Strategic Vision

Strategic Plan - Part A

Strategic Vision – 2009/10 – 2012/13

January 2011

Introduction

This Strategic Plan reaffirms the college’s corporate values, mission and vision together with the key outputs which have been agreed by Governors and the College Executive. Five key outputs have been defined and for each of these, a range of strategic visions have been decided. These will be reviewed regularly. The five key outputs have been translated into operational objectives for the academic year 2009/10. These will be delivered by the College Executive and monitored regularly.

Corporate Values

The college has defined five corporate values. These values inform the organisational culture of the college and underpin all college actions, communications and operations. These are:

First choice, first class

At Hartpury this means that by understanding our customers, we are able to anticipate and meet their needs and strive to exceed their expectations.  We put the students at the heart of everything we do and are committed to providing a learning experience that is first class.   We want all students to be delighted by their experience, proud of their achievements and to be active promoters of the College, encouraging them to go ‘the extra mile’ to maximise the student experience.   Our philosophy is that ‘the learner comes first’ and we are student centred, treating each student as an individual with a unique set of needs.

Striving for excellence

At Hartpury this means that we are committed to doing the best we can in all we do, taking responsibility for setting and achieving high standards.  We value quality in others, seek to learn from our mistakes, share best practice, and never walk past a problem.  Customer service is embedded in everything we do and we are committed to creating and operating a stimulating learning environment for our students through consistent, high quality delivery.

Encouraging and challenging all

At Hartpury this means that we create an environment which challenges all to set high standards for themselves and others.   We encourage challenge and are stimulated by being challenged in a constructive and positive fashion, encouraging creativity and inventiveness.  A positive mixture of different talents and personalities is appreciated and our aim is to be outstanding, in all our business activities.   We achieve this through improving our quality of service, encouraging all to be enterprising and innovative and adopting an external business focus.

Nurturing talent

At Hartpury this means that we recognise that people are at the centre of everything we do and that the quality of our relationships has a direct impact on our performance.  We derive value through investing in our people, supporting their development and encouraging them to achieve their potential.  We tell our staff and students exactly what is expected of them and reward and promote solely on merit.  We provide challenging but attainable targets and fair performance appraisals and give constructive recommendations, criticisms and support.

Promoting respect for all

At Hartpury this means we treat all people with courtesy and respect, involve and listen to others and show consideration and empathy for their well-being.  We value others for their contribution irrespective of personal differences and actively encourage diversity and inclusion, good employment practice and a positive working environment.  We constantly display positive behaviour towards all people and are proactive in building effective relationships.  

Mission

Hartpury College is committed to making available relevant, effective and high quality education and training for land-based, sports and allied industries; locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Vision

An outstanding 21st century college – distinguished from others in its excellence with:

  • Outstanding range of courses, pathways and progression routes.
  • Outstanding delivery of teaching, learning, care and support.
  • Outstanding focus on technical skills, high standards, employability and progression.
  • Outstanding performance, retention, success and progression.

Key Outputs

For strategic planning purposes, five key outputs have been identified. The delivery of these is considered critical to the future success of the Hartpury business. These are

  • To make available relevant, effective, and high quality education and training for land-based, sports and allied industries; locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
  • To increase participation in learning and skills transfer.
  • To ensure accessibility of all college services.
  • To create a culture of sustainability throughout the college.
  • To ensure the viability of the college and its programmes of study.

Strategic Plan Operation

For the five key outputs identified above, the Governors and College Executive will agree a Strategic Vision which identifies what the college should seek to achieve. This will be reviewed on an annual basis. The Strategic Vision will be delivered through a detailed Operational Plan which links to the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Action Plan (QIAP)

The Operational Plan – Implementation and Monitoring

The Operational Plan will set a range of strategic aims for the three year life of this plan and, on an annual basis, will establish a range of operational objectives. These objectives will be delivered by the College Executive through its routine operational activities. Monitoring will take place by the Principal and progress reported to the Governors.

Strategic Vision

At the heart of our Strategic Vision is the need for the College to work collaboratively within the Gloucestershire Federation of Colleges, CULTIVA, and in concert with key commercial partners, Sector Skills Councils, the University of the West of England, funding agencies and relevant Local Authorities to produce and deliver the 14-19 learning and skills agenda, “Every Child Matters”, and Higher Education.  This will be achieved through the following key outputs:

Key Outputs

Key Output 1 - To make available relevant, effective, and high quality education and training for land-based, sports and allied industries locally, regionally, nationally and internationally we will

  • Seek to work with other organisations to meet the learning needs of the communities we serve, to secure progression routes and employment opportunities for our students.
  • Provide effective, impartial, information, advice and guidance to potential and current students, and effective, practical, pastoral and academic support for all students.
  • Continue to improve the quality of academic provision and maintain “Outstanding” grade at next Inspection and HE to be in top quartile of agreed benchmarks.
  • Continue to grow the provision of sports studies (but no more than 40 per cent of overall provision) and A Level provision.
  • Extend the existing national and international recognition in sport and equine studies to specialised provision in the land based area.
  • Retain land based focus, positioning the College for “land renaissance”, and increasing emphasis on areas of added value such as climate change, environment, sustainability, land use and alternative energy.
  • Strengthen marketing strategy, particularly in the areas of climate change, sustainability, environment, alternative energy and sport provision, supported by the 2012 Olympics.
  • Increase the number of courses in all academic areas that are relevant to industry, leading to more vocational degrees, sandwich provision and work based learning whilst maintaining course viability and efficient resource utilisation
  • Maintain the current split between FE and HE at approximately 50:50.

Key Output 2 - To increase participation in learning and skills transfer we will:

  • Work with schools and other relevant partners to deliver Diplomas and other programmes to year 10 and year 11 as part of the 14-19 agenda.
  • Work with the communities and partners we serve, both urban and rural, academic and vocational, to ensure that Community Cohesion is promoted and developed.
  • Work with the University of the West of England and other partners and academic institutions to deliver approved Higher Education programmes, including postgraduate research.
  • Develop further the Centre for Rural Business with a suite of business qualifications to Postgraduate Level aimed not only at the rural economy but the College’s specialist provision.
  • Maintain our position of servicing a specialist niche market whilst continuing to grow our mixed economy of FE, HE, WBL, employer engagement and commercial activities.
  • Implement an inclusive curriculum that meets the needs of all students and seeks to “Bridge the Gap” through strategies to identify and recruit disadvantaged groups, with a greater emphasis on the progression from FE to HE within the College.
  • Subject to continued funding, further develop an integrated curriculum which provides multiple entry and exit points at pre-foundation to post graduate, including, where appropriate, extensive, low cost, entry-level flexible learning opportunities at evenings and weekends.
  • Subject to continued funding, maintain the numbers of HE domestic students at this year’s level and increase FE domestic students by 5% and international students by 10% per annum.

 

Key Output 3 - To ensure accessibility of all college services we will:

  • Provide interesting, relevant and enjoyable learning programmes.
  • Ensure that all members of staff embrace the principles and practice of continuous quality improvement.
  • Ensure that our quality systems lead to improvement in student retention, achievement and their learning experiences.
  • Support and promote continuous professional develop to our staff to enable them to deliver agreed organisational and individual objectives.
  • Ensure that the College continues to strive towards being fully inclusive in terms of its recruitment of under represented groups of both staff and students.
  • Ensure that the College is a place where people enjoy equal opportunity to realise their potential and that best practice is implemented.
  • Make appropriate use of information technology and on-line learning to improve access to learning and skills transfer.

 

Key Output 4 - To create a culture of sustainability throughout the College we will:

  • Incorporate sustainability within the academic framework of the College curriculum.
  • Adopt best practice in sustainability, where appropriate, in the development of new buildings and promote a strong focus on improving staff/student respect for existing resource base.
  • Review, on a regular basis, the transport policy of the College to ensure environmental issues, and energy usage are considered, to reduce the carbon footprint.
  • Review on a regular basis the use of energy on the College campus and consider alternative sources of energy.
  • Review on a regular basis land use and farming methods to ensure good commercial and environmental practice.

 

Key Output 5 - To ensure the viability of the college and its programmes we will:

  • Provide a range of programmes that are affordable to customers, funding and contracting agencies.
  • Use performance indicators for the utilisation of staff and physical resources as benchmarks for improved efficiency and reduced unit costs.
  • Measure and evaluate the financial contribution to College resources made by each income stream, commercial activity and cost centre, in order to maximise income and reduce costs.
  • Investigate and develop new areas of commercial activity linked to our current curriculum areas including acquisition activities.
  • Maintain a position that ensures multi income streams, limiting dependency on any one funding source.
  • Invest in fixed assets to improve efficiency, meet necessary financial and legal requirements, and maintain and improve, the quality of provision.
  • Invest in learning resources and new technology to provide more cost-effective delivery of education and training programmes.
  • Develop and implement the College’s Accommodation Strategy as a means of improving the student experience.
  • Undertake strategic reviews to ensure the long-term viability of the College, including the consideration of merger and acquisition opportunities.
  • Implement systems of internal control and accountability to ensure the proper use of public funds.
  • Deliver targeted and contracted activity levels within the approved budget including the achievement of milestones and targets in student numbers, retention, success and achievement, employer engagement and teacher qualifications.
  • Continue to define major building projects for capital support.
  • Look at ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the college.
  • Consider the option of using local farms (relating for example to organics) to improve student experience instead of automatically increasing our own facilities.
  • Develop plans for a “linked industry” Retail Park to improve College profitability and enhance student experience.
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