rationalisation as stridently as we must,” he asserted. Allan’s comments come amidst a growing
momentum for public service reform in Scotland. Te Christie Commission – tasked with reviewing the future delivery of public services – is due to report this week, while a review of vocational education by Willy Roe is set to publish imminently. Meanwhile, in the run-up to the election, Education Secretary Michael Russell pledged reform of the college sector to – amongst other aims – “avoid wasteful duplication and overlap”. Te merger theme was also picked up
by Scottish Funding Council Chair John McClelland CBE. Speaking for the body that distributes public money to colleges, he advocated a “regional agenda” for further education in Scotland, where there are fewer colleges than the current 41, but no fewer locations. “From our point of view, and certainly
my own, I would say: ‘Yes, we do have too many colleges’. Do we have too many locations? I would say: ‘No, we don’t have too many locations’. And I do believe that, like many other business and social activities, the importance of location is absolutely paramount,” McClelland said. Forming regional mergers and federations
with other colleges and universities offers institutions “immeasurable clout”, he added, and a better opportunity to engage with local employers and councils. “I’m really pleased to know – although I
would like to see an acceleration – that there are more than 30 colleges – 75 per cent – that have or are considering mergers, federations or very close collaborations,” he said.
But the new economic reality is not
the only change engulfing the education sector. Delegates heard from Skills Development Scotland Chief Executive Damien Yeates about the societal trends that 21st century Scottish education needs to respond to. “In effect, the global financial crisis has
only accelerated what was coming upon us in any case. If we go way back to the ‘50s, we had eight workers for every one person in receipt of public services. Around 2000, it was about five to one and projecting ahead to 2050, it’s about two workers for every
retiree,” he said. “And so if you project ahead to 2050, what
you’re saying is: ‘Do people get half of the service that they currently get today? Do we work twice as hard or does something different have to happen?’ And I think the debate we’re in just now is, ‘what’s the something different that has to happen?’” Yeates outlined what the expectations of
future learners are likely to look like, including greater use of social media and more demand for personalisation and choice. HM Chief Inspector of Education Kenneth Muir also noted that the “digital natives” now coming through the school system learn very differently to the way students have in the past. “Colleges are already and need to be more adaptive to taking account of these kinds of needs,” he said. “Tat’s the kind of world I think that we are in.” John Spencer, Principals’ Convention
Convener of Scotland’s Colleges agreed that the flexible modes of learning colleges operate, through part time and online delivery, will be even more crucial going forward. Adjusting to the needs of the modern
learner also means making the system more joined up, according to Dr Janet Brown, Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Te “learner journey” through school, college, university and the workplace must be “seamless”, she argued. “We must get rid of the anomalies and
inconsistencies that exist in our system and in our individual practices,” Brown said. “It’s important not to ask learners to repeat
learning to satisfy institutional or qualification authority requirements. “We’ve got to enhance articulation
27 June 2011 Holyrood 37
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