The Scottish system of post-school education is best described under
three headings: training, further education and higher education. These
headings correspond to different kinds of organisation and a different
structure of responsibility. There is, however, considerable overlap
between training and further education and between further education
and higher education.
Training
There
is a range of Government funded national training programmes which are
managed and delivered by Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands and
Islands Enterprise (HIE) through their networks of Local Enterprise
Companies (LECs).
Skillseekers
Skillseekers
is a vocational training programme open to young people between 16 and
25, although the Enterprise Networks currently prioritise funding to
16-19 year olds. The main elements of Skillseekers are training leading
to a recognised qualification up to SVQ Level III (SCQF 5), an
individual training plan and employer involvement. The programme has
helped increase employer participation in training and 80% of
Skillseekers participants are now employed while undertaking their
training. However, the Scottish Government indicated in the recent
Skills for Scotland Strategy that the Skillseekers programme would be phased out in Scotland as the Modern Apprenticeships programme is extended.
Get Ready for Work
Get Ready for Work, introduced in 2002, is for young people 16-18 years old with
Additional Support Needs.
Priority is given to 16-17 year olds. It is an individualised holistic
skills programme with four strands – life, core, personal and
vocational skills. It aims to improve employability. Students can
progress to the mainstream Skillseekers programme, modern
apprenticeships, further education or employment. Participants normally
attend full-time or part-time. Those undertaking life skills training
attend on an ad hoc basis.
Modern Apprenticeships
Modern
Apprenticeships, introduced in 1994, offer 16-24 year olds paid
employment combined with the opportunity to train at craft, technician
and trainee management level. The training must lead to SVQ Level III
or above and include core skills. Following removal of the upper age
limit in March 2001, Local Enterprise Councils (LECs) have discretion
to fund Modern Apprenticeships for people over 25.
Training for Work
Training
for Work (TfW) is a voluntary programme for unemployed people.
Jobseekers aged 25 and over who have been unemployed for six months or
more can apply. People who are particularly disadvantaged in the labour
market, such as those on Incapacity Benefit, can have early entry. The
programme aims to improve work-related skills through training and
structured work activity in line with assessed needs and linked to
local labour market vacancies. Private training providers, voluntary
sector organisations, local authorities, colleges and employers provide
the training. Trainees on the programme can have employed or
non-employed status. Non-employed trainees receive a training allowance
equivalent to their benefit entitlement plus an additional £10 training
premium. Trainees who receive certain benefits can choose to retain
these instead, although they will not qualify for the training premium.
Trainees with employed status, who are usually following a programme
customised for their particular employment, receive a wage while in
training. Further Education
The
main providers of further education in Scotland are the 43 colleges
which offer a wide range of courses at non-advanced and advanced levels
and which provide continuing education beyond school or preparation for
further study. They vary considerably in size and the range of courses
which they offer. They cater for both full-time and part-time students,
with the latter in the majority. The courses are mainly vocational and
include both theoretical and practical work. However, the colleges also
offer courses leading to awards recorded on the Scottish Qualifications Certificate (SQC) and advanced vocational courses, which are classed as higher education courses, leading to the award of a
Higher National Certificate (HNC) or a
Higher National Diploma (HND).
Higher Education
There
are 19 higher education institutions (HEIs), comprising 15 universities
(including the Open University) and 4 other institutions. HEIs are
funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), except for the Scottish
Agricultural College, which remains a Central Institution and is funded
by the Scottish Government Agriculture and Rural Development
Directorate.
Courses at higher education level (mainly HNC, HND
or both, but also including degree provision) are also offered by all
the colleges that provide further education courses and there are close
links between the FE and HE sectors.
Former higher education
institutions which were specialist colleges providing pre-service and
in-service courses for the training of teachers and, in some cases, a
range of courses in social work, community education and leisure have
now merged with the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Strathclyde and West of Scotland.
Two HEIs, Edinburgh
College of Art and Glasgow School of Art, specialise in fine art, art
and design, and architecture. The University of the Highlands and
Islands Millennium Institute offers a range of vocationally oriented
subjects at HNC, HND, first degree and post-graduate levels. The
Scottish Agricultural College has its administrative headquarters in
Edinburgh and campuses in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Ayr, where it
provides courses in agricultural sciences and related disciplines. It
offers full-time, part-time and short courses at HNC, HND, degree and
post-graduate levels.
The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and
Drama (RSAMD) has the power to award its own degrees (though not
research degrees). The other higher education institutions have
validation arrangements with a university or degree-awarding body, by
which the university approves the courses and assessment arrangements
and awards its degree to the successful candidates.
The
Principals of the Scottish universities and higher education
institutions meet to discuss matters of common interest and common
policies in the body known as Universities Scotland.
Geographical Accessibility in Tertiary Education
Colleges
are mainly situated in areas where there is a high concentration of
population but some serve more sparsely populated areas and over 90% of
the population live within 30 minutes driving time of a college. In
addition, all colleges provide some form of outreach facility to make
learning opportunities more accessible. To provide for students in
areas remote from a college, there have been considerable advances in
the use of distance learning techniques. The rural colleges also
receive additions to their grant allocations to take account of their
location.
Most of Scotland’s higher education institutions are
in or very near to the major cities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and
Glasgow. The Universities of St Andrews and Stirling are located in or
just outside smaller towns with historic significance. In the Highlands
and Islands the UHI Millennium Institute offers higher education at all
levels across an area stretching from the Shetland Isles to Perthshire,
via contractual arrangements with local colleges and research
institutions. In the Scottish Borders, Heriot-Watt University offers
higher education from its campus in Galashiels, which enjoys a leading
position in textile design and textile technology. The University of
the West of Scotland has campuses in Paisley, Ayr and Hamilton. In
Dumfries and Galloway, the Universities of Glasgow and West of
Scotland, the Open University, and Dumfries and Galloway College have
come together to form the pioneering multi-institution Crichton Campus.
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