Every quarter we hold a Learner Steering Committee that covers all four Fashion Technology Academy (FTA) campuses; Wales, Leicester, Islington and Haringey and then all curriculum areas are covered too which are Patterns (Level 1 and 2), Stitching (Level 1 and 2) then apprenticeships (Levels 2 – 5).
The Steering Committee is held by Fashion-Enter Ltd CEO, Jenny Holloway, as she wants to hear directly from the learners with no tutors or admin staff present. It’s a light hearted and fun session but it does have a real significant meaning – one that puts the learner at the heart of the Fashion Technology Academy.
Learners are encouraged to give feedback, good, bad and halfway house, and a feedback form is provided too. The first session normally lasts an hour and Jenny will document all the comments that are expressed from the campuses and the subject curriculums. We are looking for a standardised approach to a high quality learning environment but one that is flexible to the differentiated needs of every single learner.
Comments can range from running out of spot and cross paper (which we provide free of charge) to incorporating interactive sessions with the factory and the new micro factory concepts.
The first meeting took place on 21st February which gave Jenny a list of action points that were documented by 22nd February and returned to the learners to review to ensure that nothing had been missed out of the conversations. This is then followed up with the update meeting which was held on 28th February at 12 noon. The learners made comments such as:
AP: “It was well organised and I was able to have the chance to speak and say my point when asked. I was really impressed that I had made a comment about interactive sessions within the factory and next day I had an email from my tutor Louis confirming what I had requested!”
CEO Jenny Holloway commented: “As I have trained to be a teacher, assessor and IQA I really do understand how strong that learner voice is and it’s the honesty and our integrity that then creates the ultimate learning environment. I think many institutions conduct these survey as ‘tick box’ exercises but here at FEL we want to hear from the learner directly so we can continue to improve and grow. A big thank-you to the 7 learners that attended and supported the committee.”
At Fashion-Enter Ltd we really want to listen and respond to all learner feedback, their experiences are valued and our objective is to ensure we provide a high quality educational experience that will equip learners with the skills they need to progress.
We look forward to the next FTA Learner Steering Committee in 3 months time.