Mainstreaming Co- operation An Alternative for the 21 st Century? 3 rd – 5 th July 2012
Mar 31, 2015
Mainstreaming Co-operation
An Alternative for the 21st Century?
3rd – 5th July 2012
Mapping Co-operative Education
Linda Shaw
The starting point
• A rapidly changing landscape in the UK - especially for education with new spaces and opportunities for co-operatives
• Need to meet the challenges of the co-operative revival
• Report on findings from research into co-operative education carried out in 2011
• Used a range of research methods used including semi- structured interviews, questionnaires, web research, literature survey
• Presentation of the headlines from the research – full paper being published in July by College
The research agenda
• Mapping the providers: co-operatives themselves, movement bodies, higher education, schools sector and others
• Mapping the nature of the provision – pedagogy, innovation
• Analysing the issues – feeding into development of the strategic vision for the college
A rich history
• Multiple meanings and definitions incorporating formal and informal learning processes
• Strong connections with adult education• National framework - albeit a partial one• Internationally, education as a driver for
co-operative development – Antigonish, Mondragon, Desjardins
Organising education 1919
Co‑operative College
Individual societies
Co‑operative Union
Movement bodies eg Women’s
Guild
Residential programmes
and curriculum
Classes for members & staff, social
activities
Exams, lecturers and
correspondence courses
Classes and social activities
A complex picture today
• Education, training and information delivered by a growing number and different types of providers
• Types of provision include information resources, one-day workshops, longer accredited programmes and competency based approaches
Providers include:
• Sectoral co-operative bodies such as CCH for housing, ABCUL for credit unions, Plunkett, Supporters Direct for football/sport
• Co-operative Development Bodies• Co-operativesUK, the Co-operative College • Consumer societies themselves via HR departments
and membership teams • Other education providers – schools, universities • Co-operative and other agencies – Wales Co-op
Centre, Co-operative Education Trust Scotland (CETS), consultancies & training agencies
Types of provision
• Information – Co-operatives Fortnight• Start up support and training – mentoring, short
workshops, etc – business skills• As a feature of conferences – eg workshops• CPD programmes – updating expertise professional and
co-operative • Longer programmes for members and managers –
delivered in a number of ways via distance learning, face to face workshops, accredited/non accredited programmes, topics include enterprise skills, governance, soft skills, heritage, international perspectives
Type of Provision Provider Learners/audience Information/awareness raising
Most agencies Eg CoopsUK coops fortnight , consumer societies
Potential and existing co-operators
Start up support and training – mentoring, workshops
CDBs Plunkett WCC College
New co-ops Rural enterprises Welsh start up Schools sector
Conference workshops Most sectoral bodies Eg CCH, ABCUL, Supporters Direct
Existing members
CPD CoopsUK , college, consumer societies
Existing staff and members
Longer programmes College Consumer societies
Existing staff and members
Some innovative approaches in co-operative education
• University sector • Co-operative school models• Competency based approaches for staff
and director training• Online and distance learning
The picture today
The players
Colleges, HRD+
co-ops
Developers+ Their clients
Thestate
Universities+ Public
educational institutions
14
Universities
• Researching co-operatives stronger than teaching about co-operatives
• New generation of researchers coming through (a global trend)
• Fragmented teaching provision – a competitive HE environment
• A changing research landscape
New co-operative models in education
• Growing number of co-operative schools• Potential models for FE and universities • Represents a major shift for co-operative
education in the UK
Developing new approaches
• Competency based approaches – developed by College – eg Group Board Development Centre
• Developing national standards for Co-operative Development Bodies and for Co-operative Schools
New approaches
• Online/Virtual Learning Environments – still in their infancy – potential global reach
• External accreditation for co-operative learners - development of a Europe wide system with wider vocational learning framework
The challenges
• Fragmentation and duplication – lack of co-ordination
• Lack of a shared vision for co-operative education (and understanding of it)
• Much provision is dependent on external and often short term funding, the SME problem in accessing on going training
• Gap between existing provision and scale of need
The solutions?
• Build and develop on existing strengths • Develop more coherent national progression
frameworks and standards with links to vocational as well as higher education
• Of course, more resources• More debate and exchange about education
and training • Who co-ordinates?
A co-operative alternative?
• How can we embed co-operative models in research as well as education?
• Can we develop democratic co-operative models involving participants from all along the research chain?
A co-operative alternative?
• Building co-operative educational institutions – started with schools- what else?
• What new types of international connections need to be developed? Shared standards? Online programmes?