[SEETLLD CSFWG-P01]
REVIEW OF SCOTLAND'S COLLEGES
WORKING GROUP: COLLEGES' STRATEGIC FUTURE
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INITIAL DISCUSSION PAPER
Purpose
1. To provide a basis for members to discuss how the group should complete its work.
Remit
2. The remit of the group is to "examine strategic the future of Scotland's colleges". This should encompass factors that could have a bearing, including
- the purpose of colleges (and their role in enterprise and employability and in wider community need, and the advantages/disadvantages of breadth vs. specialism of provision);
- responding to changing demographics, expectations and skills needs;
- extending the 'reach' of colleges, including by removing barriers to learning;
- the scope for the joined up of delivery of post-school education, including greater articulation to and from other forms of learning, including to degree study and from school education;
- income generation; and
- international activities.
3. The work will encompass all college learning opportunities and will therefore include college provision of Higher National courses.
4 The outcome of the workstream will be the exploration of various scenarios of the future of Scotland's colleges with recommendations on short to medium term actions that could assist the realisation of preferred scenario outcomes.
5. Views of members are invited on the group's remit and on the specific matters the group should seek to address, recognising that further matters are likely to be identified as the group's work progresses.
Operation of the Group
6. Given the core activity of the group is scenario planning, we consider that there are two distinct functions - providing (a) the direction of the activities; (b) the generation of ideas for and about the scenarios.
7. We propose that the group form a small steering group from its membership to discharge the first function. We consider that the second function could be delivered by the group being consulted electronically when required and meeting in a series of workshops to facilitate the generation of ideas for the workstream.
8. Views of members are invited on how the group should operate.
HE Futures Work
9. On 20 June the then Deputy First Minister gave the go ahead to begin work on an HE Futures project. The project will consist of a group of forward looking activities consisting of a mixture of evidence gathering for the 2006 Spending Review and blue skies thinking about the future of higher education in Scotland. The blue skies element of 'HE Futures' will run over the next 18 months with actions following on in January 2007 and beyond.
10. The main themes that the blue skies element of HE Futures might cover include:
- efficiency and flexibility;
- opportunity, access and delivery;
- employability;
- internationalisation;
- research & knowledge transfer;
- developing the profession; and
- demographic change.
Joint Consideration of Common Issues
11. Some of the matters concerning college's strategic future and the future of higher education are relevant to both (for example, Higher National provision) or have a significant degree of inter-dependence, such as demographic change. We consider that, where appropriate of matters of mutual interest could be considered in the first instance by a 'Futures Reference Group'. This Group would comprise of a pool of relevant experts from a range of backgrounds and interests across both sectors.
12. Views of members are invited on how best to consider issues common to colleges' strategic future and the future of higher education.
Timescale for Colleges' Strategic Future Workstream
13. Given the nature of the workstream it is difficult at this stage to give much of an indicative guide.
End August 2005 First meeting of Working Group to agree scope of the work
March 2006 Information gathering and analysis complete
Commence scenario planning
June 2006 Complete scenario planning
mid January 2007 Penultimate meeting of Working Group to discuss draft report
mid February 2007 Final meeting of Working Group to agree report.
14. Views of members are invited on the proposed timescale for the group's work and on how regularly the group should meet.
Research
15. Possible research which could be commissioned includes:
- the likely and possible effects of changing demographics on the college (and HE) sectors over the next 20-25 years.
- international experiences.
- survey of potential learners with focus group discussion on attitudes to college (and university) learning and barriers to such learning.
- survey of college staff and learners on review issues (and focus group discussion), which could incorporate a colleges' strategic future 'strand'.
16. Views of members are invited on the research needs of the group.
Tasks
17. The initial planned activities of Executive staff will focus on ideas gathering. Specifically the Department plans to run over the next 6-9 months:
- A series of non-attributable in depth conversations with groups of college principals.
- A series of non-attributable in depth conversations with other stakeholders and experts working in and around the both the college and university sectors.
- A series of non-attributable in depth conversations with senior figures working within the Executive and other relevant public sector organisations.
- A survey of a wide range of individuals working in and around the sectors. This will be open ended and very much designed to gather a range of both established and innovative thinking for future consideration from as wide a range of individuals as possible.
18. Views of members are invited on which tasks should be undertaken and the appropriate timeframe for them.
19. Views of members are invited on which stakeholders Executive staff should meet to discuss the workstream.
Reviews Team: Scotland 's Colleges
August 2005