Tag: education

Making the case for Scotland’s colleges

The principals of Scotland’s two largest colleges have highlighted the strengths and potential of the sector in a report which makes plain the economic impact of colleges in Scotland.

The Cumberford-Little Report, One Tertiary System: Agile, Collaborative, Inclusive  was commissioned by the Scottish Government to consider what more Scottish colleges can do to help improve businesses’ performance and productivity.

It was co-authored by Edinburgh College Principal and CEO Audrey Cumberford and City of Glasgow College Principal and CEO Paul Little.

The findings identify the significant economic impact colleges already have – a £3.5bn annual boost to GDP according to the latest figures – and identify how colleges support a wide range of Scottish Government national priorities, highlighting examples of best practice across Scotland.

The authors also make a series of recommendations aimed at allowing colleges to make a still greater contribution to business growth, particularly among Scotland’s huge SME and micro-business communities in an economic environment where the full challenges of Brexit are yet to become clear.

Edinburgh College Principal and Chief Executive Audrey Cumberford said: “Scotland’s colleges represent a huge national asset and so we were delighted to be asked to undertake this review to highlight the important role of our colleges.

“Whilst our findings show the significant contribution that colleges make across the country, we cannot overstate the importance of creating an environment that supports an immersive symbiotic relationship between colleges and industry.

“In the report we address the challenges and constraints, which need to be overcome to enable us to realise our full potential. Together with peers and partners, we absolutely believe our colleges can tackle the challenges – and seize the opportunities – that lie ahead for Scotland.”

City of Glasgow Principal and Chief Executive Paul Little said: “Scotland’s colleges represent a huge national asset – yet their economic impact is not widely understood, nor recognised – despite very significant government investment.

“We think colleges’ multiple roles and diverse responsibilities sometimes combine to make it difficult to describe what they’re for – so we propose a refreshed purpose for colleges that is unambiguously focused on helping businesses to grow by making sure they have access to people with the technological, vocational, and ‘meta’ skills needed in the decade ahead – and beyond.

“We also say we need a fresh approach to how colleges are funded and how their success is measured so as to incentivise a business-focussed approach. And, since colleges thrive in a system, not a hierarchy, we make clear that, building on the Government’s plans to reform the learner journey, our proposals need to be anchored in a fully connected and collaborative system of pre- and post-16 learning.”

Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead said: “Today’s publication – authored by the principals of Scotland’s two largest colleges – showcases some of the excellent work already taking place right across the country’s thriving college sector to support our learners, communities, and businesses.

“Essentially it makes plain the existing strengths and huge potential of a sector, which has an increasingly powerful impact on the Scottish economy as a whole.

“Since 2007, the Government has invested more than £8 billion in our colleges, and in last week’s draft Budget we proposed allocating over £670 million in total for resource and capital in 2020-21, underlining just what an important national role they play.

“The recommendations made in this report set out ambitions for an agile, collaborative, inclusive and dynamic college community. They include those aimed, particularly, at making an even greater contribution to Scotland’s huge SME and micro-business communities – very timely indeed, in an economic environment where the full challenges of Brexit are yet to become clear.

“We look forward to considering all the recommendations in detail, and responding in due course.”

Read The Cumberford-Little Report, One Tertiary System: Agile, Collaborative, Inclusive.

Edinburgh Napier expands Graduate Apprenticeship programme

Edinburgh Napier Univeristy has strengthened its Graduate Apprenticeship programme with the announcement of nearly 200 new opportunities for people to study for an honours degree while in employment.

The University currently has 273 Graduate Apprentices actively studying across three cohorts. The first cohort joined Edinburgh Napier in September 2017.

The current batch of Graduate Apprentices will soon be joined by a fourth cohort, with the University announcing it has 185 new positions across a range of subjects within its School of Computing, Business School and School of Engineering and the Built Environment.

The courses available are:

BA (Hons) Business Management, BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering, BSc (Hons) Construction & the Built Environment, BEng (Hons) Engineering: Design and Manufacture, BEng (Hons) Cybersecurity, BSc (Hons) Data Science, BSc (Hons) IT Management for Business and BSc (Hons) Software Development.

Each programme has been assigned 20 new places, other than the BSc (Hons) Construction & the Built Environment programme, which offers 45 places across four different learning pathways: Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying, Real Estate Surveying and Architectural Technology.

Sally Smith, Dean of Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, said: “We are delighted to have more Graduate Apprenticeship places for 2020. Our previous experience shows how effective they are for employers with a need for new skills and for individual apprentices.

“Our apprenticeships appeal to school and college leavers, Modern Apprentices and existing employees. With our apprentices putting their skills to use immediately, both they and their employers benefit from day one.”

Graduate Apprenticeships have been developed by Skills Development Scotland in partnership with industry and the further and higher education sectors.

Graduate Apprenticeships are a new way for individuals to get qualified up to Masters degree level while in paid employment. They are designed by employers and offered in key sectors that need highly skilled employees. Anyone over the age of 16 who lives in Scotland is eligible, and there are no course fees to pay for apprentices or employers.

Participants spend approximately 80 per cent of their time in work and 20 per cent in university, and can qualify for entry based on both academic and relevant work experience.  Employers can either hire new recruits or upskill existing staff.

The strong emphasis on work-based learning, especially in latter stages of the degree, enables flexible learning approaches to best meet the needs and challenges of the apprentices.

Jessica Auld, who is working at Aegon while attending university one day a week to study a Graduate Apprenticeship in BEng (Hons) Cyber Security, said: “Studying at university and learning on the job means that I’m constantly learning and developing my skill set and knowledge.

“It’s exciting to know that at the end of four years I’ll have an honours degree plus four years work experience. For me, the role has opened up so many different opportunities and most importantly; I have met some great people along the way – my team and the other apprentices have been such a great support network.”

The programmes delivered by Edinburgh Napier have already delivered demonstrable success both for the apprentices and their employers. Some apprentices have even been promoted within 18 months of starting their GA, demonstrating the strong link between academic progression and professional development.

Jennifer Knights from NHS Education for Scotland, who is currently a workplace mentor for one of the apprentices, said: “I have been very impressed with Edinburgh Napier University and their Graduate Apprenticeship offer.

“I think it’s fantastic and we need a lot more of it. I think the reputation is growing as other managers see the impact and can recognise that this is making people excited about work.”

Diane Greenlees, Skills Development Scotland Director of Critical Skills and Occupations, said: “More and more Scottish employers are turning to Graduate Apprenticeships to meet their critical skills needs.

“Graduate Apprenticeships are industry-led and delivered with universities in Scotland, ensuring businesses have access to high-level skills and providing both new and existing employees with the opportunities to get a job and get a degree.”

For more information on Graduate Apprenticeship opportunities available at Edinburgh Napier, please visit www.napier.ac.uk/apprenticeships or email ga@napier.ac.uk

Count Me In!

Young carers call for educational equality and an end to isolation

Thousands of children and young people across the UK will take part in activities today to highlight the need for far more support for young carers from government, schools and local authorities.

The call comes on Young Carers Awareness Day, an annual event led and organised by Carers Trust. The day aims to raise awareness of the pressures experienced by young carers – children who need to look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol.

Count Me In! Young carers call for educational equality in UK schools

Scottish Government figures estimate the number of young carers in Scotland to be around 29,000. However, further research by Carers Trust shows that as many as one in five secondary school children may be a young carer. For many, the caring journey begins long before they reach secondary school.

But whatever their age, the need to provide care can have a negative impact on the wellbeing, education and future prospects of young carers. Caring responsibilities all too often lead to an inability to complete homework, late arrival at school or even non-attendance.

Research indicates that young carers on average receive lower grade in their public exams than their peers who do not have caring responsibilities at home.

But despite the challenges faced by young carers, far too many remain unidentified and hidden away from support. These problems are less likely to build up if young carers are proactively identified as early as possible.

Once identified, young carers’ circumstances at home can be better understood. This will help schools ensure that young carers are receiving the additional support they need to address their vulnerability to lower than average educational attainment.

This is why Carers Trust has made Count Me In! the theme for this year’s Young Carers Awareness Day.

To ensure as many young carers as possible are identified in future, Carers Trust and young carers are calling on:

  • compulsory education providers to acknowledge their unique position to identify young carers at an early stage so appropriate support can start as soon as possible; and to recognise young carers as a vulnerable group of learners who require additional support so they can engage in their education and go on to lead enjoyable, fulfilled lives.
  • The Scottish Government to monitor implementation of legislation relating to young carers, including how many young carers are identified and supported; and to ensure that local authorities receive appropriate funding so they are able to fulfil their statutory duties to provide young carers and their families with the support they need; and collect attendance and attainment data on all identified young carers in education.

Gareth Howells, Carers Trust CEO, said: ““I know as a former young carer myself that it’s hard enough for young carers to have to juggle all the pressures of school and exams with caring for family members.

“They are often dealing with complex problems which many adults would struggle to deal with – from disability and terminal illness to mental health problems, alcoholism and substance misuse.

“The need to support hundreds of thousands of young carers right across the UK could not be clearer. But far too often the needs of young carers are ignored, leaving them unnoticed and unsupported.

“Our colleagues in local authorities, education and government need to be doing far more to identify young carers at as early a stage as possible so they can achieve their potential at school and lead happy, fulfilled lives.”

Edinburgh College opens its doors to prospective students

Edinburgh College is encouraging prospective students to find out more about the range of courses available at the College in 2020 at two campus open days this week.

The College’s Milton Road Campus (above) will welcome guests tomorrow (Thursday 30 January) from 4pm until 7pm, while Granton Campus’ open day is taking place on Saturday 1 February between 10am and 2pm.

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to speak to teaching staff about the courses on offer at each campus and to discover the best study options available to them.

Prospective students can also get advice and guidance on funding and fees, tour the College’s facilities and even apply for their chosen course on the day.

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “We look forward to welcoming prospective students to the College and I encourage anyone thinking of studying with us to come along to the open days to find out more about the courses we offer.

“We have courses to suit everyone, from school leavers, to people wanting to improve their job prospects, boost their qualifications or learn new skills in 2020.”

To find out more about the courses on offer at Edinburgh College visit the college website:  www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/opendays.

Further open days will be held at Sighthill and Midlothian Campuses on Saturday 22 February and Saturday 29 February respectively.

Tory Erasmus “sell-out” to impact on 3,484 students in Edinburgh

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has warned that thousands of university students in Edinburgh could lose out on the opportunity to study abroad – after the UK Tory government pulled support for the Erasmus last week.

New figures from the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe), show that, between 2014/15 and 2017/18, 3,484 students from the city’s higher education institutions studied abroad through the Erasmus+ programme.

With Boris Johnson’s Tory government choosing to vote against continued membership of Erasmus+ remaining part of negotiations with the EU, Gordon MacDonald MSP has claimed that the same number of students could now miss out over the next four years if Scotland is blocked from the programme.

The Erasmus+ scheme aims to promote and modernise education, training, youth work and sport across Europe, and gives students from a variety of backgrounds the opportunity to live, work and study in other European countries.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald said: “The Erasmus programme has been hugely valuable to our city’s universities and students over the years, so it’s saddening the Tories have decided to sell out and pull support for the programme. 

“Our students here in Edinburgh have benefitted massively from the opportunity to take a year abroad in Europe, giving them the chance to experience new cultures and ways of learning.

“Of course our city’s culture is also richer thanks to students from the continent coming to spend time in our world-class universities, contributing to our economy and society in the process.

“My message to Edinburgh’s students is this – don’t let Boris Johnson cut you off from the world. It’s time to put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands so we can build a fairer, more outward looking nation at the heart of Europe. It’s time for independence.”

Figures from SPICe: (erasmusplus.org.uk/statistics)

  • Glasgow 2014/15 – 2017/18: 3,647 outgoing students
    • Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – 49
    • Glasgow Caledonian University – 545
    • Glasgow School of Art – 214
    • Glasgow University – 1426
    • Strathclyde University – 1413
  • Edinburgh 2014/15 – 2017/18: 3,484 outgoing students
    • Napier University – 472
    • Heriot Watt University – 692
    • Queen Margaret University – 27
    • Edinburgh University – 2293
  • Aberdeen 2014/15 – 2017/18: 1,367 outgoing students
    • Robert Gordon University – 628

Aberdeen University – 739

Teacher numbers rise …

 BUT ALMOST ONE IN THREE PUPILS NOW HAS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS

Primary school teacher numbers are at their highest level since 1980 and total teacher numbers have risen by 288, new statistics have shown. The overall number of teachers rose to 52,247, an increase of 1,530 since 2015 and the highest level since 2009.

However a campaign group has expressed concern over support for record numbers of pupils with Additional Support Needs. Continue reading Teacher numbers rise …

Scotland’s student teachers: learning the lessons

The lessons being learned by Scotland’s student teachers will be put to the test as part of a new inquiry by Holyrood’s Education and Skills Committee.

The inquiry will explore whether teachers leave initial teacher education sufficiently ready and confident for the challenges they will face in Scotland’s classrooms. Continue reading Scotland’s student teachers: learning the lessons