LSIS Excellence Gateway

The Beacon innovation programme offers Beacons an opportunity to apply for funding to support innovative ideas and concepts they wish to develop and test.

Since responsibility for the Beacon programme transferred to LSIS in 2006, we have commissioned over a hundred innovation projects, the outcomes of which represent a significant resource for the overall quality improvement of the further education and skills sector. 

Innovation case studies

As part of our ongoing commitment to promote and disseminate the work Beacons are doing, we have commissioned a bank of case studies. The case studies capture, in concise detail, the clear outcomes and lessons learned, both about the project outcomes and about the process of implementing an innovation project.

This initial bank of case studies represents a growing body of good practice that we’re keen to build on - providing others with an opportunity to read about some of the creative and original ideas the Beacons are trialling and testing. The examples vary, from innovative approaches to teaching and learning and enlivening the curriculum, to effective employer engagement strategies – ensuring learners, employers and communities are at the heart of everything we do.

Once an innovation project has come to an end, we ask the provider to complete a final report which will then be published as a case study on the website. To download the final report template, please visit the resource pool. The written case studies can be found on the excellence gateway. 

You can also download a list of all current and completed Beacon innovation projects, with a brief summary of each, from our resource pool.

Beacons sharing expertise

To capitalise on the proven and acknowledged expertise of Beacons, LSIS launched a new 'sharing expertise' pilot in 2008. This pilot enables Beacons and other high-performing providers to help address areas of performance that can be improved.

By harnessing the Beacons’ expertise in this way, we hope to develop a model which will contribute significantly to the sector’s move towards self regulation and its continuous improvement and further development. We would, with the support of Beacons in the future, like to replicate the model across the programmes offered by LSIS.

The pilot project currently involves two strands of activity – the first is where we have asked Beacons to complete a comprehensive questionnaire with details of where they feel they could offer expertise. This information will be used to match Beacons with providers working with the Improvement Adviser Service, as part of their ‘aspiring to excellence’ offer. The second strand of the project enables Beacons to apply for funding to support the sharing of good practice and expertise with providers which they have been approached to help, or which they are already working with. More information about how to apply for this funding can be found by downloading the sharing expertise documents in the resource pool.

You can download a list of all current and completed expertise sharing projects with a brief summary of each from our resource pool.

In the meantime, please send any enquiries or questions to excellence.innovation@lsis.org.uk