Elevating the FE and skills sector through digital transformation
The further education and skills strategy review outlines Jisc's key achievements in supporting the sector on it's digital transformation journey.
With the world back open for business, and teachers, learners, education providers and employers now adapting to the ‘new normal,' the COVID-19 pandemic may seem like a distant memory to many. But a lot has happened to get us to this point, and it is worth acknowledging how far we have come on this journey to help us imagine the future.
Jisc’s further education and skills (FES) strategy review highlights our key achievements from the past three years across five themes – leadership, culture and governance, learner experience, staff experience, curriculum development, and underpinning technologies – and provides insight into what’s next for the sector.
Looking back, our 2020-2023 FES strategy was born from the needs of members in the height of the Covid-19 mass disruption when we witnessed the transformative power of technology to enable access to systems, connect people and spark innovation for our members
But it was the resilience and determination of the sector as a whole to support staff and students with new ways of working that I found most impressive.
But it was the resilience and determination of the sector as a whole to support staff and students with new ways of working that I found most impressive.
The strategy also introduced our digital elevation model, the precursor to our digital elevation tool (DET), which provides senior strategic leaders with an online self-assessment of how their organisation is progressing in relation to digital transformation.
When combined with Jiscs’ digital skills assessment tool, building digital capabilities, and our digital experience insights surveys, it gives FE leaders a holistic overview of digital transformation across every facet of their institution.
Today, almost two thirds of the UK FE sector are using the DET to assess where they are now, and where they want to get to, with the support of our advice and guidance experts.
One of our proudest achievements has been receiving a 94% overall satisfaction rating in our FE leadership surveys. Through our close relationships with members we understand the areas where we can add the most value and have taken steps to ensure the products and services we provide spark innovation and support the future of the sector.
We introduced our vision for change workshops to support FE leaders to develop innovative approaches to strategic planning and have recently implemented our digital leaders programme. These initiatives highlight our commitment to collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector to enable positive change.
Jisc’s national centre for AI in tertiary education regularly runs pilot programmes to provide insight into the latest technological trends, such as the recent launch of Teachermatic, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that cuts staff workload and allows teachers to prioritise education over admin.
Making digital accessible and sustainable
We take seriously our responsibility as the UK’s digital, data and technology agency for tertiary education, and pride ourselves on being a force for good. In 2022 we published our exploring digital carbon footprints report to shine a light on the hidden environmental cost of using digital, and subsequently introduced our vision for sustainable change workshops to help members better understand and manage their carbon outputs.
Making digital accessible for all is also a key consideration for Jisc and we have been actively involved in policy discussions on digital poverty and the use of assistive technology. We host advice and guidance workshops for members to help them comply with government regulations for accessibility and facilitate active communities of practice to further support inclusivity.
We know enhancing the learner experience is a priority for our members, but also for local and global industries that benefit from highly skilled and motivated employees once they have left education. Jisc provides training, capability development, licensing support, advice and guidance and networks to our members to help them develop the next generation of the UK workforce. In 2022 we partnered with immersive learning experts Metaverse Learning to boost access to extended reality (XR) tools across the tertiary education sector.
FE has faced, and continues to face, many challenges in delivering educational excellence.
FE has faced, and continues to face, many challenges in delivering educational excellence. Funding and recruitment issues continue to impact the sector and it is the responsibility of organisations such as Jisc to guide and support our members towards positive solutions.
New and evolving innovations such as AI and immersive technologies have the potential to boost digital skills and help educators thrive, and we are working with FE leaders to imagine the future of the sector and better understand the part Jisc can play.
When it comes to FE, the future is already here: if you walk into almost any college throughout the UK you will see teachers and learners engaged in fantastic activities involving new and emerging technologies, and it is our privilege to be a part of this.
Looking at what we have already collectively achieved over the past three years, I am excited for what comes next, and I invite you to join us in imagining the future.
Join our imagined futures Jiscmail list and register for Digifest 2024 to help us imagine the future. Not the inevitable, but what educators, researchers and students want it to be.
About the author
I am the UK executive lead for Jisc’s FE and skills policy, stakeholder engagement, and services. I lead on Jisc’s strategy for supporting member FE and skills institutions with their digital transformation. This includes thought leadership, enhanced professional practice, data insights, business optimisation and elevating the student and staff digital experience.
In addition, I also provide executive leadership on our advisory and training services for further and higher education. I ensure Jisc has strategic engagement with Department for Education in England, Scottish Funding Council, Welsh Government and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland and other relevant agencies and digital suppliers. This enables collaboration to find the right solutions in areas such as edtech policy, digital infrastructure planning and investment.