Landex - Landbased Colleges Aspiring to Excellence

Did you know?

Students from Landex member colleges regularly enter, and win, competitions relevant to their vocation? For example, during the past year:

Landex college students won bronze awards as part of Team UK at the WorldSkills competition at Calgary including a South Staffordshire College student winning for Beauty Therapy, and an Otley student for Landscape Gardening.

Climate Change

A number of individuals and organisations, including the new Department for Business, Universities and Skills have asked “what are land-based colleges doing about climate change”. More specifically, “what is the college contribution to preparing those entering the agricultural industries for climate change?”

Landex has dedicated two of its ongoing series of continuous professional development events to the wider topic of “Sustainability”. Our Director of Quality Improvement has routinely collected data about how Landex colleges are responding to the challenges associated with these issues since 2007. A specific call for information and evidence on Landex college activity in response to climate change in June 2009 produced a number of cameos that reflect current activity.

Data collected from that activity are recorded in a briefing paper (available on request). It suggests that although individually colleges are doing a significant amount of work in responding to climate change, there is a great deal more that could be done given additional resources and a stronger steer from government.

Two of the cameos follow:

Hartpury’s significant outward-facing climate change responses:

1. ESF funded South West Enabling Environmental Technologies project. Working with Summitskills, the lead SSC on ET, and Awarding Bodies to co-author 12 of 64 units on QCF leading to 6 groups of awards for awareness or technical competence at Level 3 & 4. Delivering accredited and certified awareness and ET competence training to 550 individuals in West of England sub-region by December 2010.

2. Preparing ERDF Business Plan for SWRDA SW FE Knowledge Exchange Pilots with Gloucestershire College for SW & Gloucestershire Low Carbon Economy final stage bid. Focus on business engagement and innovation for built environment, engineering, manufacturing and agrifood sectors.

3. RDPE Innovation Fund for SW Agricultural Resource Management, EoI accepted for on-farm AD and for knowledge transfer activities to cascade best practice on AD and associated on-farm nutrient management.

Andrew M. Callard, Business Development Director,
Hartpury College, Gloucestershire.

At Warwickshire College we have a policy regarding Sustainability. The Policy clearly identifies the roles and responsibilities of each member of the College Community with regards to working towards sustainability. Within the Policy we are addressing our environmental performance to reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy and our use of finite resources.

So far we have significantly reduced our energy consumption, we have reduced out waste and increased recycling and we have created sustainable drainage systems to use grey water where ever appropriate to reduce or water consumption. As a land-based College we have also engaged in good environmental practice in the farm and the horse unit regarding the use of agro-chemicals, feed and bedding materials thus reducing further our reliance of non-renewable resources.

Dr Diane Whitehouse, Programme Manager, Agriculture, Countryside & Equine, Warwickshire College, Moreton Morrell.