Jargon Buster

The Further Education sector is full of acronyms and other terms that a newly elected learner representative might not have come across.

This table will attempt to bust some of the jargon that is used within the sector to make the role and the language more accessible.

Jargon	Definition	What is this?
ACL	Adult & Community Learning	A term used for a range of courses for adults delivered in mainstream institutions but also in museums, libraries and voluntary other locations
AELP	Association of Employment & Learning Providers	A trade association for vocational learning and employment providers
AoC	Association of College	Representative body for colleges
ALW	Adult Learners Week	A celebration of lifelong learning activities which takes place during May each year - coordinated by NIACE
APL	Accreditation of Prior Learning	A process by which individuals can gain credit towards qualifications based on past achievements
BME	Black & Minority Ethnic	A term used to describe people of non-white descent
(D)BIS	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills	Responsible for economic growth which invests in skills and education
CIF	Common Inspection Framework (Ofsted)	Sets out the principles of inspections in post-16-non-higher education and training. Inspections are carried out by OfSTED
Collectivism		By working and making decisions together we find solutions that are better for everyone
CPD	Continuing Professional Development	Term used to describe the professional development of staff
Delegates		Individuals chosen to represent their organisation at an event
Democracy/Democratic		A way of making decisions that gives everyone a voice
DfE	Department for Education	Responsible for education and children's services in England
E&D	Equality & Diversity	A term used to define and champion equality, diversity and human rights as defining values of society
EMA	Education Maintenance Allowance	A weekly payment once made to help students from low income households meet the costs of studying
ESOL	English for Speakers of Other Languages	Courses to help people improve their English skills if it isn't their first language
ETF	Education & Training Foundation	Sector body which aims to enhance the status of FE by setting professional standards and codes of behaviour whilst developing qualifications
FE	Further Education	Provides education, training and lifelong learning, at all levels, for young people and adults
FECs	Further Education Colleges	Centres of provision of further education
FEChoices	FE Choices	Online website that collates various pieces of data to inform the choices of prospective learners about what and where to study
Fringe		A discussion or workshop that takes place alongside a Conference or event
GTA	Group Training Association	A type of training provider
HE	Higher Education	Qualifications at level 4 or above such as Foundation, Bachelors & Masters degrees & NVQ 4 and above
HEFCE	Higher Education Funding Council for England	Organisation which funds Higher Education provision
I&A	Instrument & Articles of Government	Basically, the rules which colleges have to work to
IAG	Information, Advice & Guidance	Term used to describe advise given to people about education, training and employment opportunities
IfL	Institute for Learning	Organisation which represents the professional interests of teachers, trainers & lecturers on issues like professionalisation and CPD
ILR	Individualised Learner Record	Government database of students and their performance
Inclusive/Inclusivity		Thinking of ways to make sure different types of people can be involved in activities and decision making
ISC	Independent Specialist Colleges	Colleges who provide specialist support to learner with learning difficulties and disabilities
KPI	Key Performance Indicator	Shows performance against targets. Usually colour coded on a massive spreadsheet.
LA	Local Authority	Administrative body within local government
Landex	Land-based College Aspiring to Excellence	36 member organisation representing providers who deliver significant volumes of education and training in land based occupational areas
Learner Voice		The idea that learners should be involved in discussions and decisions about their learning
LE/IS	Learner Engagement (or Involvement) Strategy	College strategy which defines how students will be involved in college decision-making
LLDD	Learners with Learning Difficulties & Disabilities	Term used to describe those learners who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities
LSBF	Learner Support Bursary Fund	Replaced EMA - a discretional financial support scheme for FE students
LSS	Learner Satisfaction Survey	Annual survey used to gather information relating to the satisfaction of FE students run by the SFA
LVP	Learner Voice Practitioner	Lead staff member for student engagement work, usually known as Student Liaison Officers
MIS	Management Information Systems	The central database managed by your college to record and report on staff and student performance
NAS	National Apprenticeship Service	Has responsibility for apprenticeships in England, including recruitment and bringing together employers and providers.
NATSPEC	The Association of National Specialist Colleges	Organisation representing and supporting ISCs
NCN	National Clerks Network	National network of College Clerks
NEET	Not in Education, Employment or Training	A term used to describe someone, usually a young person, who is not in employment, education or training
NIACE	National Institute for Adults Continuing Education	Organisation which aims to encourage all adults to engage in learning of all kinds
NUS	National Union of Students	Representative body for Students and Students' Unions in FE and HE
NSoA	National Society of Apprentices	Recently launched national society which represents the views of apprentices
NVQ	National Vocational Qualification	Awarded at level 1 - 5 to demonstrate competency at your job against national standards.
Ofsted	Office for Standards in Education	Independent and impartial inspectors of providers offering education and skills training for learners of all ages
Policy		What someone thinks about a topic and what it plans to do about it
QIP	Quality Improvement Plan	Plan of changes to be made based on recommendations from the SAR
Quorate		The number of people you need to make a decision
Representative		People chosen to speak on behalf of others. The way they are chosen should fit with your values
SAR	Self-Assessment Report	Reports where courses/departments/colleges reflect on their performance based on pre-determined criteria and targets
SFA	Skills Funding Agency	Distributes government money to learning providers for all provision for people aged 19+
SGSP	Student Governor Support Programme	An annual pathway of student governor support encompassing local, regional and national support available for student governors - run by NUS
SMT	Senior Management Team	The team of senior managers within a college - usually the Principal and Deputy/Vice Principals
STEM	Science, Technology,Engineering & Maths	Subjects considered most economically valuable by some organisations.
TUC	Trade Union Congress	Umbrella body representing over 6million working people
Trade Union		A democratic organisation that represents people in the workplace
UKPRN	UK Provider Reference Number	A unique number given to each individual college/provider
UNISON		Largest Public Sector Union
UCU	University & College Union	Trade Union representing teaching staff in FE & HE. Lecturers pay a small fee to become members.
WBL	Work Based Learning	Courses where the majority of the learning takes place in the workplace. Some learning may take place in a classroom environment but this will be minimal
YPLA	Young People's Learning Agency	Distributes government money to providers for courses for 16-19 year olds and young people with learning difficulties up to 25. Takes direction from local authorities.

Source: NUS FE Jargon Buster Leaflet.