ATL

Institute for Learning

The latest on negotiations between the Institute for Learning (IfL), trade unions (ATL, UCU, UNISON), and the Association of Colleges (AoC), chaired by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

No action on renewal required until review complete

The effective boycott of the IfL by over 50% of its members, and a legal challenge by UCU, has meant that BIS has brought forward the independent review of IfL contained in the settlement reached in July and proposed by the trade unions. The review will be commissioned by BIS and have an independent and respected chair and panel. The review will begin immediately and look to conclude this year.

Until that time, all further action relating to renewal of memberships, legal challenges and industrial action pertaining to IfL will cease. In short, there is an effective amnesty on fee collection until the review is completed. This has been agreed by the trade unions, the AoC and the IfL; BIS will also monitor the situation. Any communications to ATL members that diverge from this agreement should be passed to Norman Crowther, ATL's national official for post-16 education.

The review will look at the governance of the IfL, its democratic intent, the financial transparency and fee setting mechanisms adopted by IfL, the impact of IfL on its members, and the way it promotes professionalism in the post-16 sector.

Access to CPD

ATL will be seeking to ensure that ATL members of the IfL secure opportunities, resources, time and access to CPD that they wish to do, within reason. ATL is of the view that members have been hindered in this ambition by the IfL's lack of effectiveness of at college level and the inadequate support provided by some colleges.

ATL aims to change this with your help. You have 30 hours (minimum) of CPD activity that you can determine as you wish to further your interests and enthusiasms for your teaching and subject/vocational area. ATL believes this is an entitlement that should be honoured by colleges to show trust and give autonomy to the professional lecturers and staff who work in the lifelong learning sector.

ATL will, of course, ensure that those members who have renewed their IfL membership are not disadvantaged in any way during this process.

We would like to have concrete evidence and examples from members of how their request for time, support, access, and resources to engage with CPD has been hampered by other college priorities. As IfL CPD is the individual's requirement it is only right and proper that members:

• should be free to pursue their CPD needs in times that are mutually agreed between the individual and the college. This can be taken in anything from one hour to one week (the minimum requirement is 30 hours)

• members should be able to have allocated time during the week (if they wish) to complete IfL CPD

• that colleges should provide rooms and reasonable resources if members wish to work together on a CPD project

• that members are freed to attend workshops, seminars, industry visits, at times convenient to them and the host of the event or visit

• that members invite in speakers/researchers in the field of teaching and learning, policy, pedagogy to discuss matters pertaining to their CPD and helping to deliver it

• that members (as union learning representatives) have regular meetings with the college about systematic support for CPD for members either through the IfL remit or from ATL.

Please send your experiences and views to Norman Crowther.

The IfL has issued a statement on the position of all parties to the agreement and those that have not so far agreed to take part in the Reference Group.

Statement from ATL's FE steering group (FESAG)

In June 2011, UCU members voted against the settlement reached by its negotiators even though it was presented as 'the best deal we can get'. ATL will return to the negotiations to ensure that ATL member interests are secured and that any modifications of the settlement are in accord with ATL's aims.

ATL advises members to delay renewals until 22 July while talks continue.

FESAG set its negotiators particular aims that have been met in the talks, as set out below. You can also download the exact terms of the agreement summarised by IfL for members - see the IfL summary statement of agreement and fee rates.

Lower fee level:

• the fee of £68 to be extended to cover a period of two years for those tens of thousands of members who have already renewed and paid their membership for 18 months from 1 April 2011 and for other members who renew for the period up to 31 March 2013

• the opportunity for members to pay an annualised fee of £38 for 2011-12 and £38 for 2012-13, with a guarantee that the fee will not be higher than £68 in 2013-14.

New concessionary rates:

• a new reduced fee level for those individuals earning £16,000 a year or less, but who are above the personal income tax threshold of £7,475.

Other elements of the agreement are:

• clarification of associate teacher in learning and skills ('associate teachers do not develop teaching materials, but teach them from pre-prepared packs; they should also work under the guidance or line management of someone in a full teaching role')

• clarification of occasional teacher in colleges (teaching for 28 hours or less over the year)

• guaranteed commitment by all parties to review modus operandi of IfL.

ATL will seek greater accountability for IfL members, transparency of decision-making, financial accountability, monitoring and evaluation of CPD in colleges, entitlement to plan 30 hours' CPD without obstruction from college management, and support for staff employed pre-2007 to gain QTLS and develop vocational expertise and pedagogy.

ATL entered the negotiations aware of the frustration and anger that members expressed at the rise in fees from a fully subsidised fee by government to £68 per year as set initially by IfL. ATL was also acutely aware that ATL members wanted an independent professional body that would secure benefits and services congruent with their professional aims and aspirations; a body that would be independent of government and, from the experience of IfL since 2007, one that would offer better services and benefits commensurate with the sort of learning and development opportunities that ATL offers.
 
Having seen the disestablishment of the General Teaching Council for England, ATL's FE steering group (FESAG) gave a steer to ATL negotiators to ensure that any professional body is independent of government, that it had a fair fee structure, that the fee level was lowered, that services and benefits were manifest at college level.

FESAG also considered that any such independent body that could help to preserve standards for vocational teachers across 14-19 education, in schools and colleges, would need to have mandatory membership as set out in the 2007 Regulations. Agreement on roles, qualifications and future training opportunities would therefore best be served by a single professional body.
 
These premises were shared by all parties to the negotiations and are thus reflected in the final settlement. They are the best that the trade unions believe can be accomplished after many lengthy meetings. They have significant benefits for members, not only in the improvement of the fee level and structure, but in the guarantee that we will not be in this position in the future, for all parties have agreed to commit to a full and robust review of IfL accountability, governance, member benefits and CPD impact.
 
On this basis, ATL believes that it set about the negotiations with clear aims:

1. an independent professional body
2. a fair fee level
3. a proportionate fee structure
4. clarification of the associated teacher role in learning and skills
5. a reinforcement of the ownership of members' CPD and their entitlement to seek opportunities regarding CPD with the support and implicit agreement of their employer
6. a review of IfL accountability structures, general governance, financial management, and benefits and services to members

Of course, members may still feel that any fee is too much for what they perceived they have received from IfL up to now, but ATL would like to assure all members that an independent professional body will help sustain our growing aims in the sector around respect and support for staff, professional development chosen by members not management, parity with school teachers, and a vocabulary around vocational pedagogy that acknowledges the skills and knowledge of vocational teachers.

Finally, we will set out what new professionalism should look like in the post-16 sector in a forthcoming seminar and publication in order to ensure that your skills, knowledge and expertise are not only appreciated by your students, but are reflected in the support and conditions provided by college management, and understood by government and national stakeholders.
 
ATL will issue a statement following a meeting of FESAG on Saturday 11 June.
  
The IfL has issued a summary statement following the conclusion of negotiations.

The consequent changes to membership can be found at www.ifl.ac.uk/membership/changes-to-membership.
 
The minister has issued the following supporting message: "By bringing together representatives of colleges, the IfL and the unions - all of whom have approached the matter with the utmost professionalism and good sense - I am delighted to have been able to play a part in facilitating these discussions. So I am immensely pleased with the positive outcome of these meetings. 
 
"Upholding a professional, qualified and regulated teaching workforce in further education is vitally important to the health of the sector, as is an independent, professional membership body that is both accountable and relevant to its members, because the growing stature and status of further education and all those who work and learning in our colleges is at the heart of government policy."