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Our dynamic Festival of Student Governance is back for 2023! Our annual event in partnership with the Association of Colleges, and supported by the Blagrave Trust returns to the Birmingham ICC on the 13th and 14th November, welcoming Student Governors, Principals and College Clerks from across the UK.
Each year we welcome so many impressive young changemakers from colleges across the country to experience our bespoke training workshops, interactive sessions and networking dinner as part of the country’s largest further education event – the Association of College’s Annual Conference.
It’s a truly fun and engaging experience which benefits young governors as they start and develop in their role, but don’t just take our word for it, Student Governor Harrison Rickett’s from the Heart of Worcestershire College was kind enough to share his experience at last year’s event!
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Here’s what Harrison had to say about his experience at the 2022 Festival:
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“When the Heart of Worcestershire College offered to send me on a 2-day residential trip to Birmingham for the Festival of Student Governance, my honest first thought was relief it was only going to be under an hour train journey; compared to other student governors, who would travel 5 hours and more to go!
I was so excited to attend and meet so many like-minded people across the country in similar roles to myself. I felt that this would give me the perfect opportunity to gain experience in how governance works in other colleges, as well as learning how I might be able to support my own passion projects.
The Festival of Student Governance provided exactly that, a platform for student governors to learn and interact with one another.
Once I had arrived at the hotel that was fully booked by Unloc, I was greeted by a friendly team of Unloc staff. They were extremely helpful, and they made it an exceptionally smooth experience of registering and finding my hotel room.
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During the training, the Unloc staff were really engaged with the activities that we were all doing, ensuring that everyone was taking part, learning, and having fun. I felt that the Unloc staff did an amazing job keeping us all safe, whilst also being able to attend the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and exhibition!
Obviously, networking was a major part of this experience. We were given time to just chat with everyone and learn where we came from, and what we have experienced as student governors.
There were, as you might expect, a lot of LinkedIn connections popping up! Throughout the 2 days, we got to see several guest speakers, where they spoke about their area of expertise and spread advice for the new, and more experienced student governors.
We got to see faces such as the founder and Managing Director of Unloc, Hayden Taylor, the Senior Policy Manager at AoC, Eddie Playfair; the CEO of the AoC, David Hughes CBE; and so many more!
Being able to be present at the AoC’s annual conference was a massive privilege and honour! I was able to absorb so much knowledge surrounding education and governance, whilst meeting so many interesting people from a multitude of backgrounds.
Being at this conference made me feel as if I was able to have a profound influence as a student and representative. It gave me the opportunity to share my beliefs and thoughts on current issues within education such as environmental impact, student voice, and enrichment activities.
On the second day of our training, when we were in the AoC’s annual conference, the student governor training was given their own room where we took part in exercises like holding mock governor meetings and playing the roles and responsibilities of different governors.
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All the student governors also got to attend one of the conference’s breakout sessions, where we could learn about specific areas within governance and education.
I took part in “A Strategic Approach to Enrichment in Colleges” delivered by AoC Sport, the Chichester College Group, the Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE), and the University of Derby. Other sessions discussed areas such as Higher Technical Qualifications, Inclusive Curriculums, College’s Green Skills, Youth Social Action, and the Curriculum of the Future!
After attending the Festival of Student Governance and the AoC’s Annual Conference & Exhibition, I feel more confident in my role as a student governor and re-energised to put all my efforts into improving my college.
Furthermore, this experience has left me with knowledge I may never have received, as well as long-lasting connections with student governors and education leaders across the country.
Thank you to Unloc and all the partner’s that made this experience possible, I would fully recommend this to all student governors everywhere – especially future student governors of Heart of Worcestershire College!“
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Don’t miss out – reserve your place at the 2023 Festival of Student Governance by clicking here!
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This past year has been by far our biggest and most impactful yet! We’ve worked relentlessly to grow the reach of our programmes and deepen their impact, whilst developing our ability to influence education, government and businesses to invest in young people as changemakers.
As part of this, we’ve doubled down on our belief that every young person can be a changemaker, you just have to find the lens or opportunity that most resonates for them. It could be through the career they choose, the business they set up, the difference they make in their community, or even simply through their presence in school, college or the workplace.
Our annual Impact Report provides an overarching view of the past 12 months for Unloc, celebrates our 10 year anniversary, and takes an inside look at some of the many programmes, courses and events we’ve delivered this year in over 200 schools and colleges across the UK.
It provides insight to our Europe wide Young Entrepreneurs Challenge, our partnerships with leading non-for-profits and charities, as well as the focused work to create a generation of young changemakers with our amazing Changemaker Alliance partners Verizon Business, Burberry, and GRP Solutions Ltd. Most importantly we hear real lived-experiences from the young people themselves in their own words.
Don’t worry though, at Unloc – we don’t ‘do dull’, our report is a vibrant visual collective of experiences and moments from the past 12 months that we want to share with you. Click below to download it now.
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It’s hard to believe that a decade has now flown by since we first set up Unloc as teenagers, when we look back at our journey and how it all began it doesn’t even feel real to be honest. We’re incredibly proud of the difference we’ve made to the lives of young people over the past ten years, impacting upon their confidence, finding their voice, their skills and unrealised talents, their ability to debate and campaign, their entrepreneurial spirit, and empowering them to go out into the world and make a real difference.
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Both of us have humble working class backgrounds, we were just 16 and 19 when we founded Unloc back in 2013, and it came about because it was a time when educational services had been stripped back immensely by funding cuts in the sector. There just simply weren’t enough opportunities, support or in-roads for young people to access. As students ourselves we found it incredibly difficult to have a voice or a say in the world around us – the public’s perception of young people seemed to be that they’re ‘in-training’ to be adults, and thus don’t have anything tangible to currently offer to society. We knew that was just plain wrong. Both of us had an active interest in democracy and politics, as well as social action and personal development – it was how could we use those interest and skills to improve the situation.
At the time both of us headed up rival Youth Forums, with one of us the Chair of the Council of Portsmouth Students and the other the Chair of Portsmouth Youth Parliament. In 2013 the local council stopped funding the Council of Portsmouth Students, which at the time was terrible news, devastating in fact, but looking back now in retrospect – we realise that this one action was the catalyst for everything that’s happened for us and Unloc since.
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We decided to take matters into our own hands and find our own way to keep the forum alive – and keep the voices of young people heard. We did just that, and ten years later that forum is still running and bigger and better than ever. We take immense pride in seeing that forum flourish and grow, knowing that it wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for our determination.
We gained so much satisfaction from the success with the forum, and the way in which we worked and supported each other that we asked ourselves ‘what else can we do? How do we take this further?’ It motivated us in all honesty, it gave us a drive and a passion, how dare they take that away from us! We achieved something from that, a feeling that, despite the odds, and despite the governmental funding being pulled WE did it, WE made that change. What other changes could we make? And what changes could other young people like us make with the right support?
The trouble with traditional education is it doesn’t teach you very much about the real world when it comes to paying bills, earning an income, voting, paying taxes, dealing with finances, we were incredibly naive looking back. Surely school is aimed at preparing you for the real world out there? There’s no point sending someone out with the knowledge of how to use algebra, speak three languages or chemistry if you have no idea how to work out a budget, pay a bill, get a job or complete a tax return. Why was there this immense gap in skills?
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It motivated us to enable other young people to learn key skill, be inspired to become entrepreneurs, become leaders and, a word which we use every few sentences these days, one that’s become part of our legacy, our brand and our narrative – be young ‘changemakers’.
Thanks to £300 (it seems like such a small amount now, but to us at the time it was huge!) from a the O2 Think Big project which aimed to help a million young people develop skills and lead community projects, we used it to launch and build Unloc! We actually found that traditional forms of education had been a little stifling to us in all honesty, it usually involved being sat and listening to how someone else did something, what someone else thought, what someone else invested in or believed.
The difference having an idea, and your own voice, the opportunity and space to use it, and a little money in your pocket to put behind it – well that was a game changer. What if other young people had that same opportunity? What could they achieve too?
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We wanted to get more involved with how young people’s minds work, how they grow, not just in knowledge, but in access to opportunities. So Unloc was born, our non-for-profit social enterprise aimed at providing young people to the support, skills, advice and opportunities that can be so sorely lacking in the education sector. We also wanted a level playing field, where any young person from any background, culture, income or lack of funding could get the same opportunities as anyone else. A place for young people to be their best and true selves, giving them a voice, an in-road to democracy and how to use it.
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It wasn’t easy either, starting out. I laugh now about the time in the beginning that I phoned a school and spoke to the Headteacher, trying to explain to him who we were and what we could do for his students. He put me on hold, or least he ‘thought’ he did, and I heard him refer to me as ‘that little boy in the suit’. That stung, that really stung. I can laugh about it now, but at the time, it really took the wind out my sails – but it also highlights why what we do is so important, because young people aren’t taken seriously. I take satisfaction today knowing all we’ve achieved and just how wrong he was to underestimate us.
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In ten years we’ve built a strong team of facilitators and professionals, working in schools and colleges across the UK with thousands of young people every single year. We now have two physical Changemaker Studios spaces in London and Portsmouth, with a reach across the entire country, a wide offer of course, programmes and events, a range of amazing and impressive partner organisations who bring so much to the table in terms of experience, skills and inspiration for the young people we work with.
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A European wide competition annually that provides young entrepreneurs with funding to invest in their business idea, as well as mentorship and support for their start-up, an annual festival event for Student Governors, a new digital opportunities platform in the works, small seed-funding grants for young people with a business idea or community project, and recently we launched our new Unloc Changemaker Alliance in partnership with Verizon Business, Burberry and GRP Solutions, starting a network of businesses dedicated to creating impactful change and a level playing field for young people.
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When I assess all we’ve achieved over the past ten years, it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come based on a spark of an idea and £300! It comes down to passion and a desire to really make a difference, to really believe in what you’re doing. Hard work and money will get you so far, but to break through that barrier and really make an idea successful you have to have passion and a belief in what you do.
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When we look at the amazing team of people we have built our team with, we’re incredibly blessed to have crossed paths and recruited such an amazing group of passionate and talented people, each and every single one believe in our aim to improve the lives, opportunities and rights of young people just as much as we do, and that’s integral to our success and why our programmes and events have such a strong impact.
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Our team aren’t there just there to ‘earn a wage’ – they really care and believe in what we do. We have team members from a wide variety of backgrounds, communities and cultures. They really care in the potential in each and every young changemaker we engage with. They also delight in raiding our image bank and finding atrocious old photographs of us with dodgy haircuts to celebrate our ten years (and scathingly torture us with). Seriously though, we appreciate each and every one of you and all your bring to the team.
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Thank you to everyone that has, and does work with us, team, partners, funders, schools, local authorities, politicians and government, fellow non-for-profits, guest speakers. community organisations, investors and philanthropists alike – thank you. You’ve enabled us to make such a difference in the lives of young people, from their esteem and self-confidence, to their access to skills, support and training, to their equal rights and freedoms, to their ability to learn and engage with new opportunities. What you’ve done has made a real and tangible difference in the lives and future careers of tomorrow’s generations.
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We’re incredibly blessed, and we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years brings for Unloc, we hope you’ll continue to stay with us on that journey. With all our love and thanks
Ben and Hayden
We recently held our amazingly successful annual Festival of Student Governance event in partnership with the Association of Colleges, and supported by the Blagrave Trust. Each year we welcome young people from colleges across the country to our bespoke training event as part of the country’s largest further education event.
This year’s event was bigger and better than ever and we met some truly amazing and inspiring young people who are making positive change in their colleges up and down the country.
We spoke with some of the delegates to get their impressions of the event and will be releasing some feature articles in the coming days to share their insight.
Today we hear all about Joseph Rowlstone’s experience
“Hey there! My name is Joseph Rowlstone, I’m a third year catering student and Student Governor of the East Kent Colleges Group, and recently I had the honour of being involved in the Festival of Student Governance 2022, hosted by Unloc during the Association of Colleges Annual Conference in Birmingham.
In the lead up to the event, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Still new to the Student Governor role, and fresh from the Student Governance Induction program that the Education Training Foundation offer in association with Unloc, I arrived in Birmingham open to whatever the experience would bring! And I have to say my expectations were surpassed.
Upon arriving at the Ibis Hotel, I was greeted by the absolutely lovely Unloc staff: Tony, Ryan, Hayden, Ben, Katie and Stacey. They were all welcoming, accommodating, constantly helpful and made the whole event incredibly interactive, which was absolutely essential as conferences such as this can be incredibly daunting from an outside perspective, which they handled brilliantly.
On the first night we started with multiple different networking activities: going around a room of around 60 fellow Student Governors and filling in a sheet of achievements with as many different names as possible, getting to know everyone we could!
It was also fascinating to see the lengths people had travelled for the conference! We had students from up in Newcastle, to students from down in Cornwall (who travelled 6 hours!), everyone that I met that night was eager to learn, excited to meet new people, and most importantly; everyone wanted to make a difference.
This passion for changemaking was supported and encouraged by the guest speakers that evening: hearing from Hayden Taylor, who had been in the exact position we were all sitting in and had turned his time as a Student Governor into a career that is now thriving; hearing from Steve Frampton MBE- who spoke with such passion about the importance of student voice; both inspired and empowered us and our voices, both so passionate and genuine.
On our second day, we arrived bright and early at the AoC Conference (well, rainy and early that day!). Being a part of that conference was an incredible opportunity, I think all of us felt quite privileged to be there, representing student voices- the most imperative voice when it comes to governance and running colleges as a whole, so within that privilege was a fair bit of pressure too!
From dazzling opening performances to our own isolated meetings specified to being student governors, it was a very fulfilling learning opportunity. During our sessions we covered how to ask effective questions, how to get the most out of meetings, how to fight back the imposter syndrome you get when first joining board meetings and replicating a meeting environment to put those skills into use.
We also partook in live debates with each other to practice our debating skills, with topics ranging from Cats vs Dogs, to whether Matt Hancock should be allowed in the jungle- it made us think on the spot, think decisively, and listen to arguments of others with respect.
I also joined a breakout session regarding “Good practice in youth social action”, which I left feeling incredibly inspired. Hearing from college students, turned social action apprentices, was the most inspirational session I’d been to, hearing how much of a difference they had made not only within their colleges, but their wider community too was just awesome.
I want to thank those students for sharing their passion and their achievements, as that’s something I’m going to take with me and work towards within my own college environment.
Since the conference, I’ve been incredibly inspired! Meeting other student governors with such impressive and inventive ideas of how to improve their colleges, students who have so much pride in their colleges, yet see the flaws, and want to help improve on those issues- fully embracing the Critical Friend ideals of governing without even realising it. I am so excited to see the changes they make and the joy and passion they all bring to their governing roles!
I can confidently say I’ve come away inspired, more knowledgeable and confident in regards to governing and being present in meetings than I was before, and have also come away with new friends and contacts.
It was an absolute honour to attend, thank you to Unloc and to the AoC for making it such a helpful, informative and worthwhile event.
Speak up. Be the change you want to see. Student Voice Matters!“
As you know we recently held our annual Festival of Student Governance event in partnership with the Association of Colleges, and supported by the Blagrave Trust. Each year we welcome young people from colleges across the country to our bespoke training event as part of the country’s largest further education event.
We spoke with some of the delegates to get their impressions of the event and will be releasing some feature articles in the coming days to share their insight.
Today we hear all about James Tinson’s experience
My name is James Tinson and i’m the Student Union President and a Student Governor for Derby College. Recently I attended the Festival of Student Governance as a delegate. I was expecting a somewhat familiar Workshop and informative event, so it definitely was different, and in a good, as well as exhilarating way.
I actually felt engaged and involved, listened to, regularly spoken with and acknowledged, which I can say from other events in the past; is not always something you’d see, so it really was brilliant for me.
I found the networking dinner and guest speakers incredibly electrifying. I regret not having gotten fully stuck in, but nonetheless, I met a lot of amazing individuals and discovered so much more about the other student governors out there, and discovering what they were all doing in their own colleges.
The guest speakers specifically were incredibly awe-inspiring, all proving and providing solid proof that anything we ourselves set out to achieve can, and will, inevitably be within our reach, so long as we all keep trying our best and constantly aware of the opportunities that present themselves.
The facilitators and Unloc staff were very kind and informative, extremely understanding as well as forthcoming, it was also very well balanced with guidelines as well. We were informed immediately of things to consider and remember, so it wasn’t difficult knowing what was expected of us in the realms of behaviour.
The experience of the Association of Colleges Annual Conference was that it even managed to surpass all I’d experienced and witnessed the first day. It broadened my awareness even more so, around what can and should be when we have the abilities that we so luckily have been provided by our peers; that there are truly many, many individuals out there who wholeheartedly wish and aspire to provide us all with fairer opportunities to succeed.
I also found the exercises and workshops on Day 2 extremely eye opening, in the same sense that guest speakers provided further strong inspiration to myself and I’m sure many others present.
The exercises, provided me with a better sense of understanding and newly found confidence of the ways I can perform the duties expected of me, not only how to do those duties, but to also ensure we are heard and listened to.
I took a lot away from the event, be it ways I could be engaging the day to day of my role or how to be successful in more mature environments like board meetings.
The event also provided me with the final piece of confidence that I’d found myself lacking as of late in my role, allowing me the motive and extra assurance of how I can make full use of the platform provided to me, as well as the bridge to creating an even more supportive and engaging environment for Students.
Last week was our annual Festival of Student Governance event in partnership with the Association of Colleges, and supported by the Blagrave Trust. Each year we welcome young people from colleges across the country to our bespoke training event as part of the country’s largest further education event.
We spoke with some of the delegates to get their impressions of the event and will be releasing some feature articles in the coming days to share their insight.
Today we hear all about Harrison Ricketts experience
“When the Heart of Worcestershire College offered to send me on a 2-day residential trip to Birmingham for the Festival of Student Governance, my honest first thought was relief it was only going to be under an hour train journey; compared to other student governors, who would travel 5 hours and more to go!
I was so excited to attend and meet so many like-minded people across the country in similar roles to myself. I felt that this would give me the perfect opportunity to gain experience in how governance works in other colleges, as well as learning how I might be able to support my own passion projects.
The Festival of Student Governance provided exactly that, a platform for student governors to learn and interact with one another.
Once I had arrived at the hotel that was fully booked by Unloc, I was greeted by a friendly team of Unloc staff. They were extremely helpful, and they made it an exceptionally smooth experience of registering and finding my hotel room.
During the training, the Unloc staff were really engaged with the activities that we were all doing, ensuring that everyone was taking part, learning, and having fun. I felt that the Unloc staff did an amazing job keeping us all safe, whilst also being able to attend the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and exhibition!
Obviously, networking was a major part of this experience. We were given time to just chat with everyone and learn where we came from, and what we have experienced as student governors.
There were, as you might expect, a lot of LinkedIn connections popping up! Throughout the 2 days, we got to see several guest speakers, where they spoke about their area of expertise and spread advice for the new, and more experienced student governors.
We got to see faces such as the founder and Managing Director of Unloc, Hayden Taylor, the Senior Policy Manager at AoC, Eddie Playfair; the CEO of the AoC, David Hughes CBE; and so many more!
Being able to be present at the AoC’s annual conference was a massive privilege and honour! I was able to absorb so much knowledge surrounding education and governance, whilst meeting so many interesting people from a multitude of backgrounds.
Being at this conference made me feel as if I was able to have a profound influence as a student and representative. It gave me the opportunity to share my beliefs and thoughts on current issues within education such as environmental impact, student voice, and enrichment activities.
On the second day of our training, when we were in the AoC’s annual conference, the student governor training was given their own room where we took part in exercises like holding mock governor meetings and playing the roles and responsibilities of different governors.
All the student governors also got to attend one of the conference’s breakout sessions, where we could learn about specific areas within governance and education.
I took part in “A Strategic Approach to Enrichment in Colleges” delivered by AoC Sport, the Chichester College Group, the Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE), and the University of Derby. Other sessions discussed areas such as Higher Technical Qualifications, Inclusive Curriculums, College’s Green Skills, Youth Social Action, and the Curriculum of the Future!
After attending the Festival of Student Governance and the AoC’s Annual Conference & Exhibition, I feel more confident in my role as a student governor and re-energised to put all my efforts into improving my college.
Furthermore, this experience has left me with knowledge I may never have received, as well as long-lasting connections with student governors and education leaders across the country.
Thank you to Unloc and all the partner’s that made this experience possible, I would fully recommend this to all student governors everywhere – especially future student governors of Heart of Worcestershire College!“
Last week was our annual Festival of Student Governance event in partnership with the Association of Colleges, and supported by the Blagrave Trust. Each year we welcome young people from colleges across the country to our bespoke training event as part of the country’s largest further education event.
Joining out delegates this year were Principals and Clerks from some of the many colleges who attended, and it was really fantastic to see these young leaders grow and develop their skills, and see the support they’re getting from the educational professionals in their college.
We spoke with some of the delegates to get their impressions of the event and will be releasing some feature articles in the coming days to share their insight.
First up is Mollie Hehir, the Student Governor at Dudley College of Technology.
“Hi! I’m Mollie, I’m the Student Union President and a student governor at Dudley College of Technology. Recently, as part of my role I attended the Unloc Festival Of Student Governance and annual Association of Colleges conference in Birmingham. This was an amazing experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I expected to meet lots of inspirational people, to understand more about being a student governor and feel more comfortable in my role knowing I am helping students whilst also developing myself and enhancing my knowledge. This is exactly what I got out of it!
The biggest thing I will take away is the networks and people I have met, most of them are great connections. As I said it was a great experience and everything from meeting the Unloc staff on the first night, to the food and general conference were absolutely amazing.
My favourite part was speaking to all the different people helping support the event at their stalls, understanding and learning about people’s different jobs.
The conference itself was very busy but I spoke to everyone who I thought I wanted or needed to. Everyone was so supportive and seemed to want to talk to the student governors.
I loved being involved in this experience and it was a privilege for us to be on the conference floor. It really was an experience I will never forget.
Day 2 was long and tiring but really interesting. I learned so much from ‘roleplaying’ as a Principal to see how they provide reports to the corporation, to debating over pressing issues, it was a really great atmosphere and I felt like everyone was so friendly.
The most important thing I took away, apart from networking though, was that no question is silly, That I deserve to be there and it is my job to speak up on behalf of students, and to let people know what I believe.
I put that to good use and as that’s exactly what I did at my very next meeting, which was the day after the conference! I challenged our Principal and got the answers I needed to ensure students were thought about, listened to and at the forefront of our agenda.
This is also why I wanted to become student president and governor, I wanted to make change, to be that voice for others, to advocate on behalf of others and ensure students are heard, now locally and nationally.
It has changed my life and I really hope its changed others too. To know I have had an impact, even if that is just on one person, means I know I have made a change.
I have learnt so much, and now speak up – a lot! If you get the chance, for anything, then take it! Even if you are scared or it’s a big thing, do it. You never know if you will get that chance again and that is how I now live, how I think everyone should live.
Do the things in life that scare you, it may be that change that was needed, or it may even lead to many further opportunities.
Student governors, as well as student voice is so important to me and it has been very eye-opening attending the training to make me a better student governor.
I loved everything from networking, to debating, to learning about what youth social action apprentices do in our colleges and community.
I’d just like to say thank you once again to everyone attending the event, you are what made the atmosphere so great!”
Starting a new role as a Student Governor can be a difficult time for young people, and they may struggle to get to grips with their new role, the internal workings of their college, their responsibilities, or the wider education sector as a whole.
Unloc, the Education &Training Foundation (ETF) & the Association of Colleges (AoC) have joined forces to provide the very best in Student Governor training for students from October to December 2022.
Through a series of bespoke training sessions, workshops, and a dedicated Student Governor event – it’s as easy as 123 this Autumn to provide college representatives from across the UK with the training and skills they need to be effective in their new role:
Student Governor Induction Session – 10th October
AoC and Unloc are delivering 10 Student Governor inductions between October 2022 and March 2023.
The Student Governor Inductions 2022/23 project is delivered by AoC and Unloc, commissioned by the Education and Training Foundation on behalf of the Department for Education.
The inductions aim to help students understand their role and the further education sector.
To sign up to an induction please click here and register via the ETF booking site.
Festival of Student Governance – 14th + 15th November
Our annual event for Student Governors from across the UK takes place this November the 14th & 15th at the Birmingham ICC. The Festival of Student Governance is brought to you annually by Unloc in partnership with the Association of Colleges.
The aim is to #support young college representatives in their role, raise the profile of #StudentGovernors & provide #training to up-skill them for their position at the UK’s largest #furthereducation event.
To find out more about the event & how to reserve their place simply click here!
Student Governor Training – Friday 9th December
AoC and Unloc are delivering Student Governor in-person training on Friday 9th December at our Changemaker Studios: Westminster space in London.
The Student Governor training is delivered by AoC and Unloc, commissioned by the Education and Training Foundation on behalf of the Department for Education.
Further details on the training and how to book a place will be announced shortly. Please keep an eye on our social channels for more information as it becomes available.
Recently we released our video capturing some of the best moments of the 2021 Festival of Student Governance event which was held at the ICC in Birmingham. We’re listening to the real voices and feedback of the many inspiring young people that attended the two day event, so it was great to catch up with one of our delegates, Cassidy Fieldsend.
Cassidy is a 18 year old student from Eastleigh College in Hampshire, and is currently doing a Foundation Year in Art. Cassidy has been a Student Governor now for several months and her future ambition is to work in entertainment and broadcasting.
Cassidy was kind enough to share her experience of last year’s event:
“Entering the Festival of Student Governance, I really had no idea what to expect. Not only was this kind of event new to me, but I’d only become a student governor recently. I didn’t have many expectations of the role, and being taken to Birmingham to attend an event as big as the Association of Colleges Annual Conference was definitely not what I anticipated!
Leading up to the two-day trip, I didn’t feel too nervous. Nor did I when I was checking into the hotel. But once I headed down to meet everyone else over dinner, the nerves finally kicked in.
The evening meal was kicked off by some fantastic guest speakers – whose inspiring words frightened me to be honest. Listening to them describe not only the next two days, but the coming year, made me realise the gravity and importance of the responsibility I’d taken on.
As a new governor, I was aware I had a lot to learn, but I didn’t realise just how much there was. It felt absolutely impossible.
But the more I listened to everyone around me talk, I realised that I was in the right place; the whole point of this trip was to learn how to be a great governor!
So with a slight change of perspective, my worries were shaped into a determination that would help me get the most of the next day.
After an evening of quizzes, greetings, and games, we all met again over breakfast and then walked to Birmingham’s International Convention Centre for the Association of Colleges Annual Conference.
Now, when I said before that I didn’t know what to expect, I definitely wasn’t anticipating to be welcomed with a strobe-filled interpretive dance piece, illustrating the dangers of the climate crisis.
This thrilling start to the conference was also one of the many ways the event allowed students to showcase their studies.
Alongside the dance students; those studying catering, event management, and more were able to gain experience by working on the event. It was reassuring to see how the FE sector truly believes in those they’re teaching. And as a student attending, it felt great to be seen on the same level as all these professionals.
The rest of our morning focused on clarifying what it means to be a governor. We were taught crucial things regarding our own roles, the function and purpose boards, and the current state of the educational sector. Even the simpler-seeming things, like the language and terminology we’re likely to come across, were incredibly helpful to be taught.
The day was packed full of information but the Unloc team got it across perfectly without it feeling overwhelming. They kept us involved and interested with various activities, including a practice board meeting. As a practical learner, this was such a memorable and valuable way to learn.
We also attended breakout sessions of our own choosing, educating us on topics such as inclusivity, diversity and sustainability.
The support and guidance from the Unloc team was immensely helpful. It was also really comforting to speak with other Student Governors – it was great for us new governors to see that we were all in the same boat, and also to speak to experienced governors who had been in our position.
Being surrounded by all these amazing young people was possibly the most inspiring part of the trip.
In just two days, I went from knowing very little to feeling, not only prepared, but excited about my new responsibilities. The Festival of Student Governance was a great start to what I hope will be a great year as governor!
BLOG: by Unloc’s Managing Director Hayden Taylor
Over the past three years, my team and I have worked tirelessly to win the argument that students deserve a seat at the table of Governing Bodies of Further Education Colleges in England.
Further Education colleges educate and train over 2.2 million people every year and are an essential part of our communities in the UK. At the same time, I know first hand how student voice – when supported, empowered and given a platform – can have a transformative impact on decision making.
I fundamentally believe that students should be a part of shaping the education they receive, and at the same time, that governing bodies need more diverse voices.
We felt that student governors in Further Education had historically been under-supported and therefore their value was not fully realised around the Board table. We knew that despite their presence in most UK colleges’ governance structures, their potential to lead positive change had not been fully unlocked.
Little in the way of training, support and networks had been available to students across the country stepping into the often daunting role. In fact, I remember walking into my first Full Governors Meeting myself, aged 18, having been selected to be a Student Governor. Whilst I already had some experience of formal meetings, it was none-the-less petrifying to be amongst so many well-versed and experienced professionals.
I would’ve done anything at that moment to know I was not the only student governor feeling that way, and I would’ve so valued a network of support to build my confidence and knowledge in the role.
So, over the past three years, using that lived experience as fuel, my team and I have built an ecosystem of training, networking, leadership development and informal support to change that narrative.
We’ve constructed the National Student Governor Programme to raise the profile of, and empower, student governors in England to be effective young changemakers and policy influencers.
The programme gives students stepping up to the plate the support and training they deserve, to equip and prepare them with the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their governance role effectively.
We’ve covered a lot of ground – from effective questioning, public speaking, presenting, jargon-busting, the Nolan Principles to chairing and understanding meetings.
And… the results, three years on, have been pretty impressive.
In 20/21 alone:
There is still much for us to do to continue building the platform student governors deserve to fully participate in shaping Further Education policy and practice. I remain committed to that goal. But if i’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that students really are an essential part of the governance jigsaw puzzle.
See our student governor programme in action by watching our round-up video from the Festival of Student Governance 2021 by clicking here.
Details for the 2022 Festival of Student Governance will be announced right here on our website once available.
You can also access our Student Governor Hub by clicking here.
Sign up for our Unloc Digital Update to receive all the latest news straight to your inbox by clicking here.
Unloc are working together with the highly respected Further Education specialists Rockborn in order to roll out an in-depth programme of events, training and bootcamps for the UK’s Student Governors.
Maheep Kaur, Portsmouth’s elected Member of UK Youth Parliament, recently met with 2 local Members of Parliament to discuss the issues impacting young people.
14 – 25? Have a passion to tackle social issues or a business concept that needs funding? Now’s your chance to make a real difference!
We work with many organisations to provide the many experiences, courses & opportunities we offer. This year we wanted to take some time to recognise one of these important organisations, The Marketors’.
Unloc are working together with the highly respected Further Education specialists Rockborn in order to roll out an in-depth programme of events, training and bootcamps for the UK’s Student Governors.
Maheep Kaur, Portsmouth’s elected Member of UK Youth Parliament, recently met with 2 local Members of Parliament to discuss the issues impacting young people.
14 – 25? Have a passion to tackle social issues or a business concept that needs funding? Now’s your chance to make a real difference!
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