The Scottish Government

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Introduction

1. The consideration of equalities issues was an integral part of the Review of Scotland's Colleges and was embedded across all the workstreams. That was the right way to proceed because that reflects the delivery practices of colleges. However, we felt it important to bring together in one place the varied work of the Review's four working groups to address equalities issues. We - the 'Core Group' of stakeholders responsible for the Review - endorse all the reports and commend their recommendations to Ministers.

Difference Colleges Make

2. The remit of the Difference Colleges Make workstream included examining "the difference colleges make (to the learner, the economy and wider society), including …. the full range of learners benefiting from college opportunities". In its report Unlocking Opportunity the Working Group outlined who goes to college. As well as including relevant statistics, the report also contains a case study on ' IT Skills for the Older Population'. In examining the difference that colleges make to learners, the report included a case study on 'English for Speakers of Other Languages'. The report also had case studies on 'Supporting Learners with Additional Support Needs' and 'Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes'. Relevant extracts from Unlocking Opportunity are at Annex A¹.

3. The Group's second report Delivering a Smarter Scotland presents 12 outcomes toward which Scotland's colleges, working with key partners, can make a decisive contribution. They include "Delivering English Language Training for Scotland's Inward Migrants". Relevant extracts from Delivering a Smarter Scotland are at Annex B.

Staffing, Learners and Learning Environments

4. The remit of the Staffing, Learners and Learning Environments ( SLALE) workstream included examining "issues relating to the staffing, learners and the learning environments of Scotland's colleges to ensure quality learning experiences… including disability, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation, age and gender equality for staff and learners".

5. In its report Inspiring Achievement the Working Group included sections on:

The Current and Future Profile of Staff in Scotland's Colleges; and

The Current and Future Profile of Learners in Scotland's Colleges.

6. These sections are reproduced in full at Annex C.

7. The Working Group's specific recommendations on the Current and Future Profile of Staff in Scotland's Colleges are:

• We recommend that colleges evaluate, in the light of this report, the quality of their strategic human resource management processes and take any necessary action to ensure current and future challenges are known and addressed.
• We recommend that the Scottish Funding Council should consider how its current review of staffing data collection processes can best take full account of equalities issues (we note that there may be a role for Equality Forward in this regard), add value to workforce planning activity and reflect relevant aspects of this report.
• We recommend that college and staff representative bodies work jointly in undertaking regular, preferably annual, surveys on qualitative measures of satisfaction of staff working in colleges.

8. The Working Group's specific recommendations on the Current and Future Profile of Learners in Scotland's Colleges are:

• We recommend that the Scottish Funding Council works together with Scotland's colleges, and other relevant stakeholders including Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to consider how learner data can be collected and used more efficiently to help with strategic planning at a national and local level.
• We recommend that the proposed review of data collection on learners should take full account of equalities issues. We note that there may be a role for Equality Forward in this regard.
• We recommend that colleges, the Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA) and policy makers should continue to investigate ways in which the gender imbalance within college courses can be resolved. We expect that this will involve the Executive's cross-departmental working group engaging with colleges to review current good practice activity.
• We recommend that colleges and policy makers take note of the information contained in this report on the current, and projected future, profile of college students with a view to ensuring that Scotland's colleges continue to effectively serve the needs of all sections of society.

Accountability and Governance

9. The remit of the Accountability and Governance workstream included examining "the composition of the boards, including whether more needs to be done to ensure diversity". In its report Strategic Leadership, Accountable Oversight the Working Group includes an analysis of a survey conducted by the Association of Scotland's Colleges on behalf of the Group. The analysis of the survey is at Annex D.

10. The Working Group's recommendations include:

Recommend Boards, in making appointments, should take account of full range of criteria expected (e.g. skills, experience, equality. diversity).

ACTION: Scottish Executive, SFC, ASC

Colleges' Strategic Future

11. The remit of the Colleges' Strategic Future workstream was to "examine the strategic future of Scotland's colleges in 10-15 years through a scenario analysis, and report on the implications of the range of likely scenarios. In considering these scenarios, examine possible changes in the key national, European and international environmental factors affecting learning and colleges. These might include, for example:

• demographic change;
• economic change;
• societal and technological change;
• change in our expectations of the role and purpose of colleges;
• change in approaches to learning and teaching;
• change in the 'learning market'".

12. In its report Developing Capability: How Our Colleges Can Respond to Future Challenges the Working Group included the following recommendations which are particularly relevant to equality issues:

• Colleges should be aware of and respond to demand for learning from learners and employers and different segments of these markets, consistent with colleges' aims and objectives.
• Further work should be undertaken to consider how best to improve the effectiveness and timeliness of market intelligence, including better local interpretation of national and regional data, to ensure more informed decisions by colleges and learners.
• Colleges should, within the resources available to them, provide attractive modern learning environments and ensure that the location, timing and method of learning meet the changing needs of future learners and employers.

Conclusion

13. All of the Review's working groups were alert to equalities issues. Their recommendations will ensure that colleges and other stakeholder organisations continue to address equalities issues, individually and collectively.

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