TCEP Introduction

The Chaucer Education Project

                    The aim of The Chaucer Education Project is the founding and management of Chaucer University.  Until such time in the future as a Royal Charter may be granted, to incorporate Chaucer University and empower it to award degrees and other recognised levels of qualification in its own right, The Chaucer Education Project has been designed to be developed through two companies working in parallel, one with charitable status and one without, with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority validating degree courses.

                    There are three short-term objectives towards achieving the aim of founding Chaucer University.  These are:-

(1)     to incorporate The Chaucer Foundation as a membership company, limited by guarantee and having charitable status;

(2)     to change the name and status of Kent Crafts Centre Ltd.: firstly, to Chaucer Corporation Ltd.; and secondly, to a Public Limited Company, in order for it to function effectively as the principal subsidiary commercial company of The Chaucer Foundation, with all subsequent profits generated being transferred back to this Charitable Company;

(3)    to undertake all the preparatory work necessary in order to successfully petition for a Royal Charter of Incorporation, to supersede the original limited company status of either or both of The Chaucer Foundation and Chaucer Corporation PLC. and empower the vocational university to award its own degrees and other recognised qualifications.

The Chaucer Foundation

                    The Chaucer Foundation was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee with charitable status in 1990.  The design, management and names of the principal governing body and, collectively, for the members of this Charitable Company were purposely intended to bear close resemblance to those originally encountered in the first two English universities founded and also those in Scotland, on the latter of which, Open University course credits were modelled.

                    The board of management of The Chaucer Foundation, which will be responsible for all of its charitable activities, is named The Court.  All the members of this Charitable Company, who are also expected to be staff members of Chaucer Corporation PLC., will comprise The Convocation.

                    Shared ownership housing schemes for staff will also be developed, to enable each member to purchase, rather than have to rent, their first home.  Similar shared ownership assistance will be provided for business premises, particularly, new franchise-format subsidiary companies.

                    The original Memorandum and Articles of Association for The Chaucer Foundation were not objected too by The Charity Commission.

 Chaucer Corporation Ltd.

                    On 5 May 1989, Kent Crafts Centre Ltd. changed its name to Chaucer Corporation Ltd., as the first stage of the transformation process necessary to undertake the new vocational education role being adopted by the Company.

                    The whole purpose of Chaucer Corporation PLC. will be to offer vocational university education in a work-based, discovery-centred, learning environment, rather than mainly teaching in a college-based classroom setting.

                    The principal task for the Company will be the founding of Schools of Engineering, Management and Medicine, with a flexible, continuously-assessed and modular, vocational course unit structure, able to be taught through a combination of full-time, part-time and distant learning teaching methods.

                    The Chaucer Education Project also involves the research and development work necessary to design, produce and deliver all the educational equipment kits, teaching and other facilities and resources necessary.  As part of this process, Chaucer Corporation PLC. will function as a University Senate which also undertakes responsibilities of an authenticating examining body.

                    Advice and assistance has been requested from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority regarding all the possible options available and procedures necessary, to enable Chaucer Corporation PLC. to design, deliver and validate its own in-house, integrated, vocationally-taught, applications-based, topic-centred, modular, cross-curriculum, continuously-assessed teaching system, complete with its own examination structure.  The new teaching system would require students to undertake specified combinations of course units, possibly at different academic levels.  It is intended that the assessments and examinations, which would form an integral part of each course unit, would be recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as not just being an equivalent system but representing the attainment of a pre-determined number of high grade General Certificate of Secondary Education and Advanced Level passes.

                    It is envisaged that a small, self-financing, Co-Educational Comprehensive Community Teaching School will shortly be established.  The Teaching School is intended to provide premises for the Project's base, from which every aspect of The Chaucer Education Project could be fully researched, developed and then prototype tested.  This operational environment would also enable the teaching of a flexible part-time Postgraduate Certificate In Education Course, specialising in shortage subject areas, including Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.  The Teaching School would provide the opportunity for other schools to book sessions, enabling complete classes to study and evaluate the learning programme devised for The Chaucer Education Project.

                    The concept of providing vocational education within a work-based environment, together with the teaching methods and resources proposed, is intended to be delivered in a manner that would be equally suitable for delivery within both developing and developed countries.  Poverty should no longer bar potential students, of any age, from educational opportunities.

                    The most significant initial development project expected to be carried out by this Company and which it is intended would be broken down into a series of smaller research projects, for individual students to carryout, would be to undertake all aspects of the design, financing and development of at least one building complex which included the provision of retailing and university-standard library facilities.  The library facilities would meet the minimum space and student facility ratio requirements specified for eligibility to qualify for public-sector funding derived from H.M. Treasury.

                    Access to suitable library facilities, for borrowing, reference and private study, such as those which are already available using a combination of county public and university libraries, is an essential requirement, when planning the design, development and delivery of new course units, as it will be necessary to ensure that adequate and sufficient facilities can be provided.  In addition to using existing publicly available facilities, access to more specialised resources and equipment is expected to be specially negotiated by Chaucer Corporation PLC., whenever necessary.

Subsidiary Companies

                    It is envisaged that each local branch of the proposed franchise- format businesses, to be subsequently developed, through subsidiary companies, should be owned by Chaucer Corporation PLC., rather than by individual persons.  This should ensure efficient continuity of operation, whilst purposely encouraging the maximum level of staff turnover, at the end of each course.

                    It is anticipated that staff working in any part of the Chaucer Corporation Group, in addition to having normal employee involvement and profit sharing bonus schemes, would be the first persons eligible to apply for special marketing incentive offers, particularly on new off-peak travel services.

Sponsorship

                    From the time of its founding, all the income of The Chaucer Foundation will be utilised to undertake charitable projects.  Running expenses incurred are expected to be sponsored in full by Chaucer Corporation PLC.

                    Whenever special marketing schemes are introduced, it is intended that the predetermined percentage of sales income allocated, to finance the accompanying new research and development project, should be paid directly to The Chaucer Foundation.  This would enable customers to see the financial results of their efforts being allocated to a tangible aspect of a project and is intended to encourage the development of a continuing lifelong interest in The Chaucer Education Project, through showing that donations made have done more than simply been used to finance a large pool of impersonal expenditure.

Updated text from Information Sheet Number One published in 1989.

Copyright Richard West.  Page updated 23 October 2010.