Kirklees

Objectives

To build on the existing post 16 partnerships in Huddersfield, thereby encouraging working together to improve coherence in lifelong learning provision and widening participation. The project focused on the Partnership strand of the Guide.

A particular objective was to broaden the existing partnership to include schools and increase participation from the voluntary sector, trade unions, employers and the media.

The consultation, the use of the toolkit and the setting up of the Learning partnership revealed that the partnership in Kirklees was not as robust as had been believed. Considerable work had to be done in building the partnership and much time was spent in the activities in level one of the partnership strand which relate to beginning processes of partnership. The beginning of shared understanding is now emerging.

Outcomes

Among the problems encountered were confusion over the scope and powers of overlapping partnerships and their effect of the formation of Learning City initiatives. This was one of the issues in the Bristol project as well as this one. Other problems were caused by the competitive nature of many funding streams and in the case of this project a focus on 16-1 9 agendas and difficulty of getting adequate consideration of adult issues.

During the life of the project, a protocol for the Learning partnership has been agreed and it has been recognised by the Government Office. Early goals in student support have been agreed, Local Learning Plans drafted and individual plans approved and a seconded post put in place. A system for leading individual initiatives has been put in place.

Kirklees feel that any partnership getting established needs a well-known charismatic figure to chair the partnership and ensure publicity, and adequate funding to support activity. Perhaps most of all, it requires from partners a lessening of devotion to sectoral interest and a willingness to contemplate actions not of direct benefit to their institution. Having an outside consultant who is neutral was of particular use to this project.

So far as using the Guide was concerned, this project found it a useful tool to analyse progress and decide priorities. They found the strategies in strand 1 practical, pragmatic and a useful way through periods when the partnership was bogged down and overloaded by initiatives.