Hartpury College welcomed 30 Sport, Outdoor Activities and Uniformed Protective Services industry professionals to its latest Industry Curriculum Co-Creation Event on Wednesday 28 June to discuss the curriculum design and content of its programmes, and to ensure industry representatives are directly informing their delivery.
The event provided an opportunity for academic staff and industry specialists to discuss how the college can further enhance its teaching and course content to best prepare students for positive progression. Industry experts had the chance to explore the academic content planned for a range of Hartpury College courses, and to provide feedback that will help to inform and shape curriculum and assessment design.
This is the latest initiative designed to ensure Hartpury courses are industry-aligned, preparing students to best meet the needs of employers. Ultimately, these kinds of events will help to keep course content relevant and help to address skills gaps in the Gloucestershire region and beyond. Similar events have taken place across Hartpury’s other subject areas of agriculture, equine and animal management. All areas have found these events invaluable in ensuring that industry professionals are at the heart of shaping the curriculum at Hartpury.
Claire Whitworth, Deputy Principal of Hartpury College said: “It’s essential that industry informs the skills, needs and attributes required by our students now and in the future.
“Ultimately, we strive to ensure our students are equipped to really make a difference to the companies they’ll work for. The best way to do this is by ensuring employers that represent our sectors have the opportunity to partner with us to shape our offer. We are very grateful for the time that they’ve given to support Hartpury College and the future workforce.”
Michael Tambling, Head of Sport, Outdoor Adventure and Uniformed Public Services at Hartpury College said: “Following last year’s inaugural event, it was fantastic to see new industry specialists attend and provide their invaluable feedback as well as many who contributed last June.
“The event provided the academic team with an amazing opportunity to discuss all elements of our study programmes with those directly involved with the industry. Exciting opportunities and potential collaborations have once again evolved from this event and we’re very much looking forward to implementing them into our curriculum design, delivery and assessment for the coming year.
“I’d like to thank all who attended and most importantly for their industry expertise shared with our staff. “
Toby Holder, Sport and Physical Activity Skills Hub Manager for the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) said: “Having the opportunity for local employers to not just engage with but also have influence on the content being taught will help support a clear pathway from education into local employment within Gloucestershire.
“This event was a great starting point to begin addressing skill gaps within the sport and physical activity sector and finding ways to address them through the next cohort of practitioners. CIMSPA will be working closely alongside Hartpury to continue engaging with employers, identifying skill gaps, and developing a skills strategy for sport and physical activity within Gloucestershire.”
Paul Turner, Curriculum Development Manager for Further Education (FE) in South West England and Cardiff for Pearson, said: "The curriculum collaboration event is a great way to help to shape the way BTEC qualifications are taught and assessed by drawing on the ideas, knowledge and needs of local employers and industry partners and combining it with the expertise that Hartpury offers.
“I found it very interesting to discuss the current BTEC specifications being offered and to gain ideas for future curriculum design and teaching resource requirements for staff and students alike. Myself and colleagues within Pearson are very much looking forward to working with Hartpury and other interested parties to help us devise future specifications.”
Post-event feedback revealed that 100% of attendees agreed that they have ‘positively impacted at least one study programme during the event’ and confirmed they ‘would be willing to contribute towards co-delivery and/or co-assessment’.
Hartpury College remains a leading choice for students wishing to study agriculture, animal, sport, equine and A-levels, as well as Uniformed Protective Services and Access to HE.
98% of students progress into employment, university or further study, highlighting how well prepared they are for life after Hartpury. The institution is rated ‘Ofsted Outstanding in all areas’ for academic and curriculum-related provision, with an A-level pass rate of 99.5%.
