A review of educational partnership arrangements in further and higher education: pointers for managers in further education

Abstract

Partnership arrangements involving further education colleges and higher education institutions have received varying amounts of attention, and it is clear that they represent a complex management challenge. When planning a partnership arrangement, it is important for senior managers in a college of further education to take into account the imperfections of the marketplace; government policy; the role that Local Education Authorities, local chambers and learning and skills councils play; the motives of senior managers employed by institutions of higher education; the benefits associated with formal partnership arrangements; and the importance of forming strategic alliances with educational institutions which have a similar or the same value system. In order to be successful, a partnership arrangement needs to be viewed from a relational stance, and managers need to be committed to building long-term working relationships which are based on trust, loyalty and mutuality.