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As colleges are progressively embedded within their regions the
success of the college becomes interconnected with that of the
region. These institutions bring invaluable capital to economic
and civic life and are, across the UK, the main drivers for social
inclusion and social mobility. Through their relationships with
employers and academics they are able to anticipate and provide
the skills that will be needed as the economy develops, both in
highly-technical innovatory environments and for those roles that
will maintain the fabric of society. They are the main player in the
skill supply chain which supports employment.
These college leaders have escaped from the institutional focus
that is a consequence of excessive competition. They cross
boundaries,24 work in partnership, form collaborations, integrate
into the fundamentals of the regional eco-system. Within this
complexity they need to maintain a clear line of sight, a sense
of purpose as to how the resources entrusted to them can best
assist the common weal. This generates a strategic direction
which is a sub-set of a wider regional sense of purpose, but is
also a strategic direction around which the good conduct of the
college may be established.
Altruism
A regional skills system involves a complex set of relationships
between schools, other further and higher education providers,
and employers. These are embedded in a yet more complex
regional economic system. Organisations within these systems
need supply chains, which may serve many similar organisations,
and which are supported by a periphery of skills and capabilities
that are crucial to their operational needs. For a system to be
successful, a strategic leader needs to look across the system as a
whole. Short-sighted self-interest, for example, recruiting students
onto inappropriate courses, can damage the wider system to
the long-term detriment of the whole. The altruistic leader seeks
to promote courses of action that are intended to promote
24 Grainger, P. 2017. Crossing boundaries: A review of projects, research and think
pieces commissioned and supported by FETL during 2016. FETL.