The Scottish College of the A nations-specific Future final report The Independent Commission on the College of the Future is kindly supported by: 2 THE SCOTTISH COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE: A NATIONS-SPECIFIC FINAL REPORT 3 Foreword This important report is, first and foremost, a powerful I can speak from personal experience as someone who had such endorsement of the strength of our college network in Scotland. It The issues set an opportunity to return to study at a college in Edinburgh in later is a timely reminder of the vital public asset our colleges represent life – an experience that has literally been life-changing. Having left out in this report in local communities throughout Scotland and the support they school at 15 to work in the insurance industry, like many women provide for our businesses and the wider economy at regional and must be front and of my generation, I left full-time work when I became a mother. In national level. Most reassuringly, it shows that there is no need for centre of the policy my mid-30s I decided to attend night school classes and gained wholesale reform or system change. In fact, it demonstrates that, agenda as we the necessary Highers to apply for a place at the University of over the past decade, we have laid the foundations for a much seek to achieve a Edinburgh. There was no such thing as defined Access courses in more coherent post-school tertiary system with the potential to skills-led recovery those days, but there was a strong philosophy and commitment Professor Alice deliver on the twin objectives of enhancing social mobility and to the ongoing to lifelong learning and to providing real opportunities for people Brown CBE, FRSE, building a high-skill modern economy. to progress through the education system or up-skill and re-skill health and during their working lives. AcSS, FRCP Edin. economic crises, FRSA, Cipfa (Hon) The report comes at a time when the impact of the pandemic and the long-term challenges facing the economy and wider and to rebuild At a later stage I gained my first teaching experience at a society make the role of colleges doubly important in charting healthy, connected college, running day-time classes in industrial relations for Chancellor, a path to recovery. These fundamental challenges have not and cohesive Youth Opportunity Scheme students and night-time classes in Abertay University changed since the Independent Commission on The College of the communities economics for engineering apprentices. I taught too on the day Future was launched last Spring: the climate crisis, technological within a more release classes in trade union studies which included people Emeritus Professor developments, demographic changes, poor productivity and confident, from a wide range of working backgrounds. Such experience of Politics, University endemic regional and social inequalities remain top of the agenda. was invaluable to me when I went on to pursue my career in the forward-looking of Edinburgh The huge difference is that the pandemic makes addressing them university sector. all the more immediate and brings them into even starker focus. economy. The issues set out in this report must therefore be front and centre I also had the unique opportunity, as Chair of the Scottish Funding Former: of the policy agenda as we seek to achieve a skills-led recovery to Council, to visit colleges across Scotland and to witness first-hand the ongoing health and economic crises, and to rebuild healthy, the valuable contribution they make to improving the lives of Chair of the Scottish connected and cohesive communities within a more confident, people in their communities and of the students who come to Funding Council forward-looking economy. Scotland from different parts of the world. I witnessed also just General Secretary of how colleges have a key part to play in addressing inequality and the Royal Society of I believe this report presents the right balance of opportunities and enhancing social mobility, providing opportunities and choices for Edinburgh challenges facing us here in Scotland in responding to these huge all and enhancing economic development. social and economic changes which lie ahead. It also puts forward Scottish Public Services a road map for shaping a more joined-up education system over I never tire of telling people what an under-valued asset our Ombudsman the next decade to the benefit of citizens and businesses alike. By colleges are and how much they contribute to the social and definition, its recommendations will not gain universal support. economic fabric of our communities. I have no doubt, therefore, Vice-Principal of However, at the very least, we should use this to kick-start a debate that they will have a central role in providing new opportunities the University of on the future role of colleges. This is a rallying cry for radical and for people and in helping to re-build communities as we come Edinburgh decisive action to enable them to play their full part in a more out of the extraordinary circumstances and restrictions that joined-up, all-age education and skills system, allowing individuals the pandemic has imposed on us all. Our colleges can offer to have greater agency and opportunities throughout their lives, to the flexibility of delivery, open access, quality of experience and develop their potential and contribute to society. physical facilities that will be of real value in a 21st century context. 4 THE SCOTTISH COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE: A NATIONS-SPECIFIC FINAL REPORT 5 About us The Independent Commission on the College of the Key stages in our work Future was launched in Spring 2019 as a UK-wide, four The Independent nations process, asking two simple questions: what do Commission has • Hosted or presented at over 150 events • Published the Commission’s vision for we want and need from colleges from 2030 onwards, and across the UK, including with senior the college of the future in July 2020, benefited from how do we get there? college leaders, governors, staff and accompanied by a set of essays from learnings across the students, employers, universities, education and skills experts. four nations of the The Independent Commission was commissioned by the schools, local, regional and national Four Nations College Alliance – which brings together UK, drawing lessons governments, unions and many others. • Published a report exploring the college leaders, their representative bodies and senior and insights from relationship between the NHS and the government officials from across the four nations of the UK. reform trajectories • Invited international experts from English college system in September and from exemplary the Basque Country, Ireland, Finland, 2020 – as an example of how the The Commissioners - chaired by Sir Ian Diamond – have institutional Slovenia, the Netherlands and the Commission’s thinking can drive change held roundtable and workshop events with a broad range practices. Organisation for Economic Co- with this important employer. of individuals and organisations across the UK. They are operation and Development (OECD) supported by an expert panel, who have been feeding in to contribute to the Commission’s • Published our final UK-wide report in throughout the process. thinking – including with a public October 2020. This is the second of four seminar held jointly with the British nations-specific reports. The Independent Commission has benefited from Academy in September 2019, with over learnings across the four nations of the UK, drawing 100 stakeholders and members of the lessons and insights from reform trajectories and from public. exemplary institutional practices. • Published a Progress Report - reflecting themes emanating from early engagement - with a consultation process in November 2019, receiving over 60 responses from a wide range of organisations and individuals. 6 THE SCOTTISH COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE: A NATIONS-SPECIFIC FINAL REPORT 7 The Commission’s EXECUTIVE approach The unique nature and strength of the Commission is that, The UK-wide report for the first time, it has taken a four nations perspective (October 2020) on the current and future role of colleges across the UK. This approach has meant that the Commission has been makes a series of SUMMARY able to draw on and distil the rich diversity of policy and recommendations practice across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and which provide a Wales. Throughout, it has been a partnership of equals, common framework reflected in the membership of the Commission itself, in the for the reform and active engagement of stakeholders from right across the renewal of the education and skills system, and beyond. This has included individual college a large number of stakeholder events and consultations in each of the four nations. systems in each of the four nations of As such, the Commission has been equally clear on the the UK. However, critical need to respect and acknowledge the widely differing their relevance and policy and operational contexts in which colleges are application are very working. The UK-wide report (October 2020) makes a series different in each of recommendations which provide a common framework individual national for the reform and renewal of the individual college context. systems in each of the four nations of the UK. However, their relevance and application are very different in each individual national context. 8 THE SCOTTISH COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE: A NATIONS-SPECIFIC FINAL REPORT 9 About this report “ Scotland is in a better position to develop a truly flexible tertiary Our work as a Commission over the past 18 months in education system than any framing our UK-wide recommendations for the college other UK nation...The case for of the future has been significantly informed and shaped by the Scottish experience.