Strategy Ro-Innleachd 2013-2016 Vision
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Strategy Ro-innleachd 2013-2016 Vision Our ambition is to be the education provider of choice in the West Highlands of Scotland, delivering excellence in learning, training and support for all students, businesses and rural communities. Our Mission West Highland College UHI will have a transformational impact on the development and prospects of this region, its people and its communities. Values In the delivery of our mission, we will be: > Inclusive Respect for each person’s human worth, proactively tackling inequality > Individualised Every person matters > Innovative Imagine and strive for creative delivery > Intercultural Acknowledge and celebrate diversity > Inspirational Realise potential, growing ambition – anything is possible Contents 1 West Highland College UHI in context 2 2 The local environment 3 3 Where we are now (Milestones of achievement since 2010) 4 4 Our stakeholders 5 5 National and local priorities 6 6 Challenges ahead 7 7 Opportunities 8 8 Strategic Aims and Objectives for 2013-16 9 9 What success will look like 11 10 Managing risk 12 11 Delivering the Vision 12 Strategy 2013-16 Page | 1 1. West Highland College UHI in Context West Highland College UHI was created in 2010 as a result of merger of two legacy colleges in order to provide enhanced access to, and a more coherent provision of, tertiary education for the communities of Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross. This area covers a sixth of Scotland’s landmass, with a population of approximately 40,000 people, and contains some areas of very high rurality. The college has been created to meet the needs allocated SUMs. It seeks to re-dress this for All’, the driving force behind all other of learners, communities and businesses. In situation in dialogue with the Scottish Funding strategies to provide systems, structures, doing so, it seeks to address the very Council and through the regionalisation processes and environments to support the considerable historic gap in access to and process to deliver a fairer distribution of enhancement and on-going development of a opportunities for post-16 education in SUMs-based resources. high quality learning culture. The college will Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross and aspires to invest in staff, technology and developments reach and exceed the national average for Having been granted fundable body status in which will support the achievement of participation in further education. The college 2012 by the Scottish Government, West ‘Excellence for All’ and be a catalyst for a major finds itself in an historic context of under- Highland College UHI is now a single cultural shift. provision of tertiary education where organisation which fundamentally changes the participation in further education is around 16+ education landscape in this geographic In realising ‘Excellence for All’, the college seeks 55% below national average. West Highland area by vastly improving access to further and to address the requirements of the Scottish College UHI is a significant contributor in higher education. The college has a major Government’s key skills and education priorities addressing this shortfall, not least through its function in contributing to strengthen the expressed in Curriculum for Excellence (Senior membership of the University of the Highlands communities it serves, by helping to tackle Phase), 16+ Learning Choices and and Islands. However, the college operates inequality and helping individuals out of the Opportunities for All. Through alignment of its within a constrained resource envelope of poverty spiral by opening up many new curriculum provision to key economic growth opportunities for individuals and organisations sectors, the college thus contributes to the to develop skills and attain qualifications to get sustainable development and growth of the on to the job ladder, get a better job or develop local area and wider Scottish economy. the workforce. The college has 10 centres equipped with some of the most advanced The regionalisation agenda recently introduced online learning technology, bringing access to by Scottish Government is seen as an further and higher education to the entire area opportunity to plan regionally and deliver and population of Lochaber, Skye and Wester locally for learners in our area. West Highland Ross - from Ullapool in the north to the Isle of College UHI is committed to realising the Skye and the extremely remote Ardnamurchan benefits of regionalisation for the learners and peninsula in the west, and Fort William and communities it serves, and will contribute pro- Kinlochleven in the south. actively to development of a tertiary learning landscape with appropriate governance and Where 20 years ago there was no local tertiary management structures which delivers the best education infrastructure, there are today over possible access, articulation and learner 1,400 students. They study on over 20 full-time support arrangements, which addresses gaps in further education courses and hundreds of learning provision, and which ensures fair part-time and short courses of economically distribution of learning opportunities and relevant curriculum, accessing the full range of resources for delivery. UHI’s many degree programmes. West Highland College UHI allows its students to West Highland College UHI is a strong advocate study locally, and thereby work and contribute of the very nature of the University of the to the communities they live in, developing Highlands and Islands (UHI) as a partnership individual potential and realising ambitions, model founded on strong federation, which making these rural communities more provides best possible access to coherent tertiary sustainable and economically stronger. learning opportunities through effective and efficient partnership working and infrastructure, The overall strategy for the college is set in the whilst being responsive to local demand and context of its Strategy for Learning ‘Excellence the needs of a large and diverse region. Page | 2 Strategy 2013-16 2. The Local Environment The West Highland areas of Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross are characterised by a number of factors, including: > Potential for renewable energy developments > An economy dominated by micro-businesses with limited pockets of larger companies in energy, manufacturing, food processing, construction and public sector > An outstanding natural environment > Community land ownership and other community developments > Gaelic language and culture > Weakening of communities through outmigration of young people post-16 > A population which is widely dispersed and in some areas with very low population density > Low incomes > High levels of self-employment > Limited employment opportunities > World class scenery > Poor travel and broadband infrastructure and remoteness > An ageing population > Over 30% of the adult population between 16-65 without any qualifications > Low proportion of the adult population with higher education qualifications at SCQF level 7 -12 > Limited 16+ education opportunities, particularly in general vocational education > Limited higher education opportunities, dependent on access to widely dispersed learning centres > Highly seasonal employment patterns > Lower than national average unemployment (including 16-24 year olds) The area’s key economic sectors are: > Tourism and Hospitality > Public Sector > Transport and Communications > Energy (in particular Renewable), Water and Manufacturing > Construction > Agriculture and Aquaculture > Creative Industries Strategy 2013-16 Page | 3 3. Where we are now (Milestones of achievement since 2010) Curriculum Development enabled the purchase of four buildings The college has developed its portfolio of (Kilchoan, Broadford, Auchtertyre and Portree) further and higher education courses which have been developed as learning centres significantly since merger in 2010. The college as well as the improvement of facilities for works in partnership with employers, local learners in other locations. Working in community planners, skills and employment partnership with community organisations, we agencies, schools and communities to ensure opened new centres in Ullapool and Gairloch in that its provision is accessible, demand-led, and 2012. The funding package for the sustainable. The college’s curriculum is development of Portree is almost finalised and informed by skills requirements of local this will see a significant expansion and industry, responsive to regional and national upgrade of our centre there. We have planning economic needs, and reviewed annually to permission for a site to create student ensure currency and local relevance, as well as accommodation in Fort William and we look to breadth and depth of its tertiary provision of develop this in the near future. skills, courses and qualifications. Staff The present curriculum offers access to a broad The college has significantly invested in staff range of relevant further education courses, development and training to ensure staff are which provide foundation skills to work, or qualified, undertake regular continuing progression to further and higher study. The professional development (CPD) to ensure flagship degree programme of Adventure industrial and pedagogical updating, and Tourism Management has been consolidated, develop communities of practice for learning with student numbers rising year on year. The and teaching. The college has recognised the college seeks to build on its early success to challenge of working across geographically ensure