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9. Supplementary aims
(i) Attracting talent to Scotland and offering a high quality experience
This aim is not solely concerned with attracting international students to Scotland. Another important aspect is attracting talented people to come here to live and work, some of them as teachers and researchers. In addition the number of migrant workers is increasing. It is important that we focus not only on attracting these people to Scotland, but also on delivering a high quality experience at all stages. We must also encourage Scottish staff to gain international experience.
The relevance of the international student experience is not limited to those who come here to study but is equally important for those students studying in their own countries for a Scottish qualification. The main responsibility for this aim must lie with the education providers, and depends heavily on the dedication, commitment and global outlook of their staff. There will be a particular role for agencies such as the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) and SQA; and also for the British Council and the National Union of Students (NUS) The Scottish Executive's Fresh Talent Initiative is also an important consideration, not least in the projects it supports to improve the international student experience through its Challenge Fund. Similarly UKCOSA's role in supporting international students and those who provide services to them will be relevant.
There are a number of possible areas in which targets could be set in order to measure progress against this aim. These could include measuring the quality of the experience by asking the learners themselves, increasing the number of international students attracted to Scotland and increasing the percentage of workers in the Scottish education sectors who have international experience.
(ii) Facilitating the universal employability of all our students
Most students see a college or university course as a step towards a career. Some will want to remain in Scotland, and others will want to work overseas. In both cases they will have a keen interest in employment opportunities. Much of the responsibility for advice and support rests with the colleges and universities themselves. They must ensure that their careers services provide comprehensive support extending, as far as possible, to the international labour market. There should also be co-ordination of this provision with collaboration across careers services - working together to enhance the Scottish offering.
There is an obvious role for employers, and a need for the education providers and employers to work together so that there is a good match between the skills employers require and the skills that courses develop. Because of the relevance of this aim to Scotland's current and future economic prosperity, the Scottish Executive has a strong interest and role in supporting education providers and employers.
To encourage a wider outlook, we need to ensure that there is an international dimension to all of our college and university courses, and also that domestic students are encouraged to gain experience of living and working or studying overseas. Both of these will help to foster global citizenship in our students at all levels.
One example of how this can be achieved is provided by the European Union's ERASMUS programme, which enables students to take part of their course in another EU country. Fewer Scottish students take up the opportunity than come to Scotland. Colleges and universities need to ensure that courses are designed to foster global employability, as well as actively encouraging and promoting schemes like ERASMUS. The Scottish Executive has recognised that it may be necessary to take action to reduce or eliminate obstacles to student mobility and will be exploring the potential for portability of grants and loans. An area where a target could be set for this aim is increasing the number of Scottish students participating in the ERASMUS scheme and other work and study mobility programmes. Another area might be increasing the percentage of international students in employment relevant to their qualification within a specified time after they graduate.
(iii) Participating actively in European and international policy development
This is an aspect of international work in which Scotland has performed well in recent years. The SCQF has attracted much interest in Europe and beyond, and has enabled Scottish partners to play an influential role in the development of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) 22. This could serve as a useful model for a joined-up approach. It depends first on good co-ordination by the Scottish partners, which include Ministers and the Executive, the Funding Council, the education sectors and their representative bodies, and the quality assurance bodies. The priority is to strengthen a model that works well, and to extend its operation, in terms of geographical coverage.
Scotland is fully engaged with the Bologna Process and indeed is performing well in a number of aspects. One of the main challenges for the future is in recognition of prior learning and work experience. In addition it will be important that we place a strong emphasis on international engagement in quality enhancement procedures.
(iv) Leading development, capacity building and sustainability projects
Many colleges and universities are already involved in a wide variety of capacity building projects in most countries of the world. Not all have an education focus - academics have a great deal of expertise and practical skills to offer in specific subject areas such as sustainable farming, civil engineering, construction and water purification to name only a few. Some of this work is organised through co-ordinating bodies such as the British Council, but much of it depends on good bilateral relationships which have been built up between individual institutions. There is scope for adding value through better co-ordination, by identifying areas where government and the education sectors can align their efforts. It is not simply a case of Scotland sharing its knowledge and expertise with another country. It is also an opportunity for Scotland to learn from valuable experience elsewhere.
(v) Fostering international partnerships and other strategic alliances
Successful internationalisation depends on the creation of effective partnerships. Nearly all of the types of international activities with the capacity to grow substantially involve a two-way process requiring a partnership approach. The value of these can be increased where they are underpinned by strategic alliances. Strategic alliances set a framework and create an environment within which existing partnerships can flourish and new partnerships can be established. The role of government is important to the formation of these alliances, particularly where they involve formal government to government agreements.
It will also be important to build on Scotland's research strengths, in particular attracting the top talent from across the world, and by ensuring that we facilitate the mobility of Scottish researchers to be able to carry out their work in other countries. Scotland's strong performance in academic research has resulted in many highly productive international partnerships between universities in Scotland and other major world universities. Because leading edge research depends increasingly on successful and sustainable international partnerships, including partnerships with emerging economic giants such as China and India, a core element within this aim is to invest in and to nurture these partnerships and to further our links where appropriate.
One possible area where a target could be set here would be increasing the value of international partnerships and research alliances secured, particularly but not exclusively within the priority areas identified in section 2.
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