Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
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New guidance launched to help colleges play their part in helping to prevent violent extremism
Further Education colleges are at the heart of communities and have a key role to play in isolating and challenging the minority who promote violent extremism, Skills Secretary John Denham said today.
Mr Denham was speaking as he launched new guidance for FE colleges to help them promote mutual respect and understanding and encourage debate around the social challenges posed by the threat of extremism.
The 'Learning together to be safe' toolkit contains advice on how colleges can embody the values of openness, free debate and tolerance, and promote them through the way they operate - vital since a large number of young people from a diverse range of backgrounds pass through further education.
Developed by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) in partnership with representatives from the FE sector, the toolkit's key aims include:
* raising awareness amongst colleges of the threat from violent extremist groups and the risks for young people;
* providing information about what can cause violent extremism, about preventative actions taking place locally and nationally and about where colleges can get additional information and advice;
* helping colleges understand the positive contribution they can make to empowering young people to create communities that are more resilient to extremism, and protecting the wellbeing of students or groups who may be vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremist activity; and
* providing advice on managing risks and responding to incidents locally, nationally or internationally that might have an impact on the college community.
Skills Secretary John Denham said:
"Colleges are at the heart of communities, not just as education providers, but as centres that encourage participation and promote tolerance and understanding.
"By fostering these values colleges can help communities develop resilience to those ideologies that promote hatred and violence, and support vulnerable students who may be at risk.
"We hope that the toolkit will provide colleges with additional resources and support to help tackle the threat of violent extremism."
The FE guidance published today comes after similar guidance for universities and the HE sector was launched in January last year.
Informed by a public consultation and developed with the Association of Colleges (AoC), it responds to calls from practitioners for more practical support in offering an environment where freedom of speech and challenging debate are possible and where threats to this, or to the safety of students from extremist groups, are not tolerated.
To help drive the package of support on offer, a new Champion Principals Group has been set up to advise Ministers and provide support and leadership to the sector. The group has direct experience of leading colleges facing challenges with regard to community cohesion and preventing violent extremism.
Paul Head, Principal of College of North East London and Chair of the Community Cohesion and Preventing Violent Extremism Champion Principals Group, said:
"We all have personal experience which has highlighted that the issues of community cohesion and violent extremism cannot and must not be ignored, and are committed to giving our time to support others in the sector who are facing challenges in these areas.
"Our first meetings have proved that we can quickly find a common understanding of the importance and value of giving time and attention to this work, and the value of sharing different approaches and putting our collective minds to what is a particularly challenging issue facing our sector at this time."
President of the Association of Colleges, David Collins, said:
"Colleges leaders take their role in the community very seriously, so any support in promoting better relations and or help tackling extremist activity is very welcome."
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The guidance was launched today (Wednesday 18 February) by John Denham at a visit to Newham College, where he took part in a discussion with FE practitioners and students, together with Newham Principal Martin Tolhurst and Principal of the College of North East London (CONEL) and head of the PREVENT champion principals group, Paul Head.
2. The 'Learning together to be safe' toolkit is available from: http://www.dius.gov.uk/consultations/con_180209_preventing_violent_extremism.html.
3. The toolkit is for all general further education and sixth form colleges in England. A version is also available for schools.
4. The Government judges the main terrorist threat to the UK at this time to be from Al Qa'ida-influenced terrorism. We know that organisations linked to Al-Qaida have actively sought to influence and recruit people into violent extremism through targeting learners in colleges. It is for this reason that in this guidance, we specifically focus in some areas on this form of violent extremism and in other areas, all forms of violent extremism. We recognise that colleges face similarly complex issues with regard to the activities of the extreme far right, animal rights activists, anti-Semitism, Islamaphobia as well as wider issues of race, faith, sexual orientation and gender intolerance.
5. The toolkit forms part of cross-Government work under the PREVENT strategy which aims to prevent people from becoming involved in violent extremism. It supplements guidance to local partners published on 3 June 2008 by the Home Office, CLG, DIUS, DCSF and DCMS. This is available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk
6. Updated guidance for Higher Education institutions was issued on 22 January 2008. For further details see: http://www.dius.gov.uk/press/22-01-08.html.
