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officers has been part of this renewal. He is actively working
with them to create a sustainable and inclusive skills system
which does not exclude anyone from the locality, and which is
also not overly dependent on importing skills from elsewhere.
As part of this strategy, Lacey has introduced a Career Colleges
Trust cohort, the first in Wales, in part to address the number of
pupils dropping out of school, in part to promote progression to
higher-level study. Several surrounding local authorities are now
in the process of closing school sixth forms. As a result, three
of the five college sites will be tertiary institutions by 2020,
providing an education for all young people. Coleg Gwent serves
not a single city, but an identifiable corridor running from the
Severn Bridge along the coast into Cardiff. While the college
provides for learners through five sites, it has sought to generate
a single college brand across 1,000 staff. There is a balancing
act between duplication, particularly at the lower levels, to
ensure a comprehensive service for the whole community,
and specialisation, at the higher levels to promote access to
specialised teaching and resources. The logistics are daunting.
In general, staff are campus based. Business support staff (e.g.
finance) are gathered on one site, while subject areas are
distributed at need (e.g. health and social care is offered from four
sites). Bringing staff into an integrated unit is an ongoing task for
leadership. Lacey has approached this through two aspirational
strands. First, the college has, through continuous dialogue,
established a set of core values. Those working for the college
know what is expected of them. Thus, management is about
mentoring, not instruction. Many of the lecturers have come from
industry and have brought commercial expectations of employed
behaviour with them. The dialogue has been democratic, but
guided towards a shared vision for the college. The second
aspiration is for progression, through and ultimately out of the
college. The college has the best learning outcomes in Wales. In
this atmosphere of success, the prospectus is couched in terms of
where your next move might be towards.