Colleges are the key ingredient in Scotland’s skills and education success of the future for students
SPENDING the best part of a year reviewing Scotland’s education and skills system has been, fittingly, a learning experience.
I found a system that is creaking. Our schools, colleges and universities are faced with differing political priorities, parental demands, and business expectations.
They are buffeted by financial pressures and having to adapt to extraordinary technological and societal change.
All this while focused on priority one: delivering a complex suite of learning to an incredibly diverse set of learners.
Yet, despite what can appear an impossibly difficult context, I found a system with extraordinary resilience, staffed by people with a deep passion for getting things right (even if they have to spend too much time hearing from those who think they’re getting it wrong).
I ended my review in no doubt that Scotland has all the ingredients of a world-class education and skills system. And no ingredient is more important than our colleges.
The time I spent with those at the heart of our college system left an indelible mark.
Of course, this positivity stands in stark contrast to recent headlines. Financial troubles and industrial action have dogged the sector.
Yet, I found a college system very much alive, energised and delivering remarkable things for people of all ages and backgrounds. options, including college.
This definition of success is not only outdated and simplistic, it is deeply damaging.
It stigmatises other valuable vehicles for learning and, worst of all, it leaves thousands of young people believing they have failed before their life has really begun.
Scotland can’t afford this. Our working-age population is shrinking, faster than other parts of the UK. It has never been more important to unlock the full potential of all our people.
However, doing so requires us to treasure the diversity of educational institutions in Scotland. That means