From Franchise Network to Consortium: the evolution and operation of a new kind of further education partnership

The Consortium for Post-Compulsory Education and Training (CPCET) is a single subject consortium of further education and higher education providers of professional development relating to in-service teacher training for the whole of the post-compulsory sector. Involving more than 30 partners spread across the North of England, CPCET evolved from a long established franchise network centred on the University of Huddersfield. This article, as a matter of contextualisation, briefly outlines the background of higher education to further education franchising before providing an account of the development of this distinctive partnership. Furthermore, at a time when cross-sector collaboration has become a policy priority, it considers some implications of this experience for the postcompulsory sector as a whole. The main operational procedures of CPCET are described and some current issues are discussed