Challenging assumptions about values, interests and power in further and higher education partnerships

Abstract

This article raises questions that challenge assumptions about values, interests and power in further and higher education partnerships. These topics were explored in a series of semi-structured interviews with a sample of principals and senior higher education partnership managers of colleges spread across a single region in England. The data suggest that common assumptions evident in the literature and professional discourse about the hegemony of higher education institutions in partnerships with further education and sixth form colleges may be misplaced. Questions are also raised about an exclusive focus upon shared values in educational partnerships, and it is suggested that greater clarity about the focus of educational partnerships can explain how successful partnerships can negotiate which values and interests are shared and which are not – an approach that can be a useful modus operandi in the increasingly competitive educational markets in which universities and colleges operate.

Keywords:

• higher education
• further education
• partnership
• leadership
• management
• values
• interests
• power

Acknowledgement

The author is grateful for the invaluable contribution of Ms Gemma Thomas, Research Assistant for this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.