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Chapter 1: Contribution of Colleges
Scotland's colleges contribute to economic growth and help tackle poverty and disadvantage by supporting learners in acquiring skills and knowledge transfer. They have a key role to play in delivering the Executive's Framework for Economic Development in Scotland ( FEDS) 2. The framework provides Scotland's overarching economic development strategy, and sets out the key factors of competitiveness which will promote economic growth. It outlines a vision "to raise the quality of life of the Scottish people through increasing the economic opportunities for all on a socially and environmentally sustainable basis".
The acquisition of basic education and skills and knowledge transfer are identified as fundamental factors in increasing productivity and the competitiveness of Scotland's economy.
"We must improve the skills of the whole population through further support for the basic education system, by strengthening lifelong learning, and by nurturing higher and further education. This must include a concern for raising our manual and vocational skills. Better skills are the key to improving individual life chances, increasing the flexibility of the labour force and maintaining competitiveness. Scotland has to embrace the knowledge economy and the reality of continual learning if it is to compete in the global marketplace." - FEDS
Within this framework sits the Executive's strategy for A Smart, Successful Scotland3 which provides strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland. The strategy explains that to achieve the vision outlined in FEDS we need "a smart, successful Scotland where sustained and sustainable economic growth rests on continuing improvements in productivity".
Scotland will:
- have an ambitious and confident population;
- be committed to lifelong learning;
- be excited by and focused on innovation; and
- embed sustainable development principles in all it does.
The strategy outlines how skills and learning can increase economic growth and close the opportunity gap by:
- improving the operation of the Scottish labour market;
- providing the best start for all our young people;
- developing people who are in work; and
- narrowing the gap in employment and reducing economic inactivity.
Colleges are pivotal to the delivery of lifelong learning in Scotland. As the Executive's strategy for Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life4 explains, lifelong learning policy is about "personal fulfilment and enterprise, employability and adaptability, active citizenship and social inclusion". It is to provide the best possible match between the learning opportunities open to people and the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that will strengthen Scotland's economy and society.
In June 2006, the Scottish Executive published Workforce Plus: an Employability Framework for Scotland5 which describes why, despite record levels of unemployment in Scotland, we must be more ambitious about helping vulnerable and disadvantaged people find work, in the interests of continued economic growth and Closing the Opportunity Gap.
More Choices, More Chances: A Strategy to Reduce the Proportion of Young People not in Education Employment or Training ( NEET) in Scotland6, also published in June 2006, is a strategy for reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training. The strategy proposes a two fold approach to tacking NEET: (i) supporting young people to prevent them becoming NEET in the first place: and (ii) helping those already NEET to get back to learning and employment.
In this report, we outline how colleges working in partnership are helping to deliver the FEDS priorities on:
- basic education and skills, including colleges' partnership working with schools to increase vocational options and with local authorities to help improve literacy and numeracy levels;
- research and development and innovation, including developing the knowledge base of business;
- entrepreneurial dynamism, including colleges' work to deliver the Enterprise in Education strategy, Determined to Succeed7; and
- managing public services resources more effectively, including through the operation of the Scottish Countryside Colleges' Strategic Partnership.
We explain how colleges and their partners are helping to deliver A Smart, Successful Scotland in each of the three organising themes:
- Growing business, including through the custom designed training for companies and through its support of sectors including the biotechnology and creative industries.
- Learning and skills, including the development of employability skills as well as high-level technical skills.
- Global connections, including promoting Scotland as an attractive place to live and work, as well as exporting knowledge to the rest of the world.
We describe how colleges and others are working to progress the five people-centred goals of the Executive's lifelong learning strategy to realise:
- a Scotland where people have the confi dence, enterprise, knowledge, creativity and skills they need to take a full part in economic, social and civic life;
- a Scotland where people demand - and learning providers deliver - a high quality learning experience;
- a Scotland where people's knowledge and skills are recognised, used and developed to best effect in their workplace;
- a Scotland where people are given the information, guidance and support they need to make effective learning decisions and transitions;
- a Scotland where people have the chance to learn irrespective of their background or current personal circumstances;
We set out how colleges and their partners are helping to meet the targets set out in Workforce Plus and More Choices, More Chances.
- By developing skills that allow individuals to enter, sustain and progress in employment.
- Helping people with basic literacy and numeracy skills.
- With support for young people to build self confidence, self esteem and employability skills.
The report also outlines the role of colleges in:
- developing skills for employment;
- supporting rural development and community regeneration;
- achieving sustainable development and exploiting new business opportunities;
- closing the opportunity gap; and
- equal opportunities.
A key aspect of colleges' work is in developing skills for employment. The following case study explains how colleges engage with Jobcentre Plus and the Local Enterprise Network.
Case Study: Employability
Scotland's colleges provide learners with opportunities to develop personal skills and skills for employment, enabling them to contribute to the economy and the wider social and cultural environment…
In June 2006, the Scottish Executive published Workforce Plus - an Employability Framework for Scotland. The Framework outlines that there are 509,000 people in Scotland, excluding students, who are not working and are not classed as unemployed. Of these, an estimated 168,000 say they would like to work. Workforce Plus sets out the fundamental principles which must underpin, and the practices which should be characteristic of, all services on offer in Scotland to help individuals enter, stay in and progress within the labour market. Those with no qualifications represent just over 35% of the workless population.
"Scotland's colleges provide learners with opportunities to develop personal skills and skills for employment, enabling them to contribute to the economy and the wider social and cultural environment…" HM Inspectorate of Education - Source Improving Scottish Education, HMIE 2006 ( www.hmie.gov.uk)
Scotland's colleges engage contractually with Jobcentre Plus and the Local Enterprise Network to support national priorities, including:
- increasing uptake of Modern Apprentice and Skillseeker programmes by widening access to Modern Apprenticeships through pre-apprentice opportunities;
- investing in staff development and resource development for young people under the age of 25 years with additional needs in response to the Beattie Report and more latterly in response to the Special Educational Needs Disability Act ( SENDA);
- promotion of the Get Ready for Work programme funding for 16-18 age group;
- increasing emphasis at a UK level in the New Deals: New Deal for Disabled Persons and New Deal for Lone Parents;
- promoting Individual Learning Accounts;
- creative use of available ESFObjective 3 funding to create innovative vocational training programmes in response to access and inclusion priorities;
- continuing training for ex-offenders moving as they return to their communities by promoting take-up of government programmes such as Training for Work and the New Deal;
- employability for the 16-19 age group not in education, employment or training encouraged by both SFC and Scottish Enterprise;
- promoting Learndirect Scotland's services to learners learning campaigns.
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