The New Engineering Foundation (NEF) Awards and Annual Conference, held at the Royal Society in London on the 1st of December 2011, was heralded a great success by all. Just over 200 delegates from both education and industry came together at the event to share ideas and discuss the future of further education (FE). The event also saw the launch of the Intelligent College report which provides a model detailing the characteristics of what a college of the future should attain to be truly ‘intelligent’.

The day started with representatives from industry highlighting the skills required for new and emerging technologies. An engaging panel discussion chaired by Kerry Eustice from the Guardian raised the question of the future of Higher Apprenticeships, and the session was brought to a close by Richard Balfe, an engineering apprentice from Stockport College. The afternoon saw many principals from FE colleges across the country express their thoughts and opinions on how the FE sector can contribute to driving the economy forward. Of note in the afternoon session, was a presentation by Bryony Taylor, a social media expert, who stressed the importance of social media for both industry and education.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of awards by Mel Stride (PPS to John Hayes MP) to the delegates that have participated in the NEF’s Industrial Fellowship Scheme (IFS). Patrick Lawlor from Forth Valley College who participated in the scheme and presented his IFS experience on the day, commented that he feels “Forth Valley college can learn a lot from NEF”.

For further articles regarding the event, please follow the link to FE News and the Huffington Post

The New Engineering Foundation acknowledges with gratitude the generous support received from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and its continued commitment to the success of the Industrial Fellowship Scheme, the Masterclasses and the research programmes. In addition, NEF is grateful to the support received from the Greater London Authority, Learning and Skills Improvement Services (LSIS) and JISC towards the Innovation, Enterprise and Knowledge Exchange programmes.

We are grateful for the continued support; commitment and enthusiasm given by our Advisory Panel members from Aseptika; Aston University; Atkins Global; BASF; BBC; BT; Bournemouth University; Cisco; Cogent Sector Skills Council; City University London; Department for Business, Innovation & Skills; Department of Energy and Climate Change; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Engineering Employers Federation; E.ON; Flybe; Gatsby; Learning and Skills Improvement Service; London Underground; Marshall Aerospace; MBDA Systems; Microsoft; National Apprenticeship Service; National Grid; National Physical Laboratory; National Skills Academy for Manufacturing; National Skills Academy for Nuclear; OFSTED; Prosonix; Rolls-Royce; Price Waterhouse Coopers; Royal Academy of Engineering; SEMTA; Skills for Justice; Sector Skill Council; Siemens; Technology Strategy Board; UK Commission for Employment & Skills; Unilever UK; Union Learn with the TUC; Wellcome Trust and Westinghouse.

We particularly wish to thank all participating colleges, and their sponsoring companies and organisations for the hard work they have contributed to achieve the continued success of NEF’s programmes, and in driving skills and educational quality improvement.