AoC Annual Conference – panel discussion on blended learning and conference highlights 2023

On 14 – 15 November 2023, Mindful Education was a conference sponsor and exhibitor at the AoC Annual Conference at the ICC in Birmingham.

As part of the conference, our Managing Director Mark McKenna chaired a panel discussion on ‘How colleges  can adjust to the increased blended learning requirements of awarding organisations, employers, and learners.’ Mark was joined by Richard Boniface, MD of RCU, Janne Karrkainen, Director of Compliance at AAT, and Oliver Stokes, Director of Creative, Digital, Business, and Law, at Birmingham Metropolitan College. 

The panel discussed the increased demand for blended learning and shared data demonstrating the increased demand and uptake for blended learning delivery. They also discussed how it has become essential for colleges to have a clear blended learning strategy in order to win apprenticeship work with employers, with a mandate for blended learning now commonplace in many apprenticeship tenders. 

Richard from RCU, who are the data partners of AoC and carry out independent research on the FE sector, surveyed 10,000 students and apprentices about flexible learning – from the survey, 63% answered that they prefer a learning method that was either blended or purely online. The panel’s discussion highlighted that the demand for blended learning is coming from all areas of the sector and colleges should be well-prepared to meet these demands. 

Following the session, delegates were able to ask questions and dive deeper into specific topics. Click play to watch the full breakout session video and listen to insights from the panel.