The Newcastle College Group’s mission is to develop people through learning and achievement for the benefit of themselves, society and the economy. Their focus is on meeting national and regional education, skills and employability needs for individuals and the skills priorities of employers in-line with Government policy. They deliver high quality education, training, employability and work-based learning solutions to thousands of organisations and learners throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
I attended a sharing good practice event held by them on Thursday 24th November. Over 60 colleges and organisations attended this briefing where Dame Jackie Fisher, the Principal and Chief Executive of NCG, alongside her executive team, shared their experience from acquiring a poor performing college to becoming one of the largest and most influential organisations in the sector over the last 10 years with an accolade of awards and kite marks to demonstrate the determination of the college to achieve outstanding provision and sustain its status for over 6 years.
It was a truly inspiring event and clearly demonstrated how excellent leadership will lead to innovation, creativity and ultimately results of success for all!
Saboohi Famili - Principal
Friday 26 November 2010
23 November 2010 - Winning bid!
We have just been informed that our application to LSIS – Flexiblity and Innovation Funding – has been successful! The project title of the bid is “Effective Support for the Journey from Worklessness to Sustained Employment in Sutton”. The project will start in January 2011 and continue until September 2011.
Delivery of high quality employment targeted support, embedding multiagency advice and training where participants will achieve personal goals. The Skills Profiles for workless participants will demonstrate, efficiently and effectively, to employers and training providers, the capabilities and learning needs of disadvantaged, unwaged clients using the collaborative network of the consortium.
The project has four main aims:
1. Promote effective cohesion between service providers in the consortium who are not currently formally linked, leading to a holistic, efficient service for unwaged clients ready to access work.
2. Provide the most appropriate service combination for clients with an Access to Work course including specialist advice, guidance and progression opportunities from the providers in the consortium at each stage - before, during and after the course. This would ensure each client is at the centre of a personalised learning opportunity with support from a wide range of specialist agencies working and communicating together
3. Develop a profile tool so clients will have their Functional Skills and key work skills assessed once by a provider as a start of a personal profile which all key providers in the Borough would use to avoid duplication of services and target better use of resources towards front line delivery.
4. Promote work preparation courses for disadvantaged clients seeking work opportunities based on realistic preparation including self-presentation and communication skills. The courses will contain a range of topics designed to promote long term well being and encourage clients to engage on their journey towards active citizenship
We look forward to working together with the consortium - EcoActif; Job Centre Plus; Sutton Mental Health Foundation; Sutton Citizen’s Advice Bureaux; Skills Centre Limited; Sutton & District Training and Sutton Centre for Independent Living & Learning (SCILL) - to ensure that the aims and objectives are met.
Well done!
Saboohi Famili – Principal
Delivery of high quality employment targeted support, embedding multiagency advice and training where participants will achieve personal goals. The Skills Profiles for workless participants will demonstrate, efficiently and effectively, to employers and training providers, the capabilities and learning needs of disadvantaged, unwaged clients using the collaborative network of the consortium.
The project has four main aims:
1. Promote effective cohesion between service providers in the consortium who are not currently formally linked, leading to a holistic, efficient service for unwaged clients ready to access work.
2. Provide the most appropriate service combination for clients with an Access to Work course including specialist advice, guidance and progression opportunities from the providers in the consortium at each stage - before, during and after the course. This would ensure each client is at the centre of a personalised learning opportunity with support from a wide range of specialist agencies working and communicating together
3. Develop a profile tool so clients will have their Functional Skills and key work skills assessed once by a provider as a start of a personal profile which all key providers in the Borough would use to avoid duplication of services and target better use of resources towards front line delivery.
4. Promote work preparation courses for disadvantaged clients seeking work opportunities based on realistic preparation including self-presentation and communication skills. The courses will contain a range of topics designed to promote long term well being and encourage clients to engage on their journey towards active citizenship
We look forward to working together with the consortium - EcoActif; Job Centre Plus; Sutton Mental Health Foundation; Sutton Citizen’s Advice Bureaux; Skills Centre Limited; Sutton & District Training and Sutton Centre for Independent Living & Learning (SCILL) - to ensure that the aims and objectives are met.
Well done!
Saboohi Famili – Principal
24 November 2010 - My visit to the prison!
On 23 November 2010 I accompanied Julie Hills – Senior Lecturer – Skills for Life, English Language – to the Highdown Prison to attend the a graduation ceremony held at the prison. The Governor of the prison, Peter Dawson, recognises what it is means for his staff to undertake a courses like this and lays on this event where the learners can be presented with their certificates and enjoy a moment of celebration.
SCOLA has been delivering a PTLLS course to prison staff for just over 2 years – a total of 5 courses with 12 students on each one. These are staff who either deliver training to their colleagues or who are actually teaching the prisoners. The course is done extensively over 7 weeks which is a challenge to the learners as they juggle full time work, family and study, especially as many have not been in a classroom for many years. To achieve this qualification is a real accolade for them. All who are involved in this journey with them are delighted and proud of their commitment and perseverance to reach the goal!
It was wonderful to hear how Julie, who teaches the PTLLS course, is so highly thought of – well done Julie!
The lunch served to us at The Clink restaurant at the prison was cooked to perfection. The waiting staff and chefs are all prisoners who are working towards their NVQ Level 3 in hospitality and catering. The meal was truly scrumptious!
It was a wonderful occasion and a good opportunity to get the name of SCOLA heard in the restaurant packed with onlookers, many of whom were just there for a quiet lunch. This was a wonderful opportunity to extend our work with Highdown. On the day I had the opportunity of meeting Julie’s son, John, who is involved in an business relating to entertainment. SCOLA likes to engage with new businesses like his in order to bring new ideas to SCOLA – so watch this space!
Saboohi Famili – Principal
Friday 19 November 2010
16 Nov 2010- Our Principal’s recognition of achievements
At the AoC conference this year during the Network for Black Professionals Annual General Meeting , Robin Landman the Chief Executive of the Network for Black Professionals congratulated our Principal for her achievements over the past few years in the sector.“We are proud to see another member of the network reaching higher accolades. Those who know and worked with Saboohi know that this is well deserved and join me in congratulating this inspiring leader and wishing her the very best in her role as the Principal of SCOLA.”
Saboohi Famili started in her new post as Principal of SCOLA in May 2010. The first woman under the age of 40 to hold this post, she brought with her a reputation for energy, enthusiasm, entrepreneurship and a strong consultative and inclusive approach to her work. Saboohi came to England in 1999 after facing political difficulties in her country in Iran. She has worked in a variety of educational sectors and has been a member of the network of black professionals since 2005. With her engineering education, she has strong analytical skills and a good eye for detail. She has lead a variety of successful projects and teams during her career and proven an inspiration to many BMAE colleagues and students.”
Previous to her role as the Principal at SCOLA Saboohi worked at Thames Valley University where she set up and ran their FutureSkills programme, the strategic business arm of the university designed to create meaningful partnerships between Business and Education. With a budget of £8 million allocated for three years and employing a staff of 32 this new unit rapidly became known for its creative and forward thinking work. Saboohi took a high profile lead in this, meeting the Queen early in the development of the programme and, at one point, being despatched to China to take a lead role in a business conference involving government ministers and very influential business leaders.
Saboohi believes in an open door approach and will be seeking to consult staff and students in ways to expand, develop and improve the service that SCOLA offers.
Saboohi said: “Working at SCOLA has been one of the most rewarding career moves I have done to date. I am very impressed with the number of hard working dedicated tutors and support staff who deliver Education in Sutton. There is clearly a strong basis on which to develop the existing strengths whilst experimenting with new ideas.”
As funding regimes change and further and adult education struggles to finance its work, Saboohi will clearly face many challenges which she is familiar with, having previously worked at Carshalton and other FE colleges and HE institutions. She is already leading on a large consortium of colleges and businesses in South London where she pulled together to bid for government funding under the LDA-ESF Jobs Plus opportunity. If successful, this will bring in a £9.75m investment to 9 Boroughs in south London. She has a strong track record of working in partnership and an innate ability to think outside the box and implement innovative ideas.
As a resident of Sutton she is intent on ensuring that the Borough and neighboring communities have the best possible Education service that it can offer for its residents. She is keen to work in partnership with colleagues and to explore ways of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services available. She is a keen promote of equality of opportunity and already made her mark in the borough by hosting a variety of cultural and awareness raising events at SCOLA.
Saboohi said “ I am proud to be a member of NBP and grateful for the support and encouragement I receive through the network. I have benefited from the Shadowing Scheme organised by NBP prior to my appointment as the Principal at SCOLA and rate the service provided outstanding.” She feels it’s the duty of every individual to promote equality and celebrate diversity and improve the chances of BME community to access higher level jobs. She is in the process of introducing a mentoring and coaching scheme at SCOLA to support succession planning and promotion at the College.
You can contact her on future@scola.ac.uk
Saboohi Famili started in her new post as Principal of SCOLA in May 2010. The first woman under the age of 40 to hold this post, she brought with her a reputation for energy, enthusiasm, entrepreneurship and a strong consultative and inclusive approach to her work. Saboohi came to England in 1999 after facing political difficulties in her country in Iran. She has worked in a variety of educational sectors and has been a member of the network of black professionals since 2005. With her engineering education, she has strong analytical skills and a good eye for detail. She has lead a variety of successful projects and teams during her career and proven an inspiration to many BMAE colleagues and students.”
Previous to her role as the Principal at SCOLA Saboohi worked at Thames Valley University where she set up and ran their FutureSkills programme, the strategic business arm of the university designed to create meaningful partnerships between Business and Education. With a budget of £8 million allocated for three years and employing a staff of 32 this new unit rapidly became known for its creative and forward thinking work. Saboohi took a high profile lead in this, meeting the Queen early in the development of the programme and, at one point, being despatched to China to take a lead role in a business conference involving government ministers and very influential business leaders.
Saboohi believes in an open door approach and will be seeking to consult staff and students in ways to expand, develop and improve the service that SCOLA offers.
Saboohi said: “Working at SCOLA has been one of the most rewarding career moves I have done to date. I am very impressed with the number of hard working dedicated tutors and support staff who deliver Education in Sutton. There is clearly a strong basis on which to develop the existing strengths whilst experimenting with new ideas.”
As funding regimes change and further and adult education struggles to finance its work, Saboohi will clearly face many challenges which she is familiar with, having previously worked at Carshalton and other FE colleges and HE institutions. She is already leading on a large consortium of colleges and businesses in South London where she pulled together to bid for government funding under the LDA-ESF Jobs Plus opportunity. If successful, this will bring in a £9.75m investment to 9 Boroughs in south London. She has a strong track record of working in partnership and an innate ability to think outside the box and implement innovative ideas.
As a resident of Sutton she is intent on ensuring that the Borough and neighboring communities have the best possible Education service that it can offer for its residents. She is keen to work in partnership with colleagues and to explore ways of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of services available. She is a keen promote of equality of opportunity and already made her mark in the borough by hosting a variety of cultural and awareness raising events at SCOLA.
Saboohi said “ I am proud to be a member of NBP and grateful for the support and encouragement I receive through the network. I have benefited from the Shadowing Scheme organised by NBP prior to my appointment as the Principal at SCOLA and rate the service provided outstanding.” She feels it’s the duty of every individual to promote equality and celebrate diversity and improve the chances of BME community to access higher level jobs. She is in the process of introducing a mentoring and coaching scheme at SCOLA to support succession planning and promotion at the College.
You can contact her on future@scola.ac.uk
18 November 2010 - Tom Brake MP visits SCOLA
Tom Brake, Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington visited SCOLA on Thursday evening, 18th November. He had set himself the task of addressing the public on the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review. He did this very ably demonstrating a sound grasp of all the issues on which he spoke.
Topics addressed included university fees and the related question of promises made on the campaign trail and how they relate to the reality of being in a coalition government. He spoke on tax, the magnitude of the debt and the debate about how fast it should be paid off; benefits including housing benefit, the education of young people and graduates, Europe and the EU; how far the experiences of Greece and Ireland impinged on decisions made; localism and the ‘Big Society’; civil liberties, libraries and legal aid. As you can imagine, the meeting ran slightly over the 1½ hours scheduled, but not so much as to leave anyone unduly concerned.
The well publicised meeting attracted about 50 people. Saboohi put two questions on behalf of SCOLA. A good percentage of people attending the meeting spoke and there was no sense of it being dominated by one or two people with an axe to grind. It is questionable if anyone changed their minds as a result of the meeting, but we were certainly all better informed.
Thanks go to Jan Koene for chairing the meeting and ensuring the smooth running of the session. Thanks also to SCOLA caretakers for setting up the arena and guiding participants as they arrived.
SCOLA endeavours to fulfil its duty as a platform for the community to engage in local and national issues that matter to them and we will be hosting future events where politicians and councillors will be invited to respond to the concerns of the community.
Wish you had been there!
Topics addressed included university fees and the related question of promises made on the campaign trail and how they relate to the reality of being in a coalition government. He spoke on tax, the magnitude of the debt and the debate about how fast it should be paid off; benefits including housing benefit, the education of young people and graduates, Europe and the EU; how far the experiences of Greece and Ireland impinged on decisions made; localism and the ‘Big Society’; civil liberties, libraries and legal aid. As you can imagine, the meeting ran slightly over the 1½ hours scheduled, but not so much as to leave anyone unduly concerned.
The well publicised meeting attracted about 50 people. Saboohi put two questions on behalf of SCOLA. A good percentage of people attending the meeting spoke and there was no sense of it being dominated by one or two people with an axe to grind. It is questionable if anyone changed their minds as a result of the meeting, but we were certainly all better informed.
Thanks go to Jan Koene for chairing the meeting and ensuring the smooth running of the session. Thanks also to SCOLA caretakers for setting up the arena and guiding participants as they arrived.
SCOLA endeavours to fulfil its duty as a platform for the community to engage in local and national issues that matter to them and we will be hosting future events where politicians and councillors will be invited to respond to the concerns of the community.
Wish you had been there!
Friday 12 November 2010
7 November 2010- Sunday @ SCOLA!
What a wonderful day it was. I registered for an Introduction to Egypcian Dance and persuaded mum to come along to an Intro to Pottery. Very enjoyable and definately worth going to. As well as learning I had muscles I never knew I had! I learnt a lot about various instruments that are used in eastern music, about the history of the dance and the various cultures in the arab world and how they manifest themselves in art forms such as dance. We all got individual attention and learnt the basic moves. It was a great success for the College and yet another example of excellent team work and effort. Well done!
I think mum might join the next pottery course! You never know!
Saboohi Famili - Principal
I think mum might join the next pottery course! You never know!
Saboohi Famili - Principal
6 November 2010- Lilia's 1st Birthday!
I cannot believe that my little puppy is now a year old! Like a proud mum I invited her friends for a birthday bash at the Oaks Park cafe. I went through the hassel of making a doggie cake for them which disappeard in a flash!
Mad I might be! Fun it was definately. Anyone up for a dog walking club? It would be fun! Let me know if you are up for it and we can organise something. I am sure! Kasumi will be looking at putting on a summer fair - perhaps we can have a scruff show?! Views? Please let us know!
Saboohi Famili - Principal
5 November 2010- Submission of Jobs Plus Bid
Some of you may have seen white smoke issuing from Saboohi‟s office this morning at about 11.00am. It was not a precursor for bonfire night, nor the election of a new pope. It was the completion of the drafting of a bid for an LDA ESF co-financed Jobs Plus programme that would bring an award £9.75M for delivery. SCOLA has been the lead body on the bid in the process securing and co-ordinating the input of partner organisations. To get to this level in the process SCOLA had to pass two initial exploratory stages. These narrowed the field to twenty. If SCOLA is successful at this level we will progress to the final 3. The final outcome will then be determined at interview.
To complete the bid involved responding to 40 questions. This produced some 65 pages of material that had been devised, revised and refined. The final bid document with attachments amounted to 2767k bytes when sent. Writing it involved long hours of intense concentration, imagination and creativity. We were not experts when we started but have learnt a great deal on the way. Any of you who have tackled bids will be able to understand what a gargantuan task this has been. Saboohi‟s fizz combined with Jan‟s calm and Barbara‟s ability to juggle with 20 things simultaneously keeping track of them all and still answering the phone with aplomb. Jenny Sims provided tremendous support as ever together with a judicious pinch of insanity when required. There were no raised voices, little panic, some discreet tearing of hair and a lot of mental forced marches. We were also very well supported by colleagues (former SCOLA employees) at Eco Actif and RACC. What has been significant is the total lack of ego. The focus has been on securing the bid and on how to support the unemployed through its outworking.
The programme would operate what we have styled a Regional Employment Consortium across 9 London boroughs: Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth. The objective is to steer 9000 people into the project with an expected outcome that 2000 will be in sustained employment for 6 months, and 1,650 of these for a total of at least 12 months. 550 will be expected to enjoy career progression to a higher status and/or better paid post. The target group is people who have been unemployed (not necessarily on benefits) for 12 months or longer. This includes lone parents, people on incapacity benefit, people who have been in reha-bilitation programmes or perhaps in prison for a while.
Whether we secure the bid or not has been the key focus. However, in the process SCOLA‟s profile has been raised immensely across the 9 boroughs. We have encountered some very interesting organisations which are doing very interesting work that could lead to future collaborative projects.
Statistics show that there are a large number of people who need help to return to employment or to find work for the first time. Even if we do not secure the bid, SCOLA has a role to play in their lives. We do not have to have been unemployed ourselves to understand their position, but we do need to do some real work in clarifying their needs and developing creative solutions. We need to develop our work with others in doing this. And we need to know that there are hard times ahead.
We will know by the end of the month if we have been shortlisted for interview...so watch this space.
Saboohi Famili - Principal
To complete the bid involved responding to 40 questions. This produced some 65 pages of material that had been devised, revised and refined. The final bid document with attachments amounted to 2767k bytes when sent. Writing it involved long hours of intense concentration, imagination and creativity. We were not experts when we started but have learnt a great deal on the way. Any of you who have tackled bids will be able to understand what a gargantuan task this has been. Saboohi‟s fizz combined with Jan‟s calm and Barbara‟s ability to juggle with 20 things simultaneously keeping track of them all and still answering the phone with aplomb. Jenny Sims provided tremendous support as ever together with a judicious pinch of insanity when required. There were no raised voices, little panic, some discreet tearing of hair and a lot of mental forced marches. We were also very well supported by colleagues (former SCOLA employees) at Eco Actif and RACC. What has been significant is the total lack of ego. The focus has been on securing the bid and on how to support the unemployed through its outworking.
The programme would operate what we have styled a Regional Employment Consortium across 9 London boroughs: Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth. The objective is to steer 9000 people into the project with an expected outcome that 2000 will be in sustained employment for 6 months, and 1,650 of these for a total of at least 12 months. 550 will be expected to enjoy career progression to a higher status and/or better paid post. The target group is people who have been unemployed (not necessarily on benefits) for 12 months or longer. This includes lone parents, people on incapacity benefit, people who have been in reha-bilitation programmes or perhaps in prison for a while.
Whether we secure the bid or not has been the key focus. However, in the process SCOLA‟s profile has been raised immensely across the 9 boroughs. We have encountered some very interesting organisations which are doing very interesting work that could lead to future collaborative projects.
Statistics show that there are a large number of people who need help to return to employment or to find work for the first time. Even if we do not secure the bid, SCOLA has a role to play in their lives. We do not have to have been unemployed ourselves to understand their position, but we do need to do some real work in clarifying their needs and developing creative solutions. We need to develop our work with others in doing this. And we need to know that there are hard times ahead.
We will know by the end of the month if we have been shortlisted for interview...so watch this space.
Saboohi Famili - Principal
28th October 2010 - Steve Biko Memorial Lecture
"Material want alone is bad enough but coupled with spiritual poverty it kills" - Steve Biko
This evening I attended the first Steve Biko Memorial Lecture that has been held in Europe. The Network for Black Professionals and the University of Greenwich hosted this unique event that was delivered at the university by Nkosinathi Biko, founder and CEO of the Steve Biko Foundation, whose theme was 'Challenges for Black Leadership: Time for New Leadership Models for the 21st Century'.
He reflected on the life and legacy of his late father, Steve Biko, the anti-apartheid activist who died in police custody 33 years ago. The leading proponent of Black Consciousness, Biko founded the South Africa Students’ Organisation (SASO) and the Black People's Convention (BPC) along with a number of community and educational organisations. After his death, the story of Steve Biko’s life and work reached a wider audience through Richard Attenborough’s 1987 feature film 'Cry Freedom' starring Denzel Washington.
The Steve Biko Memorial Lecture series has attracted a roll call of distinguished scholars, humanitarians and religious and political leaders since its establishment in 2000. Past speakers include two former South African Presidents, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki and, most recently, the Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, author of 'The Color Purple'.
This was a facinating session with excellent networking opportunities and a very lively question and answer session afterwards. I was fortunate enought to talk to
Nkosinathi and discuss various topics around equality and diversity and the role that education can play in raising awareness. An excellent event which I will cherish and remember for a long while.
Saboohi Famili - Principal
Tuesday 9 November 2010
27 October 2010- Opening of the Sutton Life Centre
Bright and early I headed off to the Sutton Life Centre. The aim of the centre is to provide young people in Sutton with an unprecedented opportunity to learn a range of skills - such as safety scenarios and stree-awareness - in an interactive environment. The centre is designed to embrace all sectors of the community. The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, officially opened the centre, which was heaving with VIP guests as well as many members of the community who had helped one way or another with the set up. Jo Fowler, from SCOLA's coffee shop, has set out a splendid spread for breakfast and this gave a great opportunity for networking and an informal chat before the official opening.
It was great to hear the work of Sutton Council being acknowledge by the Deputy Prime Minister and listen to the Leader of the Council - Cllr. Sean Brennan-outlining the plans for the future of the Life Centre. Students and voluntary workers also spoke and shared how they envisaged the centre would add value to the community.
SCOLA is working closely with the Library and Heritage services in order to put a variety of programmes together that can be delivered from libraries across the borough. Watch this space for the exciting programmes we have planned for the Life Centre.
Saboohi Famili - Principal
Thursday 4 November 2010
Sunday at SCOLA!
There are still some spaces left on the exciting taster courses this Sunday at SCOLA. The day runs from 10am-3pm and you can try things like composing music, drawing, creative Christmas cards, first aid and many more. Please see www.scola.ac.uk/courses/sundays for full details of these exciting opportunities!!
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