ICON College

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by ICON College's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from ICON College is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.iconcollege.ac.uk

1ICON COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

Recent graduates

ICON College premises

ICON College was founded in 2003 with a mission to meet

the demand for affordable, high-quality education and make

world-class British higher education more accessible for

international and local students. The founding members pride

themselves on providing support to help all students reach their

maximum potential, and preparing students for roles in their

career of choice while offering an inclusive, cultural experience

to help them become productive members of society. Principal

Professor Nurun Nabi and Managing Director Azizur Rahman

tell

The Parliamentary Review

more.

Our higher national diploma programmes are awarded by Pearson, formally known

as Edexcel, and prepare students for the ever-changing employment opportunities

of the modern world.

Grounded in theory and practical experience alike, this diverse range of courses

helps students to ready themselves for the world beyond education. They are

taught by our highly qualified and experienced base of teaching staff, who have

expertise acquired from years in their academic disciplines and the professional

community.

Some of the areas that we offer courses in are:

FACTS ABOUT

ICON COLLEGE

»Principal: Professor Nurun Nabi

»Managing Director:

AzizurRahman

»Established in 2003

»Based in London

»Services: Higher education

provision

»No. of employees: 12 full-

time academic, 51 part-time

academic, 18 administrative

»Overall student satisfaction at

ICON is 90 per cent, based on

the NSS 2019 survey

»www.iconcollege.ac.uk

ICON College

of Technology and Management

»Business

»Healthcare practice

»Computing

»International travel and tourism

management

»Hospitality management

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

2| ICON COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Partnering with universities

The quality of teaching at our college

is only further highlighted by the fact

that we have partnered with a variety

of universities to deliver level 6 and 7

qualifications on their behalf.

Between 2004 and 2010, we had a

partnership with London South Bank

University allowing students who had

completed HND programmes at ICON

to enter into the final year of a relevant

honours degree.

In 2007, we delivered a joint level 7

master’s degree in mobile commerce

for pupils who wished to split their

time between ICON and LSBU, and

from 2004/05 to 2010/11 we provided

a supported LLB open learning

programme in conjunction with

Northumbria University.

Finally, we have worked with

Manchester Metropolitan University

and the University of the West of

England to provide a number of level 6

“top-up” courses for students wishing

to proceed from completion of level

5 HND programmes to a degree-level

qualification through Management

Development Partnership. These

included business management and

tourism and hospitality management.

The college also delivered a Pearson

BTEC level 7 professional diploma in

management from 2005 to 2011.

Student support and guidance

We recognise that the next step in

education is not always an easy one,

and as such we provide a variety of

student support services across the

college. Through these, we provide

guidance, information and support for

those who require it.

Chief among these is our personal

tutoring service; each student is

allocated a tutor at the beginning of

their course. This individual is a great

point of contact who ensures the

student has access to necessary advice

and resources, supports their academic

progression, identifies any problems and

acts as a first port of call for pastoral,

professional and academic concerns.

We also have a dedicated student

career advisor, as we recognise that

life beyond education can often be

daunting. They provide support for

career development, guiding students

through university applications and CV

writing at a time that suits them.

Finally, we provide a suite of counselling

services through private therapy

clinics to help students deal with

the stress that can sometimes result

from further and higher education.

These services are flexible, available

both face to face and over Skype or

FaceTime, and are grounded in a range

of research-proven approaches to help

with psychological issues including

depression, anxiety and self-esteem.

Recognition, regulation and

accreditation

We are subject to regulation from a

variety of external bodies, including

the Office for Students, the Quality

Assurance Agency for Higher

Education and Pearson.

We were QAA reviewed in June 2012

and 2013, and reviewers expressed

their confidence in our academic

standards as well as the quality of

Induction session

Grounded in

theory and

practical

experience

alike, this

diverse range

of courses

helps students

to ready

themselves for

the world

beyond

education

“

3ICON COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE

teaching and learning opportunities

available at the college. In 2014, we

were judged to have a commendable

outcome after a QAA monitoring visit.

The college has also had a QAA Higher

Education Review in July 2017, as well

as a partial review in July 2018 with

positive outcomes.

This dedication to excellence is also

reflected in surveys conducted of

students past and present; our student

satisfaction level is an average of 90

per cent across all departments.

Fine-tuning in line with our

shifting student demographic

When we established ICON College in

2003, our main focus was on students

from the international market,

especially with regard to the Indian

subcontinent and Afro-Caribbean

countries – many of whom found it

difficult to enter universities through

traditional means.

This focus continued until 2011, where

we saw something of a change in our

intake; we began looking more heavily

at enrolling local students, from both

the UK and beyond, who had found it

difficult to enter university.

Some of them had worked up to GCSE

or A level, with the equivalent of an

NVQ level 2 or 3, but bringing their

approaches in line with the standards

that higher education demands was

not an easy process. Areas we found

to be challenging included study skills,

retention and work completion.

We also found that some students

had family and health issues that

affected their ability to work. As such,

we have fine-tuned our in-house

support network to effectively address

the problems that present a barrier

tolearning.

This has not been easy, but through

external support from associated clinics

and the construction of a network to

help with stress-related problems and

foster better wellbeing, our students

continue to attain at amazing levels.

The future for ICON College

Going forward, we will look at

expanding the number of students

we enrol and potentially growing

the already-diverse range of courses

we offer. Future partnerships with

universities and other higher education

institutions are also something we’re

looking at.

For the time being, however, our

focus remains on bringing accessible

education to our current student

base. Through high-quality provision,

outstanding teaching and learning and

a balance of theory and practical work,

we will continue to prepare them for

the world of modern employment.

Our focus

remains on

bringing

accessible

education to

our current

student base

“

Graduation ceremony,

2018

www.iconcollege.ac.uk

This article was sponsored by ICON College. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss.

Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss

Even by the standards of the day –this has been one of the most exciting and unpredictable years in British politics.

The leadership election we’ve just seen marks a huge moment in our country’s history. This government is taking a decisive new direction, embracing the opportunities of Brexit and preparing our country to flourish outside the EU.

As international trade secretary, I’ll be driving forward work on the free trade agreements that are going to be a priority for the government. Free trade isn’t just an abstract concept bandied around by technocrats. It is crucial for a strong economy and for the ability of families to make ends meet. Free trade benefits people in every part of our country, as British firms export to new markets and people doing the weekly shop have access to a wider choice of goods at lower prices.

The essence of free trade is in the title: freedom. It’s about giving people the power to exchange their goods without heavy government taxation or interference. Commerce and free exchange are the engine room of prosperity and social mobility. I’m determined to tackle the forces who want to hold that back.

One of my priorities is agreeing an exciting new free trade deal with the US, building on the great relationship between our two countries and the Prime Minister and US President. But I’ll also be talking to other partners including New Zealand, Australia and fast-growing Asian markets.

And with the EU too, we want a friendly and constructive relationship, as constitutional equals, and as friends and partners in facing the challenges that lie ahead – a relationship based on a deep free trade agreement. Our country produces some of the world’s most successful exports, and the opportunity to bring these to the rest of the world should make us all excited about the future. It is this excitement, optimism and ambition which I believe will come to define this government.

For too long now, we have been told Britain isn’t big or important enough to survive outside the EU – that we have to accept a deal that reflects our reduced circumstances. I say that’s rubbish. With the right policies in place, we can be the most competitive, free-thinking, prosperous nation on Earth exporting to the world and leading in new developments like AI. To do that, we’ll give the brilliant next generation of entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed. Since 2015, there has been a staggering 85 per cent rise in the number of businesses set up by 18 to 24 year olds – twice the level set up by the same age group in France and Germany. We’ll help them flourish by championing enterprise, cutting taxes and making regulation flexible and responsive to their needs.

As we do that, we’ll level up and unite all parts of the UK with great transport links, fibre broadband in every home and proper school funding, so everyone shares in our country’s success.

2019 has been the year of brewing economic and political revolution. 2020 will be the year when a revitalised Conservative government turbo charges the economy, boosts prospects for people across the country, and catapults Britain back to the forefront of the world stage.

Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss
Secretary of State for International Development