Targeting Excellence - Modernising Scotland's Schools

Chapter 3 - Targeting Excellence for the Knowledge Economy

"Competitive advantage will come from the application of intellect and knowledge to business problems. The skills Scotland will need to be successful can and should be fostered and grown in schools."

The knowledge economy will pose challenges and opportunities. Knowledge and know-how are taking over from buildings and machinery as the most valuable assets of business. The speed at which information can cross the globe, the sophistication of modern products and services, and the sophistication of the modern consumer all point to increasing globalisation of the economy, and to increasing customisation of goods and services to meet peoples' individual needs. Innovation, fresh thinking, the acquisition and application of knowledge, and high levels of customer awareness are likely to be among the critical factors in achievement in the future. Competitive advantage will come from the application of intellect and knowledge to business problems. The skills Scotland will need to be successful can and should be fostered and grown in schools.

The National Grid for Learning

1. Skills in information and communication technology will be particularly important if Scotland's young people are to participate fully in the knowledge economy. The National Grid for Learning is an exciting programme to put modern computers into places of learning linking them to each other and to the Internet. The Grid will allow learners access to remote libraries and museums, enable teachers to share ideas and parents to help children with their homework - all over the Internet.

Open and Distance Learning

Over the last four years Highland schools have shown that ICT has an important part to play in distance learning. Already 10% of senior pupils have some part of the curriculum delivered remotely using electronic communications. This reflects the need in Highland to have access to courses which expand and enrich the curriculum beyond the capacity of individual schools.

Students use e-mail, audio-conferencing and video-conferencing to communicate with tutors in remote regions. In addition, each student has the support of a mentor who is a teacher in their own school.

2. The use of modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to ensure a free flow of information to and between universities, schools, colleges, libraries and community centres will play a vital part in increasing attainment by ensuring that learners are able to learn at any place and at any time.

Video-Conferencing links with German schools

Higher German students at Deans Community High School in West Lothian use ICT to video- conference with students in Heheim-Huston school in Germany. Every week each student spends half an hour speaking to a German student who is studying English. This is an excellent way to enhance language skills and ensure pupils have the self-confidence to use them.

3. They will be able to tap into the vast and expanding reservoir of human knowledge regardless of where in the world the knowledge is located. Thus, a pupil doing a science project may connect to the science museum in Paris with a click of a button, while a student studying art may just as easily visit an art gallery in Italy.

4. Knowledge itself is useless unless it leads to fresh insights and understanding and that can only happen if the learner is able to share ideas with others. Making this possible is the strength of the new technology. It will allow learners to communicate with students like themselves, or experts in the subject all over the world. The vital " C " in "ICT" is cause for much excitement. Never before has it been possible to put at the disposal of education such a powerful tool and the effects on learning will be far-reaching.

5. Recently the Government launched a major strategy for implementing the National Grid for Learning in Scotland. We set out some tough targets to be attained by the year 2002. These include Ensuring that all new and existing teachers feel competent to use ICT in their teaching Wiring up all schools, colleges, universities, public libraries and some community centres to the Grid allowing all teachers and learners to have their own e-mail addresses Encouraging education authorities to aim for a ratio of at least one modern computer for every five secondary pupils and at least one modern computer for every 15 primary pupils Ensuring that all school leavers had a good understanding of ICT based on standards set out in the curriculum.

6. To make all this happen the Government will provide £62 million from the Excellence Fund to help Scotland's schools obtain the equipment and services needed to make rapid and sustainable progress in the use of the new technology.

7. The next stage will be to ensure that the wider community of learning which includes FE and community facilities, will have access to the Grid.

"What the Technology World is coming to"

Grampian Education Business Partnership organised a major IT related event at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre for over 1,100 pupils and students, and 58 teachers from the city and the surrounding areas. Working in partnership with Grampian Enterprise and 30 local companies, the Education Business Partnership used the event to raise awareness of the opportunities opened up by the software and IT sector in Scotland and Grampian. Exhibition workshops introduced visitors to uses of Information and Communications Technology in, amongst others, engineering, design, multimedia, and the creative world.

In the light of changes in the local labour market, particularly the shift away from traditional industries, the event is part of Grampian Enterprise's examination of job creation for the future. Pupils and students had the opportunity to gain an understanding of the wide range of skills related to IT, career options in the field, and to the relevance of school and college subject teaching to the sector.

8. New equipment has the greatest effect when put into skilled hands. The Government recognises this and plans to invest £23 million Lottery money from the New Opportunities Fund to ensure that teachers and school librarians are equipped to make maximum use of new technology in the classroom and in the school library.

Scottish Virtual Teachers' Centre

9. A key reason for building the Grid in Scotland is to ensure that teachers have access to high quality educational materials. The Government has asked the Scottish Council for Educational Technology and the Scottish Consultative Committee on the Curriculum to work together to develop the Scottish Virtual Teachers' Centre. This is a World-Wide Web site which can be accessed through the Internet. It will provide teachers with a wealth of teaching material and with the opportunity to contact other teachers to exchange ideas and best practice. The Scottish Virtual Teachers' Centre is a one-stop-shop. Visiting this web site will give the user links to all the major Scottish Educational bodies.

Education for Work and Enterprise

10. The future in which our young people will work will increasingly be dominated by the demands of the knowledge economy. It is critical that schools develop their capacity to prepare young people to make a success of their lives in the years beyond school. That will mean increasing the inter-relationship between schools and enterprise, between pupils, teachers and business people - especially enterprising business people.

11. Education for Work and Enterprise must be central to the life of each of Scotland's schools. The Government is establishing a framework in which schools can deliver Education for Work and Enterprise effectively.

The Firrhill High School Business Partnership

Education Industry Links have often been seen as a peripheral set of activities. Individual projects take place, but are not linked to each other or to pupils' overall learning experience. But many schools in Scotland are challenging this approach. At Edinburgh's Firrhill High School, a high level partnership is being forged with up to 40 major local employers, steered by a strategy group which includes staff from the school, and from Scottish Widows, Standard Life, the Morrison Construction Group, John Lewis, the Sheraton Hotel, Shaw Marketing and Scottish Provident. The partnership underpins an exciting new vision of Education for Work and Enterprise. Managers and teachers will work together with pupils on a planned programme of industry and enterprise education which will form an integral part of the curriculum; the school provides the content of learning, and the business partners provide the context for learning.

Pupils all the way from S1 to S6 will benefit from planned progression in industry awareness and enterprise education; teachers will gain from partnership with managers and business people; and businesses, as well as gaining a high value opportunity for staff development, will have an impact on the development of the workforce of the future.

Higher Still and Education for Work

12. The Higher Still reforms are an important element of that framework. Higher Still will remove artificial barriers between academic and vocational subjects. Moreover core skills which young people will have to use in the world of work are developed by Higher Still - Communication (oral and written), Numeracy, Information Technology, Problem Solving, and Working with Others. This will serve Scotland's children well, especially as they face a world in which they may face several career changes during their working life. The measure of overall achievement provided by Scottish Group Awards will also be of interest and value to employers.

Partnership

13. The Education for Work and Enterprise agenda needs the commitment of a wide range of partners, including business, local enterprise companies, schools, local authorities and Government. The Education for Work and Enterprise agenda is supported by the Government on a number of fronts. HM Inspectors of Schools are inspecting good practice on the basis of the document How Good is our School at Education Industry Links. The report will appear in late 1999 The Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum is to produce "Tools for Implementation" - guides for linking the curriculum with a planned programme of Education for Work Consultation on Work Experience has been completed, and draft guidelines on a more flexible and relevant approach will be published in the New Year The Government has set up the Beattie Committee to review the needs of young people who require additional support to make the transition from school to post-school education, training or employment. Its focus is on improving the skills and employability of young people with a wide range of needs and on recording and reporting their needs.

Careers Service Companies and Education for Work

14. The work of careers service companies forms a particularly important part of the agenda. In all that they do, careers service companies offer a valuable resource to schools and pupils. We have asked careers service companies to improve their knowledge of the labour market through better links with employers. In doing so, they are ideally placed to assist schools in the development and delivery of a coherent careers education and guidance programme. In order to support schools and careers service companies more fully in this work, we will commence work on the production of new national careers education guidelines.

Careers Central: "Work Trends"

As part of a "Global Change - Local Challenge" campaign, Careers Central and Forth Valley Enterprise work closely with employers in their area. Much of the data they gather is being turned into an education and information resource for teachers and pupils in schools throughout Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannan Council areas.

The Work Trends IT programme and booklets offer clear indications of current trends in the labour market at national and at local level. Work Trends draws on employers' real life experience, and highlights, for example, the expected growth in employment in sectors such as biotechnology, financial services, travel and tourism and Information Technology. Readers will also have information on how to find out more, and where to look for information on career opportunities in the featured areas.

15. We have also asked careers service companies to focus some of their expertise on supporting young people at risk of dropping out of the education system, complementing the range of other measures in place to assist these groups.

Growing Enterprise in Scotland's Schools

16. The Government attaches particular importance to developing enterprise in Scotland's schools. The knowledge economy demands far greater enterprise skills, both in the formation of new businesses, and in helping existing businesses to flourish in the fast moving and competitive world. An enterprising future for Scotland demands enterprising skills in Scotland's young people.

Young Enterprise Scotland: Cee and Bee

Cee and Bee, a Young Enterprise Scotland Company based at Anderson High School in Lerwick, learned how to overcome the hurdles which face many businesses. Cee and Bee produced and sold a range of chocolates, and went on to win the 1998 Scottish finals of the Young Enterprise competition. In the process, they had to learn how to work together, and how to operate safely and successfully in a highly regulated industry. As well as finding out how their school work translated into a real life situation, the pupils enjoyed the challenges of communicating effectively with many external contacts, and, of course, making a profit. Much of what the team practised in the course of the project offers valuable experience in developing core skills.

Craigroyston Community High School & the Edinburgh Compact

Craigroyston Community High School is one of four schools in the Edinburgh Compact. Students are drawn from areas with a high incidence of factors associated with social exclusion. In particular, local unemployment rates mean that many young people come from families with little experience of the world of work.

Students at Craigroyston are introduced to industry and enterprise in a coherent and concentrated way through a variety of events, including Job Skills days, work placements, Industry Awareness sessions, mentoring and interview techniques sessions.

Staff at Craigroyston comment on the beneficial effect of such programmes on pupils' self-awareness. Improved attendance and motivation are also commented on. Since 1989, the participating Compact schools have seen an increase in the proportion of young people moving into training and employment from 59% to 75%. The numbers going on to Further and Higher Education has also increased from 5% to 18%, with the numbers remaining unemployed six months after leaving reducing from 18% to 7%.

The "Think Business" programme is designed to bring entrepreneurs right into the classroom to enthuse young people about enterprise and entrepreneurship Employers who second staff to schools are to be encouraged by a tax concession which will allow the secondee's salary costs to count against the employer's tax liability A fast paced, youth centred "Think Business" video is to be sent to every secondary school The National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise, supported by the Government and Scottish Enterprise, will bring added coherence and value to existing enterprise activities, develop new work, and vigorously promote Education for Work and Enterprise to both employers and educators The National Centre has been asked to develop and manage a high quality programme of industry and enterprise awareness for teachers and schools, to include placements both to and from industry.

17. Education for Work and Enterprise is often a powerful tool for schools in motivating and engaging pupils at risk of dropping out of education. There is also evidence that these activities can improve attendance, behaviour and attainment. Schools should consider integrating into the curriculum work related initiatives which young people can identify with and learn from.

Summary/Conclusion

Targeting Excellence for the Knowledge Economy

Already Underway

Investment of £62m to ensure the implementation of the National Grid for Learning by 2002 Investment of £23m Lottery money in training teachers in the use of ICT Development of the Scottish Virtual Teachers' Centre The "Think Business" programme to bring entrepreneurs into the classroom Promoting enterprise skills in schools Support for the National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise Investment of £1m per year in industry and enterprise awareness for teachers and schools

Next Steps

Additional Lottery money to extend the National Grid for Learning to enhance Lifelong Learning, in particular support for community access Preparing new guidelines on improving work experience Preparing new guidelines on careers education Expanding of the Education for Work and Enterprise agenda