Cabinet Secretary for Education and LifeLong Learning
Fiona Hyslop
Association of Scottish Colleges
Dunblane
June 15, 2007
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We are only weeks into government and I am delighted to have this early opportunity to participate in what I know is one of the key events in the calendar of Scotland's colleges.
As I look around the room, it's good to see many faces that I know! And indeed some that I know well. My admiration for Scotland's colleges is nothing new. I was delighted to be offered the Education and Lifelong Learning portfolio by Alex Salmond. I will be responsible for driving the strategic direction for all learning - from early years and schools, to community and work-based learning, through to further and higher education. But I will take personal responsibility in my Ministerial team for the college and university sectors. I built up a very positive relationship with the college sector during our time in opposition. Whenever I speak to college leaders, college students or college staff, I recognise a sector which people care about. And which is highly important to Scotland.
Scotland's colleges inspire and equip people for success. You provide opportunities to give people better lives. And you provide strength to our businesses and our communities. Every single institution here today contributes to that success. So on behalf of the entire Ministerial team, can I say that we recognise that. And we thank you for what you do. Scotland's colleges are, indeed, an 'Asset for Scotland'. [THIS IS THE THEME OF THE CONFERENCE]
Today I want to outline where Scotland's colleges sit within the programme of the new government. I want to talk to you about our values and about our objectives. About where we want to be, and about how we want to get there.
And I want to tell you about what I think will be the choices and challenges for colleges. In the months and years ahead we will be demanding a great deal from you. You are a fundamental partner in fulfilling our aim to liberate the potential of all parts of our society. And in turning our plans for a learning nation into practice.
I see our role in government as being to help you continue to do what you do well. Continuing to be relevant to students and businesses alike. Continuing to be responsive to fast-changing economic needs. Continuing to attract learners from backgrounds where all too often there has been no tradition of post-school learning.
And continuing to be in tune with the future needs of the competitive businesses which we all know Scotland's future prosperity will need.
In terms of the new government's approach, the first thing I want to say is that we are not about fixing what isn't broken. If we disrupt your ambition and your commitment, we disrupt your success. And we do that at our peril. But just as we face challenge in running a minority government - and believe you me, that is a challenge! - I also want to challenge you, the college sector, on a number of fronts. And I am confident that you can rise to that challenge.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
You represent a very diverse sector. I've always believed that in diversity lies strength. And it's because of your diversity that you have the potential to be strongly involved in the delivery of each of the five key objectives which the new government has set itself. These are
- to create a Scotland which is wealthier and fairer;
- to build a healthier Scotland;
- to develop a safer and stronger Scotland;
- to make Scotland smarter; and
- to establish a greener Scotland.
These are the objectives of a new government, for a new era. We arrived with a commitment to revitalising Scotland. We are in the business of building a Scotland where education is every citizen's most prized possession. We want our schools to have the very highest standards, denying no opportunity to any child. We want to ensure that our colleges and universities are world-class, and that their doors are open to all. And we want to ensure that academic achievement is not accompanied by the burden of substantial debt.
As a government, we will meet our obligations, we will balance our budget, but we will never lose the balance of our values. There is nothing wrong with Scotland which can't be tackled by what is right with Scotland.
I know that our predecessors chose to define Scotland in terms of its small size. But I believe Scotland is only small to those who think small. I prefer to think big. Thinking big in the way we invest in Scotland's powerhouse - our people. In their training, in their jobs and in their future. Thinking big in the way we enable people to reach their full potential and compete for every opportunity.
That will be our approach to government. We understand that governments, particularly minority governments, have to recognise the realities of the world. Political realities and financial realities. As I mentioned, even within my own portfolio, I will have a wide range of priorities to contend with. It's no secret that your own aspirations will have to compete with a great many others.
We believe in sound fiscal management and in policies which are costed and have a clear evidence base. That will be nowhere more relevant than in our deliberations on the Spending Review. I'll say more on that later.
THE ROLE OF COLLEGES
So where exactly do colleges fit, in an era of new opportunities for Scotland? Colleges stand out in many ways. Current circumstances place a particularly bright focus on colleges in one important respect. In terms of what you do - what you deliver, and what you represent to people whatever their background - you command a level of support and respect which should surprise no-one. Across virtually the whole of the political spectrum.
That's clearly a key feature against a background of minority government. Only last week, during the Parliamentary debate on Skills, warm tributes to Scotland's colleges could be heard on all sides of the Chamber. Alex Salmond has been quite clear about how we will operate as a minority government. It means looking for consensus. It means making progress by identifying shared values and common objectives. And by pursuing agreed programmes through widely respected institutions. Sharing power may be challenging, but it provides opportunities too - and not just for political parties. There is undoubtedly a new mood of optimism to grab the chance to change things.
We may be in uncharted territory but it allows all of us, including the college sector, to step up to the mark and to chart the new course for a modern Scotland.
The breadth of support colleges enjoy should come as no surprise. Because you have always been in the business of encouraging and equipping people with the skills needed for a smarter and wealthier Scotland. Only in March, we saw Jonathan Parry become Scotland's first Modern Apprentice Graduate while studying at Inverness College. And following hard on those heels, we saw Anniesland College hit the headlines after Anniesland's HND Dance students struck gold - no less - at the International Dance Grand Prix held in Barcelona in May. Every college in Scotland has similar stories to tell.
And colleges are taking an increasingly important role in promoting a greener Scotland, both through the learning you deliver, and through the way your estate is being transformed. There are countless examples. Take the new Haghill campus of John Wheatley College, which will shortly throw open its doors to the people of the East End of Glasgow. This is by any standard a showpiece in terms of sustainability and the use of green technology. Colleges everywhere are respected for what they do in creating a fairer Scotland, not least through the way you offer access to all, regardless of circumstances. And you already have a strong role in training health professionals, and in promoting general health issues.
Ladies and gentlemen, if the challenges for you are significant, so too are your strengths. And as I mentioned, challenges there will certainly be. We will be looking, for example, for continuing efficiencies, matching the first-class record you already have in this area. We will be looking for continued improvement in attainment and quality of delivery. We will be looking for a level of strategic collaboration across the sector which matches the changing demands placed upon you. That will require well managed and well governed colleges. But it will also require boards of management to look further over the college walls, and to take a sector-wide perspective when considering major issues and decisions.
SKILLS STRATEGY
Chairman, I'd like to take this opportunity to say something about our plans for a Scottish Skills Strategy. Last week, when I announced that this government will be bringing forward a lifelong learning skills strategy for Scotland, I emphasised - just as I have today - how central Scotland's colleges will be to developing this agenda. The Scottish Skills Strategy is in part our response to the Leitch Report and to the implementation plan due to be launched shortly. But it will be a Scottish product for a Scottish market.
We will use our skills strategy to showcase the central role that colleges play, highlighting how we want them to contribute to growing Scotland's skills base, both now and in the future. And your role will indeed be central. Our strategy will be dynamic, relevant, and - above all - responsive to the different, yet ultimately entirely complementary needs of modern successful businesses and those who require the skills to become part of tomorrow's workforce. The strategy will provide us with the opportunity to set out our ambitions for skills in a truly lifelong learning context from cradle to grave. It will cover early years provision, schools, work-related training and informal learning opportunities, as well as further and higher education. It will outline our aims and ambitions for making Scotland's skills base truly world-class.
It will articulate potential priorities, choices and options for further discussion for all key stakeholders seeking to challenge and encourage debate. It will be a working document to build consensus and act as a tool for delivery of actions for skills development in Scotland
With this strategy, we want to make sure that we develop a 'call to action' that everyone in Scotland can get behind and champion. We want to craft a strategy that gets under the skin of skills, that states what we expect from them and how we are going to get it.
We have promised to bring this strategy forward in the first hundred days of our administration. We have set ourselves a challenging task, but not an impossible one. And we will undoubtedly not get this right first time. We will need input from all our stakeholders to refine and polish our plans, including from the Association, from the Funding Council's Skills Committee and from many others.
This will highlight key challenges for colleges -
- to gear up school-college links;
- to provide training opportunities for all young people who can benefit;
- to address literacy and numeracy demands;
- to develop skills for knowledge transfer for smaller and medium sized businesses; and
- to tackle the specific geographic and demographic future issues for Scotland.
In all these areas, I believe that Scotland's colleges are uniquely placed.
CHAIR OF UK COMMISSION FOR EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS
And just before I move on from 'skills', you may be aware that only yesterday the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the appointment of Sir Michael Rake as the first Chair of the new UK Commission for Employment and Skills. This appointment was approved by Alex Salmond and, although it is too early to say in detail how Scotland will work with the Commission for Employment and Skills, we are already engaged in discussions about its detailed role and remit.
WIDENING ACCESS
Ladies and gentlemen, I've mentioned my high regard for the role of colleges in widening access to learning. Scotland's demographic challenges over the next twenty years mean that we have to give everyone the opportunity to make the fullest contribution. So encouraging access is absolutely key to Scotland's prosperity, as well as being socially just. In our manifesto we made a firm commitment to this. So it will come as no surprise that I want everyone to be able to study at whatever level is appropriate for them, based on their ability to learn rather than on their ability to pay.
We place value on study at any level, whether work-based, community-based, non-advanced or advanced. And just as there has to be a seamless transition between Higher National and degree level courses, then we also need to have progression arrangements which support people taking their very first steps back into learning. This is often a person's first experience of formal learning since leaving school. It can and does open up opportunities which we need to encourage. You and I know it is possible for people to start with community-based learning and progress all the way to a degree. But we need to ensure that everybody knows this, and that every possible barrier to progression is removed. I am enthusiastic about the articulation agenda and want to see positive policies for articulation reflected in both practice and funding.
Another key part of any credible access agenda has to be meeting the needs of those who require additional support. You in the colleges are very good at doing that - often through collaboration with other agencies which provide support for personal or health needs. But more needs to be done to put these arrangements on a firmer, formal basis.
The Scottish Executive document 'Partnership Matters' set out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved and it encouraged the creation of local partnerships between support agencies.
The establishment of these partnerships has been patchy and I will be looking for better partnership working to ensure that no one is denied the opportunity to study at college.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE (NEET)
Ladies and gentlemen, we continue to face the challenge of giving opportunities to every single young person who can benefit - not least those who might otherwise fall out of the system. We all know that this can involve difficult work with demanding youngsters. That hasn't changed as a result of the election.
For me the challenge is about framing and then implementing the early intervention which will prevent disengagement, and making sure that every young person has the motivation, the opportunity, and the support to take advantage of sustainable alternatives. These are critical issues and cut across the priorities I have outlined today.
I would like to take this opportunity to reassure everyone here that the new government sees Scotland's colleges as key partners in the wider strategy to address this issue. That places a responsibility on everyone committed to this aim to engage effectively with colleges.
I know this is something which got off to a patchy start. But I am reassured to hear that more recent efforts to fully engage Scotland's colleges in partnerships are making a difference. My understanding is that a consensus is emerging between partners - including the colleges - on the need to focus efforts on
- the development and dissemination of best practice around engagement, retention and progression;
- on strengthening employer engagement;
- on the development of CPD for staff working with young people with the most challenging behaviour;
- on improving marketing to young people; and
- on the improvement of management information on young people who engage with colleges.
All of this makes sense to me and I am pleased that Scotland's colleges are helping drive this agenda forward. I encourage you all to continue this work.
REVIEW OF SCOTLAND'S COLLEGES
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd now like to say a few words about the Review of Scotland's Colleges. It is just over two years since the Review was launched at this very conference. I am aware that final reports are almost ready to be published. And that the Review's Core Group - that's the group of stakeholder organisations coordinating it - should be in a position to submit the final reports formally to me by the end of the month.
I know how much time and effort you and other stakeholders have invested in the Review. The Association was rightly at the heart of the process with representatives on the Core Group as well as each of the four Working Groups. Each of you brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Review.
The Review has taken the closest ever look at where colleges sit, or could sit, in supporting Scotland's prosperity - both economic and social. Its remit has been very extensive indeed.
It has looked at what the sector delivers for Scotland now; and what more it could do in the coming years.
It has examined issues around the three key elements to successful learning - staff, learners, and the places where learning occurs. The Review considered how we can support successful and accountable governance. And finally, the review has looked further ahead in examining colleges' strategic future over the next 15 years or so.
The Review of Scotland's Colleges was very much a stakeholder-led review. Given that so much of what the college sector delivers is done in partnership, it was right that the Review mirrored that approach.
I understand from my officials that the approach taken was not without its challenges. But due to the constructive approach taken by each of you, this major piece of work is very much owned by all of you. That, to me, has been one of its great strengths. Your collective advice is very welcome, and could not come at a more opportune time as we look to the delivery of our strategic priorities and as we prepare for the forthcoming Spending Review.
I am very much looking forward to reading the reports. Clearly I cannot commit myself in any way to recommendations I have yet to receive. But I can certainly assure you that each recommendation will be considered carefully.
The Review of Scotland's Colleges has been a major undertaking. There are many in this room today, Ian, who have contributed massively throughout its two-year lifespan. For those invaluable contributions, I thank everyone involved, not only in the Association, but also the Funding Council, the STUC and individual unions, NUS Scotland and a wide range of other partners and friends of Scotland's colleges.
CHARITABLE STATUS OF COLLEGES
Ladies and gentlemen, yesterday your conference heard from Jane Ryder, Scotland's Charity Regulator. Many of you will be aware that the Scottish Executive is currently looking at how we can continue to secure the charitable status of Scotland's colleges. That's because the Regulator is concerned that the statutory powers which Ministers have over colleges - even though these are rarely if ever exercised - may be inconsistent with charity law as it now stands. And particularly with the requirement that charities need to be independent of Ministers.
So we are now looking at the different areas of Ministerial control contained in the legislation - nearly all of which were introduced back in 1992 - so that we can decide if these are still necessary in 2007. That will inevitably involve some complex balances and judgments, and it's too early to say what the outcome will be.
But I can give you this assurance today. We recognise the importance of charitable status to the sector, not least in financial terms. My officials will be continuing to work closely with the Association and other partners to make sure that we reach a satisfactory outcome.
STUDENT SUPPORT
Ladies and gentlemen, you would probably expect me today to say something on the subject of student support. I have a strong commitment to supporting learners throughout lifelong learning. And I passionately believe that access to education should be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay. Our manifesto set out our intention to replace loans with grants for all students in higher education - as well as large numbers in our colleges. I am currently exploring this with my officials, and decisions on the implementation of this policy will be made around the time of the Spending Review. This, for the moment, is a progress report. But you can expect further announcements in due course.
SPENDING REVIEW
Chairman, for many of us the Spending Review is going to be significant preoccupation during the second half of 2007. That will come as no surprise to you. I am certain the Association will be making a compelling case on behalf of Scotland's colleges. And I give you my assurance today that we will consider what you tell us closely and critically. We'll be looking for your submission to demonstrate clearly the costs of provision. You'll need to show the links between investment and outcomes. You will need to show how hard the money going into the sector is working, and the additional value of any extra investment.
I have absolute confidence that Scotland's colleges will be able to make a persuasive and clearly understood case. It's no secret that this will be a tight spending round. But I give you the assurance that I do regard the money we spend on colleges as an investment. Your conference last year saw the launch of the draft report, "Unlocking Opportunity" - the very first key evidence report agreed by all the partners participating in the Review of Scotland's Colleges. "Unlocking Opportunity" revealed for the first time that - even on a very conservative basis - for each pound invested in colleges we get a return of at least £3.20. And I stress that is a very conservative calculation. So no wonder that we see you making a big contribution to helping Scotland meet its objectives.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Ian [MacPHERSON, ASC Chair], I've enjoyed speaking to you this afternoon. And may I thank you again for this opportunity to address the conference. I said this was an important gathering. And it is. It brings together, in the one place, those who lead and govern our colleges, those who provide funding, those who study and teach, and those individuals and agencies who support me in government.
I firmly believe it is the combination of these different strengths which has built the success of Scotland's colleges and fashioned a sector which is truly - as your Conference theme describes - an 'asset for Scotland'.
And you have shown your ability to exploit these different strengths through soundly-based partnerships. Partnerships which are based on mutual respect, and on the drive and collaboration needed to fulfil a common aim. I think there are many other sectors which could learn lessons from the positive and collective way that you go about your business.
Of course differences of view can sometimes occur when ambitions run high. And I know how ambitious you are for success. We, in turn, are a government of ambition for Scotland. But I'd rather see 'differences of view' any time, if the alternative is an absence of ambition. I want the relationship between government and Scotland's colleges to be one which is open, honest and frank.
None of us should fear hard work to get things done and make a difference.
Ladies and gentlemen, today I've tried to set out our vision for Scotland. And your role in helping to create that. Scotland is - and has historically been - a learning nation. It's part of our story. It's been fundamental to our development and to the mark we have made on the world. We look very confidently indeed to Scotland's colleges in order to support our future as a learning nation. As I said at the start, we will demand a great deal from you in the months and years ahead in turning our plans for a learning nation into practice. I know you will rise to that challenge.
Thank you again for listening. I hope to meet as many as possible of you, if not here today, then in the weeks and months ahead. And if there's time, I'm happy to take a few questions from the floor.
Thank you all very much.