Skilled and Ready for WorkOur training is focussed on real employment opportunities. Following the agreed transfer of K College’s Dover and Folkestone campuses, a new curriculum has been developed at these campuses to match the needs of students and businesses.

Preparing students for the world of work is top of the College’s agenda. The new Recruitment Agency at East Kent College, Broadstairs, opened in March and provides not only the support and advice students require when searching for job opportunities but also a valuable service to local businesses to promote their vacancies to a skilled, work-ready group of people.

Higher Level TrainingThe College continues to work in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University to offer a range of Higher National Certificates/Diplomas (HNCs/HNDs) to address the under-representation of local people in Higher Education (HE). In April the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education Review judged our HE provision as ‘Meeting UK Expectation’,

the second highest grade achievable. It also commended the College for its ‘rigorous, robust and self-critical’ approach, highlighting areas of good practice in developing our students’ academic, personal and professional potential from further to higher education and onwards.

Pioneering InternshipsIn 2013 East Kent College received a coveted Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award, national recognition for our innovative Supported Internships for young people aged 16–24 who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The Supported Internships aim to raise aspirations, empower and increase skills into sustained paid employment. The College works in partnership with the local hospital, a Sure Start children’s centre and a wide range of other local and national businesses such as Asda and Sainsbury’s. The success of this pioneering approach has enabled the Department for Education to roll out the concept of Supported Internships across the further education sector.

Strategic Aim 2To meet the further education and skills training needs of East Kent.

Our employer satisfaction rates are among the highest in Kent. We listen to what employers want. Our focus is on providing relevant skills and training and developing skills that employers value.

Minister for Skills and Enterprise shares vision for Dover Campus

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

“The Yarrow Development is game-changing news for young people as well as the tourism and hospitality industry in East Kent and right across the county. East Kent College has an outstanding reputation in this field and now they will have the best facilities possible to provide their students with a tremendous training opportunity that will serve them well in their future careers.”

Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE,

Chief Executive,Visit Kent

Investing in Folkestone New facilities have been developed at the Folkestone Campus for Early Years and Performing Arts. Leisure facilities have been improved with a refurbished Refectory, new Student Centre, and a Coffee Shop, sensitively converted from an historic chapel.

World-Class Science FacilitiesThe science curriculum has moved to Discovery Park, Sandwich and students benefit from the ex-Pfizer laboratories as well as the opportunity to work alongside some of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Vision for Dover CampusPlans to transform the Dover Campus have been approved and include a new Centre for Engineering and plumbing workshops to provide skills needed by local employers. New gaming and networking labs will also open to provide skills for the digital sector, one of the fastest growing industries in the UK economy.

Real-Work EnvironmentsThe College has received £9.7m of funding to convert the Grade II listed Yarrow building at Broadstairs into a unique 4 star training hotel which will open in September 2015. Focussed on the priority growth sectors of tourism, creative industries and business, the hotel will also provide apprenticeship places for a range of careers. Our new Training Nursery, also at Broadstairs, caters for children aged 0-5 years, and provides a valuable real-work training environment for Early Years students as well as a valuable resource for the local community.

Superb Creative FacilitiesThe College leads the way in Creative Industries. ‘The Edge’ is a combination of a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and a range of Design, Photography and Film courses. Based at the Folkestone campus it has excellent links with industry partners and the latest industry-standard equipment. The new £3.3m Michael Wright Building at Broadstairs, due to open in 2015, will be a National Skills Academy and will create some of the best creative learning environments in Kent.

Strategic Aim 3To improve the range and quality of the facilities and services we offer.

We are committed to providing the best training facilities in Kent with a focus on priority growth sectors. £25m has been invested in Broadstairs with plans to transform facilities at Dover and Folkestone underway.

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East Kent College Annual Review 2013-2014

OverviewThe College has continued to maintain financial stability, with strong cash generation levels, during a time of continuing reductions in core levels of further education funding. Investment in the College estate amounted to £5.2million during the year, resulting in the completion of the Centre for Environmental Technologies, a new student centre, a new motor vehicle workshop and a nursery.

Operating PositionThe College reported a minor operating deficit of £33,000 for the year ending 31 July 2014; largely as a result of increased depreciation associated with the substantial capital investments of the last two years.

IncomeThe College was able to mitigate the reductions in government funding through increasing income from tuition fees and education contracts, resulting in an overall increase in income of £556,000 (3.7% of turnover).

ExpenditureThe College re-structuring in 2012/13 has led

£513,000 (5.7% of total 2012/13 expenditure). The substantial recent capital investments have increased depreciation by £185,000 compared to 2012/13 and additional sub-contracting resulted in increased other operating expenses of £970,000.

Financial Performance975

Depreciation

Interest Payable

Restructuring Costs

Other Operating Expenses

Income 2013/14 (£000s)

EFA / SFA Grants

Investment Income

Other Income

Tuition Fees & Education Contracts

12,804

2,010

2

Expenditure 2013/14 (%)

54

387

1

0

Our awards:

www.eastkent.ac.uk Broadstairs Campus, Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1PN

Dover Campus, Maison Dieu Road, Dover, Kent CT16 1DH

Folkestone Campus, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, Kent CT20 2TZ

Innovation House, Discovery Park, Sandwich CT13 9FF