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Chapter 12: What Makes That Difference?
Colleges work alongside and in partnership with other education and training bodies. Each sector makes a difference. None of the differences below are unique to the college sector, but taken as a whole they describe the unique contribution that colleges make.
All of Scotland's colleges are different. They range from the very small - Newbattle Abbey College, which is an adult residential college, has 124 students - to the large - Aberdeen College has for example 25,829 students. Each offers a curriculum to serve its community. For some that community is very locally defined, such as in Shetland and Orkney. For others, including Glasgow Metropolitan College that 'community' extends regionally and nationally. The differences between each college help colleges make the difference in their own geographical area and specialist field of expertise.
Colleges are pivotal to the delivery of lifelong learning in Scotland. They cater for the needs of students both in and out of employment at all stages in their lives from middle secondary school to retirement. No other sector can also match the range of courses that colleges deliver. The breadth of the college curriculum is shown in Figure 3 on page 16 of this report. The range of college qualifications is shown in Figure 11 on page 50.
Colleges cater for students with the most basic educational needs, as well as providing courses up to and including higher education. In addition to delivering Higher National Courses, some colleges, including the colleges in the Highland and Islands that provide courses on behalf of UHI Millennium Institute, also deliver degrees and post-graduate qualifications.
The difference that colleges make is founded on the diversity of the students they serve and the range of learning opportunities that they provide.
Given the breadth of their activities, there is a risk that colleges duplicate the work of others delivering education and training. As the diagram below shows, colleges' work extends into the activities of others, including the school sector and community learning. However, rather than duplicating the work of others, colleges seek to work in partnership with them and with learners to ensure that the available expertise and resources of the colleges are fully utilised to enhance the availability of learning opportunities. The contribution that colleges make rests fundamentally on working together with a range of partners across the education and training sector, including employers and the Sector Skills Councils. Colleges may also be competing with these partners for learners (as too could colleges between each other).
It is a challenge for the sector and for others to work in partnership, while encouraging healthy competition. The key to this is keeping in the forefront the interests of learners and potential learners.
Colleges are primarily centres of voluntary learning for adults. The adult ethos of colleges make the difference. The average age of a student in a college in 2004-05 was 32 . Even the attraction for school pupils in attending college is based, in part, on this informal and relaxed environment. It means that students of different ages learn together - something that we know many find valuable because they learn to work together and learn from each other, recognising the different experiences of others. It also means that students are generally given less direction and must show greater self-reliance. There are fewer rules to follow than at school, for example. There is an expectation that students own, so far as possible, their own learning.
The vocational nature of many college programmes makes the difference. This hands-on approach to learning enables students to see the relevance of what they are learning (and doing). They learn through experience. They also learn the reality of working life, including for example the importance of good time keeping. Many are taught in simulated work environments, such as a beauty salon or a car repair shop. The skills that they learn are directly applicable to the work place. In most college courses, core skills such as communication and team working are contextualised within the specific vocational area. As the Employer Skill Survey shows (pages 45-46), over four-fifths of Scottish workplaces felt that college leavers were well prepared in terms of core skills.
Where possible, courses also include work placements to cement the relationship between the college course and the day-to-day application of what they have learned. Part-time employment in their chosen area of study is also encouraged, again to bridge the gap between the experience of college and the world of work 29. In some professions, self-employment can be the ultimate goal for students, and colleges are increasingly seeking to integrate the necessary skills to run a business into courses in those fields.
The relevance of the curriculum makes the difference. The purpose of vocational courses is to give students the necessary skills to excel in their chosen career path. What they learn must therefore be up-to-date. There is little point giving students the skills to work in yesterday's workplace. As the needs of business change, so too do college courses to keep up with changes in developments and techniques. The growth of closer links with employers, and Sector Skills Councils is crucial to this. As too, for example, is the current sector-wide programme to modernise the full range of Higher National courses that colleges deliver.
Responding to the needs of the economy makes the difference. Colleges are much more than providers of education and training. They work closely with others, including their local authorities, economic forums, Local Enterprise Companies, Sector Skills Councils and Futureskills Scotland to anticipate the future needs of their local area. Through the intelligence they gather as a result of their links with their community and employers, colleges are well placed to help identify the skills that will be required locally. In turn, they can work in partnership to deliver the most appropriate learning opportunities.
The experience and quality of college lecturing staff and the different approaches to teaching that they employ make the difference. Learning is enriched and made alive by the personal knowledge and experience, which lecturers can impart. For example, a lecturer who is a former social worker, can give a profound understanding of the reality of identifying child abuse in the field.
The teaching staff in colleges have never been so well qualified both in their area of professional expertise and in teaching skills . Almost all staff have either a first degree or comparable vocational qualifications. Staff bring extensive practical experience of industrial, business or crafts sectors and entrepreneurship to their teaching. Many are also working in the sectors they teach in, and others regularly update themselves to keep their knowledge and skills current on industry requirements.
Some classes in colleges, given their subject matter and level, will be similar to other learning environments. For example, a Higher German course in college will not be wholly dissimilar to such a class in school. That said, it is more typical, given the wide range of ages, experiences and abilities of students in a class, for lecturers to adopt many different approaches and teaching methods, something we know from the Review that students value. The class sizes of practical vocational courses generally tend to be smaller than classes in school or university because of health and safety considerations due to their hands-on nature.
The learning support that colleges deliver makes the difference. Learner support is an integral part of the delivery of college courses.
The range of students with very different levels of previous educational achievement demands that the college focus is on the learner. Learners may have had a negative experience of previous formal learning situations and as a result be under-confident about their skills and abilities. For a significant number of older learners the learning environment and teaching and assessment styles are significantly different to their last encounter with learning.
Colleges seek to remove as many barriers as possible, including previous negative experiences. They provide a full package of learning that seeks to first identify and then meet learners' needs. This may involve the development of numeracy and literacy skills alongside, or as part of, their other studies. By providing learning support within the context of their other college work, the learning of both can be blended together to support each other.
The flexibility of colleges and their focus on the learner makes the difference. There are many ways in which courses are delivered including full-time, part-time day and evening courses, block release, and on-line. Figures for different modes of study in 2004-05 are shown in Figure 1 on page 15 of this report.
Part of colleges' work is also community based in local centres, sometimes owned by the college or by other partner organisations. Given the breadth of their curriculum, colleges have the flexibility to tailor their courses to needs of their students. It also gives students the opportunity to reconsider their course choices, having had experience of the course, and where necessary to change course with as little disruption to their learning as possible.
The demands on colleges to become more flexible in their forms of delivery of courses will increasingly grow as they strive to meet the new needs of those in and out of employment not currently engaged in learning.
All colleges have arrangements that enable learners to contribute to the improvement of the quality of their educational experience. These range from the informal contacts between staff and learners to student membership of the college board of management.
Being at the heart of their communities makes the difference. Colleges serve not only their own students, but their local communities. In the section on the social value of college learning, we explain how colleges are a community resource and illustrate by way of a case study the contribution that a college can make to community regeneration.
About 40% of students learn outwith the main college campus. These local facilities are essential. Not all students feel at home in a main college campus. Its size and 'feel' may be too intimidating, particularly for those entering education for the first time in years. Distance may also be an insurmountable problem for some students. A college main campus may also simply not be sufficient to offer the full range of courses the college wants to deliver.
These centres give colleges the opportunity to tailor learning opportunities to the specific needs of the local community and to pilot new approaches and curricular developments before introducing them in their main campus. A challenge for colleges is to provide the necessary progression for students who might benefit from continuing their learning in its main campus, but who lack the necessary confidence to take that next step.
Those colleges that are invited to become full partners of their local Community Planning Partnership are testimony to the difference that colleges can make to their local communities. It is regrettable that not all are because this inhibits the contribution that they could make.
The quality of the college estate and equipment makes the difference. Great strides have been taken in recent years to improve and maintain the quality of college buildings and equipment. The funding made available by the Scottish Executive through the Scottish Funding Council now stands at £65.9m for financial year 2005-06. Modern buildings and equipment are more efficient to operate and the appeal of a modern and well-maintained college building is a significant advantage in attracting learners and commercial activities.
For example, the St. Brycedale site redevelopment, which is part of an overall plan to re-generate the Adam Smith College estate, has acted as a magnet for the community to be drawn into the College. The provision of specialist accommodation on one site has improved the communication and interaction of varied disciplines and has been instrumental in enhancing the curriculum and the student learning experience. Among other things, it has provided access to specialist resources, enhanced opportunities for vocational areas to work together in complementary ways (e.g. Furniture Design next to Theatre to facilitate set design and Beauty Therapy linked to Theatre for stage make up) and has created a large public exhibition and presentation space for Community and public use.
A recent project by Angus College to build a Community Access and Learning Centre, Creative Studies Workshops and the refurbishment of an existing building into a Nursery has enabled the College to refurbish released accommodation into a 'one-stop-shop' for students which includes guidance, student development, student funding, enquiry, admissions and enrolment services.
The benefits to both staff and students have been marked in providing high quality workrooms for staff and state-of-the-art learning spaces for students. The profile of the College within the community has been enhanced considerably.
Student activity levels have increased by 42% since the inception of the project and the student profile has shown that, as anticipated, the new modern facilities have drawn the harder to reach age 16-19 year olds.
Located in Lauder College's Halbeath campus, a new construction training centre - EcoSpace - opened recently and provides training that encourages the integration of waste reduction, re-use of materials, procurement of renewable resources, energy use minimisation and other environmentally sustainable work practices into everyday work and life. EcoSpace was constructed using 'green' processes and technology and showcases the best use of Scottish products.
The workshops include a large woodworking shop with state of the art equipment and tools, waste management tools and re-use facilities. The painting and decorating area promotes experimentation with environmentally sustainable paint finishes and materials. All facilities include environment-friendly policies and practices, demonstrating best practice in construction training for Scotland.
Linked to EcoSpace will be the ASPIRE Centre (Additional Support Programme in Real-life Environments), which will create real life and work learning environments for students with severe learning difficulties, disabilities and complex needs. The ASPIRE Centre will offer a suite of supported training workshops in distinct areas; Laundry work, Reception Desk, Recycling, Biodiversity, Wood-working workshop, Café, ICT Suite and an Independent Living area.
Case Study: Promoting Gaelic
As The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland explains "Consumption of culture and cultural products makes a substantial contribution to the economy; the economic impact of high quality cultural infrastructure is considerable and makes Scotland an attractive place in which to live and work".
Although physically situated on the peninsula of Sleat in south-west Skye, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig seeks to promote inclusion, and to serve not only its local community in Skye and the Highlands, but also a wider national and international community as a "centre of excellence for the development and enhancement of the Gaelic language, culture and heritage''. (Mission statement 2005-2008).
Short courses offer opportunities for learners to sample Gaelic language and cultural experience during one-week blocks in the summer and at other times of year. There are also options to study Gaelic via ''An Cursa Inntrigidh'', Sabhal Mòr Ostaig's Access to Gaelic Course. Alternatively, local learners may choose to take up a range of other provisions offered via the medium of English through the College's learning centre, which is a partner in the Skye and Lochalsh Learning Centre Network.
The short courses and Access to Gaelic course attract a large number of learners each, with over 900 attending short courses last session and over 130 having signed up for the Access Course. Learners come from a range of locations, and include local residents (some in family learning groups), as well as those from further afield with an interest in learning about the Gaelic language and culture. In the 2005-06 session, learners on the Access to Gaelic course were based in such widely-dispersed locations as Canada, Germany, Sweden, USA, Australia, Japan and Italy, and participants had the opportunity to participate in their weekly tutorials with other learners by voice-over internet protocol ( VOIP) as an alternative to using the telephone.
The many activities and curriculum initiatives in which the College is involved not only support the College in its mission, but they also promote the inclusion of learners within an expanding global community with a shared interest in the Gaelic language and culture.
Case Study: Support for Rural Development
Jacqueline, now the head animal keeper at a Wildlife Centre in Perthshire, says Oatridge gave her the skills and the qualifications (an HND in Animal Care) that led her to "the best job in the world".
As The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland explains, " Rural development is supported by a vibrant culture that enhances the quality of life for people living across Scotland and helps to retain people in rural areas".
A primary concern for the land-based sector is the projected shortfall in the labour force, due to retirement and the numbers of people leaving the countryside. It has been estimated that by 2008, 10,000 new workers will be required and recent research by Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land-based Sector, has identified recruitment difficulties for businesses in a number of geographical areas and in particular skills.
Oatridge College is meeting this challenge by offering young people in the countryside and in urban areas the opportunity to obtain meaningful qualifications that lead to fulfilling and rewarding careers in the countryside.
The College specialises in Agriculture, Animal Care, Countryside Management, Equine studies, Farriery, Green keeping, Horticulture, Land-based Engineering and Landscaping.
The partnerships the College has forged with sector bodies has enabled it to tailor programmes to help meet the demands for particular skills when and where they are needed. Students and former students play significant roles in many rural communities supporting the fragile economy of the countryside.
The College has launched the Land-based Industries Support Service, which gives rural businesses direct access to the expertise of staff to encourage training and give advice on growth and diversification.
The College is also a partner with East Lothian Council and the Northern Racing College in providing foundation training for students seeking careers in Scotland's expanding horse-racing industry.
Later this year the College will open a national equestrian centre for Scotland. The new centre will offer world-class learning facilities, providing a focus for training athletes from all over Scotland in the sport. It will also be an international standard venue for competition.
Jacqueline, now the head animal keeper at a Wildlife Centre in Perthshire, says Oatridge gave her the skills and the qualifications (an HND in Animal Care) that led her to "the best job in the world".
Case Study: Supporting Learners with Additional Support Needs
I'm looking forward to my next course and have already contacted a radio station with a tape.
As we explain earlier in this report (page 23), about one fifth of college activity is delivered to students with a disability.
Stevenson College Edinburgh has for many years approached additional support needs as any support over and above that provided to all of its students. While there is a great deal of specialist provision for students at the College, including courses for people with acquired brain injury, support is typically for students already in mainstream classes or preparing to access mainstream classes.
Increasingly the College has classes where a number or even a majority of the students have support needs. The admission of many students who require additional support means devoting large resources to pre-admissions and involving the coordination of a number of cross college teams and external support agencies. The 'class of 2004', which is based on a main stream class which came into the College in the year 2004, provides a fairly representative picture of how the College approaches support for students in mainstream classes.
Class of 2004
Of the eighteen students in the 'class of 2004' group more than half had additional support needs. Below is how the College responded to some of those needs.
Student 1 had Asperger's Syndrome. The support for this student, as it does for all Stevenson College students, included personal tutor support. The Student Support Team provided staff development on the syndrome and staff were also able to access information held on the College intranet.
Student 2 was a single parent and was referred to the Student Advice Centre at interview for information on local childminders and advice on childcare and hardship funding.
Student 3 was partially sighted and the Student Support Team liaised with the teaching team, the Royal National Institute of the Blind and social work. Following a risk assessment carried out by the care support worker, the Computer Service Unit installed specialist software and an educational support assistant was provided for classroom work.
Student 4 was from Spain. Support for him involved referral to the English Language Support Team for initial assessment and ongoing support and referral to the Student Advice Centre team for advice on accommodation.
I'm just about to move into my own house so life is looking good.
Student 5 was a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy. Support involved an initial assessment by the Student Support Team, provision of a scribe for a communication class and provision of laptop computer. The teaching team also adjusted one unit to suit the needs of this student.
Student 6 was a recovering drug addict on a methadone programme who had low literacy levels. The Student Support Team made the teaching team aware of the issues for a methadone user, i.e. possible daily collection of prescriptions, etc. The student was encouraged to visit the Study Skills Centre for extra help with literacy. This student was also referred to the Student Advice Centre in order to access extra funding through hardship funds.
"I'm Stephen. I'm 19. I have Cerebral Palsy which seems mild as I can speak and be fairly cheeky but I cannot walk and I have limited use in my right side, I'm very left sided. I have a member of the Student Support Team who supports me and someone from the Education Support team who scribes for me. Maureen helps me get things done in English a whole lot quicker and I've passed my Intermediate 1 which hopefully means I can get on to NQ Broadcast Skills because I would like to be a DJ.
My Student Support Team person is a friendly ear who gave me advice and sorted things out and advised me to meet up with someone from the Access Centre who sorted out the type of equipment which would help, like the adapted scissors.
I'm looking forward to my next course and have already contacted a radio station with a tape.
I'm just about to move into my own house so life is looking good."
Stephen
Case Study: Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes
Changing careers was the best decision I could have made and the move into childcare provided me with a real sense of fulfilment.
As Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life explains, "the Executive is committed to securing equal opportunities for all and eliminating discrimination and prejudice in our society. Uneven access to lifelong learning can entrench inequality".
There have been difficulties in recruiting men into jobs working with children for a number of years. Some men may have reservations about working with children which may be to do with cultural perceptions, attitudes and the view that it is not 'manly' to work with children.
Stevenson College Edinburgh recognised that they were not attracting enough male students into their early years education and childcare courses. The college worked in partnership with the 'Men in Childcare' project to attract and support male students and develop a positive view and understanding of working with children. Its long term aim is to recruit more men onto higher level courses leading to a career working with children.
Derek had been employed for a number of years in the bakery industry but realised that he wanted to do something more rewarding professionally and personally with his life. He attended the introductory child development and play course at the College. The course gave him a greater insight into what working with children could be like and what he was required to do in order to achieve the necessary qualifications to pursue a career in the childcare profession.
On completion of the introductory course Derek completed the fast track National Certificate course, which involved two evenings of study each week. After successfully achieving this, he give up his job and enrolled full-time on the Higher National Course in Early Years and Childcare.
"Changing careers was the best decision I could have made and the move into childcare provided me with a real sense of fulfilment."
Derek
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