Mainstreaming Co-operation

An Alternative for the 21st Century?

3rd – 5th July 2012

Mapping Co-operative Education

Linda Shaw

The starting point

• A rapidly changing landscape in the UK - especially for education with new spaces and opportunities for co-operatives

• Need to meet the challenges of the co-operative revival

• Report on findings from research into co-operative education carried out in 2011

• Used a range of research methods used including semi- structured interviews, questionnaires, web research, literature survey

• Presentation of the headlines from the research – full paper being published in July by College

The research agenda

• Mapping the providers: co-operatives themselves, movement bodies, higher education, schools sector and others

• Mapping the nature of the provision – pedagogy, innovation

• Analysing the issues – feeding into development of the strategic vision for the college

A rich history

• Multiple meanings and definitions incorporating formal and informal learning processes

• Strong connections with adult education• National framework - albeit a partial one• Internationally, education as a driver for

co-operative development – Antigonish, Mondragon, Desjardins

Organising education 1919

Co‑operative College

Individual societies

Co‑operative Union

Movement bodies eg Women’s

Guild

Residential programmes

and curriculum

Classes for members & staff, social

activities

Exams, lecturers and

correspondence courses

Classes and social activities

A complex picture today

• Education, training and information delivered by a growing number and different types of providers

• Types of provision include information resources, one-day workshops, longer accredited programmes and competency based approaches

Providers include:

• Sectoral co-operative bodies such as CCH for housing, ABCUL for credit unions, Plunkett, Supporters Direct for football/sport

• Co-operative Development Bodies• Co-operativesUK, the Co-operative College • Consumer societies themselves via HR departments

and membership teams • Other education providers – schools, universities • Co-operative and other agencies – Wales Co-op

Centre, Co-operative Education Trust Scotland (CETS), consultancies & training agencies

Types of provision

• Information – Co-operatives Fortnight• Start up support and training – mentoring, short

workshops, etc – business skills• As a feature of conferences – eg workshops• CPD programmes – updating expertise professional and

co-operative • Longer programmes for members and managers –

delivered in a number of ways via distance learning, face to face workshops, accredited/non accredited programmes, topics include enterprise skills, governance, soft skills, heritage, international perspectives

Type of Provision Provider Learners/audience Information/awareness raising

Most agencies Eg CoopsUK coops fortnight , consumer societies

Potential and existing co-operators

Start up support and training – mentoring, workshops

CDBs Plunkett WCC College

New co-ops Rural enterprises Welsh start up Schools sector

Conference workshops Most sectoral bodies Eg CCH, ABCUL, Supporters Direct

Existing members

CPD CoopsUK , college, consumer societies

Existing staff and members

Longer programmes College Consumer societies

Existing staff and members

Some innovative approaches in co-operative education

• University sector • Co-operative school models• Competency based approaches for staff

and director training• Online and distance learning

The picture today

The players

Colleges, HRD+

co-ops

Developers+ Their clients

Thestate

Universities+ Public

educational institutions

14

Universities

• Researching co-operatives stronger than teaching about co-operatives

• New generation of researchers coming through (a global trend)

• Fragmented teaching provision – a competitive HE environment

• A changing research landscape

New co-operative models in education

• Growing number of co-operative schools• Potential models for FE and universities • Represents a major shift for co-operative

education in the UK

Developing new approaches

• Competency based approaches – developed by College – eg Group Board Development Centre

• Developing national standards for Co-operative Development Bodies and for Co-operative Schools

New approaches

• Online/Virtual Learning Environments – still in their infancy – potential global reach

• External accreditation for co-operative learners - development of a Europe wide system with wider vocational learning framework

The challenges

• Fragmentation and duplication – lack of co-ordination

• Lack of a shared vision for co-operative education (and understanding of it)

• Much provision is dependent on external and often short term funding, the SME problem in accessing on going training

• Gap between existing provision and scale of need

The solutions?

• Build and develop on existing strengths • Develop more coherent national progression

frameworks and standards with links to vocational as well as higher education

• Of course, more resources• More debate and exchange about education

and training • Who co-ordinates?

A co-operative alternative?

• How can we embed co-operative models in research as well as education?

• Can we develop democratic co-operative models involving participants from all along the research chain?

A co-operative alternative?

• Building co-operative educational institutions – started with schools- what else?

• What new types of international connections need to be developed? Shared standards? Online programmes?