Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
Fiona Hyslop
Strathclyde University
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thank you for inviting me along here this morning, to talk about Scotland in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It's a pleasure to see so many of you here today. And to see many known faces and as well as many to get to know.
Thanks to Qquality Assurance Agency and Universities Scotland for arranging this opportunity to explore such an important issue.
And thanks also to Strathclyde University to hosting it. With their long-term and extensive links with Europe, their membership of the European Consortium of Innovation Universities and their commitment to develop European Joint Masters Programmes, and their involvement in discussions in Brussels about the European Institute of Technology, Strathclyde is certainly a very appropriate venue.
I plan to spend the next few minutes outlining what I see as the opportunities and challenges for Scotland within the EHEA. This is a subject to which I have long had a personal commitment. Having raised the need for Scottish engagement with the Bologna Process in the Scottish Parliament while in opposition, I take some responsibility for where we are today.
Scotland inEurope
I would like to start by speaking more generally about Scotland in Europe.
As the Scottish Government, we are determined to raise Scotland's voice in Europe - determined to develop closer, and direct, links with the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council and other key groups in Brussels.
At the same time, we are determined to work openly and constructively with our colleagues in Westminster to ensure that Scottish interests are always taken into account in negotiations from the earliest possible stages - whether it be about broader, strategic issues - such as the EU Reform Treaty - or more specific issues such as the European Institute of Technology (EIT) or the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
Current EU Priorities
Indeed, only last week we published our "Current EU Priorities" which identifies a list of 21 EU policy issues currently being discussed in Brussels of greatest interest to Scotland. We have also announced our intention to consult on and publish a new European strategy document which will set out our EU intentions for our time in office. Our identified EU priorities make clear our intention to engage with the European agenda across a range of issues that combined will contribute to all 5 of our Strategic Objectives; making Scotland wealthier and fairer, healthier, safer and stronger, greener and smarter.
I think this early action on our part demonstrates our commitment for 21st century Scotland to be international and outward looking - ready to accept our responsibilities, and engage constructively with our European neighbours.
I believe this principle of positive, constructive, engagement should also underpin our role in the emerging EHEA.
EHEA - opportunities for Scotland
I must say at the outset that I see the EHEA as an overwhelming opportunity for Scotland, for Scottish higher education, for staff, students and graduates. It presents an opportunity for Scotland to lead in Europe.
As I made clear in our skills strategy, Scotland's greatest asset is our people. Investing in our people's skills, ensuring that skills contribute as much as possible to sustainable economic growth, is central to unlocking our potential.
Our skills strategy has challenges for the higher education sector and sets out what our objectives need to be to develop a cohesive lifelong learning system, centred upon the individual but responsive to employer needs. As Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for learning from the cradle to the grave, I am very concerned about ensuring smooth transition and progression within our education system. In response to Andrew Hamnett's remarks, I see consideration of the role of the Scottish general ordinary role and progression from school to university in that context. This could include addressing the low take up of science and modern languages. Our Manifesto includes proposals to consider developing Baccalaureates for Science and Modern Languages as a means of addressing this. The SQA Board will shortly be discussing how to respond to the challenges set out in our skills strategy. Transition from Highers and Advanced Highers into higher education is perhaps something universities could work on with SQA.
We need a system for developing skills that meets everybody's needs and aspirations and equips individuals with skills that are flexible enough to meet the needs of today and respond to the demands of tomorrow.
I believe the Bologna Process, and the emerging EHEA, provides a framework to help Scottish higher education respond to the demands of tomorrow.
I see the EHEA as an extremely important catalyst for change. It will enable European higher education to meet the challenges of globalisation; through fostering international collaboration; opening access to higher education for all students, pooling the knowledge of academics, and bolstering businesses with an increased supply of highly-qualified graduates.
We live in an increasingly globalised marketplace. For companies to possess the skills they need and their employees to have the best opportunities to advance their careers, we need to raise skills levels for all.
The BolognaProcess
The Bologna Process is driving change throughout European higher education: working to improve skills across Europe by building on the strengths, increasing the quality and raising the profile of European higher education.
This is being done constructively a spirit of collaboration and partnership between Governments, institutions and others. We should not underestimate the impact of that collaboration amongst Scottish universities. It really is another plus for Scotland.
Crucially, the Process recognises the importance of avoiding any kind of simplistic "one size fits all" approach, drawing on institutional diversity, autonomy and academic freedom. Those skeptical about the Process should take note of the importance given to those vital principles for the EHEA. While the legislation for the merged Scottish Funding Council was going through the Scottish Parliament, I was responsible for ensuring that academic freedom was enshrined in that legislation.
Fundamentally, the Bologna Process recognises the need for flexibility and responsiveness to the challenges of globalisation. And it recognises the key role of higher education both to respond and to influence; by adapting to new demands and driving further change through research and innovation.
Opportunities for universities, staff and students
To focus in a little more detail on the opportunities presented by the EHEA.
From the institutional perspective, the EHEA gives Scottish institutions an opportunity to work collaboratively with their counterparts in Europe
- to exchange good practice on crucial issues such as student-centred learning, employer engagement and knowledge transfer; all issues central to our skills strategy
- to develop more strategic alliances and world class research collaborations
- and to strengthen their overall offering, by being part of an area within which staff, students and graduates can be truly mobile.
For staff, the increasing openness of the EHEA allows greater movement between institutions - for short study periods, as well as longer-term working and studying opportunities. It opens up more possibilities for exchange and dialogue about learning and teaching, curriculum development, quality enhancement and generally improving the quality of the student experience.
For students, it increases access to higher education; drives up standards through greater emphasis on student-centred learning and quality enhancement; and increases employment prospects through relevant curricula, enhanced opportunities for mobility and better information for prospective employers about the skills and competencies achieved, rather than the time spent learning.
EHEA - challenges
There are some challenges too.
Mobility has been at the heart of the Bologna process since its inception, but the available data suggest that there has not yet been any step change in the mobility of staff, students or graduates.
This is true for the EHEA as a whole and for Scotland, certainly in relation to outward mobility. Our figures for outward mobility under the Erasmus programme remain stubbornly around 1,000 a year, with more than twice that number coming here to study.
I feel some personal responsibility for promoting the Erasmus programme, given Winnie Ewing's role in setting it up.
Progress to increase access to higher education from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education has also been slow.
We must continue to work hard to promote equality of opportunity for all, to widen access to higher education, if we are to ensure that we have a highly-skilled, internationally-competitive workforce that will help our economy to prosper.
Our efforts should not just focus on those embarking on a degree for the first time, but also at people choosing to return to higher education after time out; or those for whom university hasn't previously been feasible, for whatever reasons. We need to strive to help all learners to achieve their full potential, regardless of their background.
To support this, we need to work harder to improve the recognition of prior learning - both non-formal and informal learning - developing SCQF further still, to ensure we have the flexible, responsive higher education system individuals demand. This includes mapping SCQF to other national frameworks, building on the work SQA is doing on mapping Polish qualifications onto SCQF.
And at the same time, we need to increase engagement with employers, to increase understanding of current and projected demands for skills and to help prepare for future skills needs.
For the Bologna Process as a whole, there is a need it increase understanding of what the process is all about both within the EHEA and beyond. To make it clear that is about improving openness and transparency, quality and diversity - not a harmonisation process.
There remain a number of myths about the Bologna Process that we must work to dispel.
Last but by no means least, as we look ahead to 2010 and beyond, we need to retain the informal, collegiate support structure, involving Governments, universities, students, staff and, more recently, employers, a structure that has achieved so much since we started to work towards the EHEA in 1999.
As we look ahead, we need to retain and reinforce the emerging focus on learners, learning and the application of that learning in the global marketplace, rather than structures and processes, if we are to realise the full potential of the EHEA and Scotland's place within it.
EHEA - Scotland's Contribution
You know better than me the strength of the contribution Scotland can - and is - making to the development of the EHEA.
Scotland is - and has historically been - a learning nation, with a strong higher education sector.
With only 0.1% of the world's population, we produce 1% of the world's published research
In the last RAE (research assessment exercise), around half of our university research was awarded 5 or 5 star (5*) ratings, denoting international excellence.
We attract 12 per cent of the UK Research Councils' resources for research and 14 per cent of the EU research resources spent in the UK.
The number of EU students studying in Scotland has increased from just over 8,000 in 1999 to over 11,000.
The number of students from outwith the EU has increased from 11,000 to more than 20,000 over the same period.
And a recent i-graduate study (July 2006), found that than 80% of international students in Scotland said they would recommend the experience to others, and 91% agreed with the statement 'Scotland is a good place to be'.
More specifically in the Bologna context, Scotland is one of only three countries who were rated "green" in all categories in the last Bologna Stocktaking exercise.
We have led the way on quality enhancement and student engagement in quality enhancement, including setting up the "sparqs" to help students engage more effectively with quality enhancement in Scotland.
And, through experts from QAA Scotland and Universities Scotland, we contributed to the development of the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA; are providing support to others who are developing their qualifications frameworks; and are one of only two countries who have successfully self certified their higher education qualifications framework against the overarching qualifications framework for the EHEA.
Scotland is indeed a good place to be.
Scottish engagement with the BolognaProcess
More generally, we have increased our engagement with the Bologna Process through regularly taking part in the Bologna Follow Up Group meetings, working groups and Bologna seminars.
This is something I hope will continue over the next two year period, in the run up to the next Ministerial conference taking place in Belgium in May 2009.
The Scottish Government will continue to take part in Bologna Follow Up Group meetings, and work to raise the profile of Scotland within the Process.
We will take part in the Bologna working group that will prepare the next stocktaking exercise.
And take part in the network being set up to exchange information and good practice on portable grants and loans - with a view to piloting portable student support by 2010.
Working with the Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland, QAA, NUS Scotland, the SCQF Partnership and others, we plan to co-host a workshop in Scotland next spring with the Council of Europe on using learning outcomes on the context of a national qualifications framework.
And we will support NUS Scotland in their plans to produce an information leaflet for students about opportunities in the EHEA.
We also hope Scotland will contribute in some way to the range of Bologna seminars taking place over the next two years on topics such as lifelong learning, employability and looking beyond 2010.
At the same time, I would urge you to increase still further your engagement with the Process, by taking part in the range of discussions and events taking place across the EHEA. We can either be passive recipients or help lead and shape the future development of the EHEA. It's only by taking part and contributing that we can achieve what I believe is our common goal of raising Scotland's voice in the EHEA today and in the future and making Scotland a good place to be.
Thank you.