Collaboration and Partnership at City of Bristol College to improve young people disengaging in education

Practice Description

Bristol is proud to be a UNESCO Learning City and its Learning City Partnership has a strong ambition to enable all young people to achieve their full potential in learning, life and work. In an effort to reduce the amount of young people disengaging early in education and improve the provision of best fit pathways to employment, leading post 16 providers have come together to carry out research and develop a collaborative strategy with clear priority actions. Convened by Bristol City Council and chaired by the Principal and CEO of City of Bristol College, partners in the Post 16 Strategy Task Group include schools and academies, universities, ALPs, private training providers, third sector organisations and other local FE and sixth-form colleges.

The partnership has developed a 2019-24 Post 16 Strategy for the city, following a one-year period of case study and statistical research and consultation with partners and young people. The strategy identifies the following priorities: improve the Bristol Post 16 Curriculum and Pathway, improve earlier career insight, engage, inform and listen to young people, engage, inform and listen to parents and carers, improve staff training and support and support providers to work together and thrive. The partnership recognises the importance of employer engagement in increasing access to high quality work experience opportunities and apprenticeship pathways. A reciprocal approach to aligning the Strategy with the skills and training priorities identified by WECA in their Employment and Skills Plan has been an essential tenet of the work and success of this plan will depend on ensuring continued alignment across city partner and regional priorities.