Virtual Women's Further Education College

The setting up of a Virtual Women's Further Education College was the subject of an extensive Feasibility Study done by BDO Stoy Hayward for the Further Education Division of the Department of Education and Learning Northern Ireland (DELNI) in 2008. This arose from a meeting of representatives from organisations engaged in women’s training and education with the then DELNI Minister in 2006 to discuss sustaining community-based work in a virtual way. A proposal was put to the Minister for a Virtual Women’s College. This was the context for the feasibility study.

The following material is taken from the Final Report at http://www.delni.gov.uk/virtual_womans_fe_college-final_report_-_25_07_08.pdf

The Assignment

1. Determine the specific education and training needs of women in Northern Ireland, with particular regard to developing their role in the local economy.
2. Identify the extent to which the needs of female learners are being addressed by mainstream statutory providers, in particular FE colleges, and by existing non-statutory education and training providers.
3. Examine the feasibility of establishing a “virtual” Women’s College to meet needs which cannot be adequately fulfilled by existing statutory and non-statutory providers, and consider where such a proposal sits, within the Department’s current policy for further education of total integration; and, if appropriate…
4. Determine what a “virtual” Women’s College would entail

The assignment necessitated:

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of available data
• Consultation with a range of parties, including representatives of community-based education and training groups for women, FE colleges and student representative groups
• A sound knowledge of the FE Sector in Northern Ireland within the context of the [then recent] FE Review and, in particular, the extensive review of FE curriculum/provision and associated policy decisions

The assignment was conducted within the context that a Virtual College would use a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The Conclusions

A very thorough piece of work was done, resulting in a long report (80 pages) and an extensive set of conclusions. In a nutshell, the consultants found the case for such a college not convincing.

In summary, there would not appear to be a market driven need for a Virtual Women’s FE College. DELNI's remit for achieving its high level objectives can be met by the FE colleges, whose increasing focus is on employability and enterprise.

The above addresses the issue of the Virtual Women’s FE college. It is however noted that whilst there is no specific need identifiable, there are barriers, perceived or real to women’s participation in Further Education.

Among many detailed points they noted:

• Despite extensive research and consultation, the question of the need for gender specific training still remains unproven.
• The research actually identified that the real issue was the fact that women encountered barriers when accessing training within the current FE system and moreover no specific needs were identified that related directly to women.
• Overall, the evidence points to a high level of provision for women within the FE sector.
• There was a consensus amongst the FE Colleges that demand for a Virtual Women’s College would be extremely limited.
• It was noted that online facilities are currently available within NI FE Colleges, however, despite their ease of use, they are not widely used, particularly within community education.
• In addition, statutory organisations are of the view that a Virtual Women’s College is not the mechanism to bring women back into mainstream education. Rather, greater collaboration between the women’s centre’s and the FE colleges (instead of competition for limited resources resulting in parallel provision) should result in a full service offering for women at all stages returning to education, and would result in the most efficient use of existing resources.
• There is no real support for a Virtual FE college, as per the Terms of Reference, from the women’s training organisations or from the FE sector. From the level of participation in FE colleges, the majority of course provision can be met by the existing statutory providers. Where courses are offered exclusively by the women’s organisations, these are focused on social development and recreational activities, which may have a limited impact on developing the women’s roles in the local economy.

The Report is an excellent example of how an initially attractive idea for virtual provision may not be borne out by market research and the views of the existing stakeholders. Technical issues appear to be secondary.

---

> Northern Ireland
> Europe
> Virtual schools

>> VISCED