Recommendations
For the Office for Students
1 . Governing boards and the engagement of key stakeholders , including that of senior Access and Participation Plan ( APP ) leaders , are crucial to the strategic direction and sustainability of the hubs . The OfS could engage / support national and regional communications to further champion the work of the hubs .
2 . Staffing structures are both a key cost for partnerships and critical to the sustainability of the hubs . To support sustainability of infrastructures , the OfS could consider :
• Hybrid funding models , including the OfS , partnership / partner and match funding
• Incorporating targeted outreach into the hubs
• Providing information to enable partnerships to benchmark themselves against other similar sized partnerships , especially as regards staffing costs .
For partnerships
1 . Aligning hub targets with APPs could facilitate further engagement of governing boards and wider regional stakeholders , which could in turn enable a more strategic approach to delivery , as well as , potentially , increase the likelihood of match funding . Partnerships could consider :
• Intensifying efforts to engage Pro Vice Chancellors , school headteachers and college principals to their governing boards
• Applying processes relating to effective governing board engagement , e . g . those identified in this evaluation and share examples of good practice .
2 . Given that staffing structures are key to sustainability and that decisions on Uni Connect ’ s funding are imminent , partnerships could re-think staff structures and operating models for further effectiveness and efficiency by :
• Assessing governance structures , operating models and staffing structures against similar sized partnerships and those sharing similar regional goals for improvement and efficiencies / streamlining , particularly differences identified in staffing numbers and roles in some similar sized partnerships
• Sharing practices on effective succession planning processes
• Sharing practice on how best to engage FECs given that they are harder to engage .
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