Richmond Adult Community College (RACC) and partners win funding from the AoC Collaboration and Shared Services Grant for “Enterprise Agenda for Adults” project

RACC announced today that, along with eight partners they had been awarded £303,000 from the AoC’s Collaboration and Shared Services Grant which is funded by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to deliver their Enterprise Agenda for Adults project.

The project creates a sustainable adult market for further education (FE) and is aimed at increasing the number of adult learners in colleges, specialist adult services, and other providers, by providing a curriculum based around six work and entrepreneurial themes: Business Start-up; From Passion to Profit; E-commerce; Social Media & Networking; Social Enterprise; and Benefits to Enterprise.  In addition to significant efficiency savings and improvements from co-developing the curriculum and delivery materials, the project will deliver a high-quality Adult Enterprise curriculum and qualification framework for the entire sector.

The project partners are: RACC, WCL, Paypal, Open College Network London, Morley College, Tower Hamlets College, City of Bath College, Community Links, and HOLEX.

Geoff Russell, Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency responsible for funding these projects said : “The collaboration and shared services fund encourages innovative ways of working to make the FE sector as efficient as possible. These successful projects show that in an era of restricted budgets, it is vital for the sector to be creative and entrepreneurial.  These projects also illustrate that the benefits of partnership working and combining the expertise and vision of different organisations can be as valuable as the financial input.”

Christina Conroy, Principal of RACC said “Since the recession hit Richmond badly in 2008 our Richmond Business School has been responding to unprecedented student demand and delivering a wide range of entrepreneurship programmes for adults who want the skills to become self-employed or start a business. We have developed strong specialisms in e-commerce training and from passion to profit in the Arts & Creative Industries. However we hit a brick wall when we tried to get Government funding for this area of work as the recognised FE qualifications were all designed for young people. Fortunately we received excellent support from the Skills Funding Agency who recognised the problem and we are now in the position to put together a recognised qualification framework and curriculum that will guide adults through an effective learning journey to start-up success. We wanted to make sure that the offer is fully inclusive for all types of adults whatever their background so we joined up with a range of partners who shared our views and deliver learning to a variety of adult learners in a range of locations, both advantaged and disadvantaged. To then attract the interest of Paypal will mean that we can develop some really exciting on-line dissemination strategies . It is really great that nationally we are recognising the importance of enterprise as a way to beat the recession and sluggish economy but we must develop sustainable learning pathways that can be delivered nationally to reduce business failure. This project seeks to contribute to this agenda.”

Kieron White, Managing Director of WCL said: “The award of this grant by the AoC Innovation Committee and the Grant Fund Board represents a significant investment in support of the Government’s enterprise-led economic recovery agenda. We’re delighted to be working with such an influential group of partners on this important project, we believe it shows once again that WCL is at the heart of innovation in the FE sector.”

Notes to Editors

1. For more information contact Christina Conroy, Project Director and Principal & Chief Executive of Richmond Adult Community College christina.conroy@racc.ac.uk 0208 439 8953 www.racc.ac.uk
2. Richmond Adult Community College (RACC) offers a wide-ranging curriculum to over12,000 adults per year. It has achieved a national reputation for its outstanding work as a GFE for adults and achieved Beacon College status with two Centres of Vocational Excellence in Business & IT and Digital Media and Design. The college has been rated as outstanding by Ofsted. www.racc.ac.uk
3. WCL is a change management specialist and has worked with over 60 of the best performing colleges in England over the last 12 months on strategic issues including: innovative shared service models to reduce costs and improve efficiency; Mergers; Governor Engagement; Senior Management Development; and Strategic Option Reviews. WCL’s key clients include: Department for Education; Department of Health; Department for Communities and Local Government; Local Authorities; FE Colleges; and national charities. www.w-c-l.com
4. Paypal is a global e-commerce business allowing any business or consumer with an email address to securely, conveniently and cost-effectively send and receive payments online. www.paypal.co.uk
5. Morley College is a specialist designated institution (SDI) based in central London and provides for over 12,000 largely part-time adult learners. It has an extremely diverse population and some 47% of learners are from ethnic minority groups. www.morelycollege.ac.uk
6. Tower Hamlets College is an East London College based in the heart of Tower Hamlets. They offer education and training to sixth formers and over 19s, with hundreds of courses ranging from traditional A Levels to vocational courses in construction. www.tower.ac.uk
7. City of Bath College has extensive experience of working with SME businesses to respond to the economic needs of Bath and North East Somerset and has recently taken over the delivery and management of Adult and Community Learning across Bath and North East Somerset.  www.citybathcoll.ac.uk
8. Open College Network London (OCNL) are a not-for-profit organisation that works with Further Education colleges, adult education centres, schools, employers, prisons, voluntary/community organisations, public sector organisations and other training providers, to offer credit-based qualifications for learners aged 14 upward. www.ocnlr.org.uk
9. Community Links is an innovative inner city charity running community-based projects in east London. Over the last ten years they have explored the informal economic activity of small businesses, the self-employed, and individuals because the informal economy has such a huge impact on the lives of the people they work with, and it plays such an integral role in their experience of poverty. www.community-links.org
10. HOLEX (partner) is the national network of local adult learning providers and the recognised provider representative body for specialist non-college SFA-funded providers for adults.  
11. TheAssociation of Colleges (AoC) represents and promotes the interests of Colleges and provides members with professional support services. They are a not for profit organisation created by Colleges for Colleges; subscription and commercially generated revenue together sustain its work www.aoc.co.uk
12. The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is a partner organisation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with the role of funding and regulating adult further education and skills training in England. Their mission is to ensure that people and businesses can access the skills training they need to succeed in playing their part in society and in growing England’s economywww.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk