« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Foreword by Cabinet Secretary
This Scottish Government will support learning for life - and learning throughout life.
We know that our teaching and learning are world class. People can and do take advantage of them to improve their life chances, but there are key challenges that we must address. We must make it clear that learning truly is for everyone. We must demonstrate how it can have a lasting and positive impact on many areas of life. And we must develop policies and processes that make things easy for everyone to understand and make use of Scotland's learning systems to improve their contribution to people's work, lives and communities.
The Review of Scotland's Colleges ( RoSCo) has taken the closest ever look at where colleges sit, or could sit, in supporting Scotland's prosperity - both economic and social.
It has been a major undertaking. RoSCo has looked at what the college sector delivers for Scotland now, and what more it could do in the coming years. It has examined issues around the three key elements to successful learning - learners, staff and the places where learning occurs. The Review considered how we can support successful and accountable governance. It also looked further ahead in examining colleges' strategic future over the next 15 years or so.
I am therefore extremely pleased to introduce this overview report. It has been published along with five other RoSCo reports on behalf of the Core Group of stakeholders responsible for co-ordinating the Review.
RoSCo was very much a stakeholder-led review. Given that so much of what the college sector delivers is done in partnership, it was fitting that the Review mirrored that approach.
I value the time and effort which stakeholders invested in the Review over the two years it was conducted. They were rightly at the heart of the process, driving RoSCo forward and examining issues in the Core Group and the Review's four working groups. Each of them brought a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to the Review. Their commitment was considerable, particularly for those stakeholders who chaired working groups.
Due to the constructive approach taken by stakeholders, this major piece of work is very much owned by them all. That, to me, has been one of RoSCo's great strengths.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the Review - the chairs of the Core Group and working groups, and the members of the groups and associated steering and sub-groups. I also want to thank the Reviews Team and the officials in the Executive that provided secretariat support for the groups. Finally, I want to thank the many college learners, staff, principals, board members and other individuals that participated in discussions during the course of the Review.
The collective advice contained in this and other RoSCo reports is very welcome. It could not come at a more opportune time as we look to the delivery of our strategic priorities and as we prepare for the forthcoming Spending Review.
Now it is the turn of Ministers to consider the reports' findings and recommendations carefully. Clearly I cannot commit myself at this stage to the recommendations. But I can certainly give an assurance that we will respond in due course to the Review and articulate how Scotland's colleges can help turn our plans for a learning nation into practice.
Fiona Hyslop MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
« Previous | Contents | Next »