regional outcome agreement index purpose of the outcome agreement 02 west college scotland our...

Regional Outcome Agreement THE WEST REGION

Update 2016-17

Index

Purpose of the Outcome Agreement 02West College Scotland Our Vision, Our Ambitions, Strategic Framework 2015-2020, Priority Impacts 03

The College External Context Population, Unemployment, School Leaver Destinations, Qualifications, Deprivation and Poverty, Economic Performance, Business Profile

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Efficient and Sustainable Regional Structures Governance, Staff Relations/Harmonisation, Project Implementation, IT/Digital Strategy Development, Implementing the Change Programme (CAP), Organisational Structure Implementation,Student Association, Estates, Carbon Management, Stakeholder Consultation,Institutional Sustainability, Reclassification of Incorporated Colleges, Procurement, Collaboration and Shared Services

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High Quality and Efficient Learning Qualifications, Student Success Rates, Withdrawal and Progression, Articulation, Student Experience, Education Scotland

29

Access for People from the Widest Range of Backgrounds

Deprivation, Disability, Corporate Parenting, Gender, Ethnicity, Age 37

Right Learning, Right Place Curriculum Principles, Student Numbers, Curriculum Sector Priorities, Community Learning, School College Partnership, Developing the Young Workforce Action Plan

47

A Developed Workforce Employer Engagement, Invest in Young People Group, Local & Regional Partnerships, Enterprise & Innovation, Modern Apprentices, Employability, STEM

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Outcome Progress Table 72

WEST REGION OUTCOME AGREEMENT 2014-17Purpose of the Outcome Agreement

The Board of Management of West College Scotland submit the West Region Outcome Agreement to the Scottish Funding Council.

This Outcome Agreement sets out the processes and mechanisms that West College Scotland has established to monitor performance and progress in achieving its goals and objectives.

The Outcome Agreement reflects the College’s commitment to responding to the educational and skills needs within our region, aligned to the Scottish Funding Council’s 5 Priority Outcomes:

To deliver an efficient regional structure to meet the needs of the West Region;

To contribute to meeting the national guarantee for young people, meeting the demands of the region, and where appropriate the nation;

To ensure students are qualified to progress through the system in both an efficient and flexible manner, and that there is access for people from the widest range of backgrounds;

To ensure students are qualified and prepared for work and to improve and adapt the skills of the region’s workforce;

To secure, well managed and financially and environmentally sustainable colleges.

The West Region has been allocated total funding of £41,077,039 (166,111 credits) from the Scottish Funding Council in order to plan and deliver further and higher education for 2016-17 and maintain the College estate (grant-in-aid/fee waiver funding of £37,860,432 – 159,025 credits; European Structural Funds Priority 5: Strategic Skills Pipeline – 7,086 credits; and Estates Maintenance funding of £1,483,760). This represents a slight increase of £279,774 (0.68%) when compared to total SFC funding of £40,797,265 for 2015-16 (grant-in-aid/fee waiver funding of £37,154,497; European Structural Funds Priority 5: Strategic Skills Pipeline of £1,715,768; and Estates Maintenance funding of £1,927,000).

02www.westcollegescotland.ac.uk

WEST COLLEGE SCOTLAND

An effective strategy aligned to Scottish Government education priorities, an extended geographic footprint and a greater authority and influence to create improved relationships with stakeholders and business partners, has resulted in an organisation that is a significant employer and educator in the area, placing students at the heart of everything it does.

Following a review during 2014-2015, the College has identified 11 Strategic Priorities, designed to fulfill our core purpose: to provide excellent education, training opportunities and services for students and customers.

While that is our purpose, our job is to ensure students leave West College Scotland equipped with the skills and knowledge to compete in the jobs market; to make a full contribution to the wellbeing of their families, their communities and the economic growth of the country.

We have an important presence and deep roots in our main towns of Paisley, Clydebank and Greenock. Our “footprint” stretches from Barrhead to Oban.

Our Campus Locations

GreenockFinnart CampusWaterfront Campus

ClydebankClydebank Campus

RenfrewRenfrewshire Sports Centre

BarrheadBarrhead Foundry

PaisleyPaisley CampusNew Street PaisleyFerguslie Learning Centre

DumbartonWest Employability Hub

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As well as scope, we also have scale. We are Scotland’s 2nd largest regional college, with almost 30,000 students, 1,200 staff and a turnover of £67 million. Ours is a huge organisation and a major employer, uniquely placed to help shape the West region’s educational landscape and contribute to its social and economic development.

These considerations, allied to the excellence of our teaching and support services, our embrace of innovative technologies, the development of our own subject specialisms and our partnerships with industry, have all helped inform our Strategic Priorities.

West College Scotland will develop through shared ambition, pride and passion. As a College, we will commit to our 11 Strategic Priorities and deliver them in a way that is true to our values

Renfrewshire 25%

Inverclyde 15%Glasgow15%West Dunbartonshire14%East Renfrewshire3%East Dunbartonshire3%North Lanarkshire2%South Lanarkshire2%

21% Outside Glasgow andClyde Valley region

Our Students Come From

Teaching

30,000 Students

Serving a Regional Population of

1.2millionBased in

Employing

1,200People (800 FTES)

About us

Main Towns Greenock, Paisley and Clydebank3


Our VisionCollective Ambition, Pride and Passion: A Vibrant and Dynamic College Providing excellent education and training opportunities and services for our students, customers and communities.

Our Ambitions

Are at the heart of the strategic priorities that are central to how we plan the future of the College.

To make a difference

To be bold

To be forward thinking, fast-moving, quick to explore new ideas and exploit fresh opportunities

To build on areas where we currently demonstrate excellence; and to set new standards for learning, teaching and service delivery that others will aspire to

To inspire our students to achieve beyond their expectations

To engage those furthest away from the opportunities we provide and to do so in a way that is open and friendly

To be a leader, working with partners to address local economic and societal challenges

To be the region’s “go-to” organisation for education and training, developing long-term relationships, easy to work with and treating partners as equals

To innovate, grow, diversify and invest

To extend our impact and reputation across national and international boundaries

To have an engaged, flexible and modern workforce that is proud to work for West College Scotland

The following Strategic Framework sets out our strategic priorities and objectives, aligned to Scottish Government and SFC priorities.

WEST COLLEGE SCOTLAND

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Strategic Framework 2015 – 2020

To create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth: Investing – Innovation – Inclusive Growth - Internationalisation

A Developed Workforce Right Learning in the Right Place

High Quality & Efficient Learning

Access for People from the Widest Range of

Backgrounds

Sustainable Institutions

Inspirational and Innovative1. We will provide

education and training in inspirational and innovative ways to engage and meet the diverse needs of our students.

2. Education and training will be delivered to students in high quality College facilities, in their place of work or through the development and use of digital technologies

Supporting Success3. We will provide the

highest quality of teaching and tailored support to maximise our student’s opportunities to achieve success and progress to employment, self- employment or further study.

4. We will support the development of our staff and teams to achieve successful outcomes for themselves, our students and the College.

Skills for Work

5. We will develop our curriculum and services to ensure they align with and support Scotland’s key economic sectors. We will ensure that our students are equipped with the relevant training, qualifications and essential skills they need for employment and life.

6. We will develop meaningful partnerships; connections and alliances with business and industry to ensure employers are directly involved and invest in educational and skills development across the West.

Working in Partnership7. We will become a

strategic resource and valued partner with our stakeholders, building relationships, leveraging resources and capabilities to design, develop and deliver our products and services.

Securing Our Future8. We will proactively

look for new partners and new areas of activity, which will allow us to grow and develop our income to reinvest in our core business for the benefits of our students, our staff and our communities.

Developing Our Reputation9. We will grow our

profile and reputation both nationally and internationally. Our reputation will be based on the quality of our teaching, outcomes for our students and our willingness to strive for and set the highest standards across all areas of our work.

Committed to Our Region 10. We are committed to

taking a leadership role in the West Region and, together with our partners and stakeholders, tackle the significant social and economic deprivation, which still characterise many of our communities.

11. We will deliver a sustainable, effective and efficient service to our communities, through the implementation of sound governance, leadership, planning and management.

VIS

ION

PR

IOR

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Inspirational and Innovative

Supporting Success Skills for Work Working in Partnership

Securing Our Future

Developing Our Reputation

Committed to Our Region

1. To ensure a culture of inclusiveness is embedded throughout the College, promoting equality, appreciating diversity and giving every student the chance to reach their full potential.

2. To develop a culture of continuous self-evaluation, involving all staff and students, which will focus on improvement and development.

3. To deliver a relevant curriculum that maximises the use of innovative and engaging learning technologies, taking a whole College approach to developing the student digital experience.

4. To provide a flexible, user-friendly and inclusive digital environment for learning, teaching and assessment.

5. To provide education and training in a range of relevant, high quality facilities, in the right location which maximises the value of our estate to support curriculum planning, delivery and community involvement.

6. To set and achieve performance standards that are not simply required to achieve and maintain national quality standards but will set us apart from other organisations.

7. To ensure all students have access to comprehensive, appropriate and responsive support services.

8. To promote the continual professional development of staff, enhancing their capacity, capabilities, skills and expertise.

9. To support staff to work successfully with digital technologies.

10. To enhance meaningful engagement of students, involving them in decisions to inform and shape provision, enhance learning and teaching, including empowering students to take responsibility for their learning.

11. To enhance the student experience through innovative and responsive learning and teaching approaches, and effective transition and progression opportunities.

12. To be an employer of choice, with positive staff relations at the heart of what we do, working in partnership with staff who are determined to make a difference and are committed to the purpose of the College.

13. To explore how the College can contribute to research opportunities, including working with partners, locally, nationally and internationally.

14. To support the development of digital literacy and independent learning skills.

15. To develop new routes to vocational qualifications and training to provide employers with a skilled competitive workforce fit for a 21st Century global economy.

16. To provide our students with the most appropriate skills, attitudes and experiences to secure future employment.

17. To develop and continually review the curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of students, our local communities and the wider economy.

18. To identify further opportunities to involve industry in shaping, developing and delivering our provision and contributing to the enhancement of the overall student experience.

19. To provide opportunities to develop our students as global citizens, allowing them to experience different cultures, approaches and ways of learning.

20. To further establish international, community planning and business partnerships to enhance the curriculum, skills provision and student experience.

21. To lead an approach which recognises opportunities for collaboration with partners for estates development and collective approaches to the use of space and delivery of the curriculum.

22. To continue to develop partnerships to support skills development, knowledge transfer, innovation and enterprise for a global economy.

23. To be critical to the success of ensuring vocational opportunities are a valued choice for all school pupils, contributing to increased positive destinations including employment, College or University.

24. To increase alternative income streams to provide additional opportunities, resources and facilities for staff and students.

25. To enhance internal business processes, exploiting the use of technology where appropriate, to deliver user friendly, effective and efficient ways of working.

26. To ensure staffing and resources match curriculum development and support needs and meet activity targets effectively and efficiently.

27. To ensure technology infrastructure is flexible, responsive and fit for purpose.

28. To communicate our successes to a range of audiences and develop effective internal communications.

29. To create a distinct identity for West College Scotland and improve awareness of our impact and brand, locally, nationally and internationally.

30. To identify and benchmark national and international best practice in pursuit of educational, training and service excellence.

31. To develop strategic alliances with key agencies to enhance our activities, locally, nationally and internationally.

32. To secure a well-managed, financially and environmentally sustainable College.

33. To demonstrate high standards of governance and evaluation, developing the College Board and management team within an environment that is positive, supportive and challenging.

34. To develop and implement College operational planning processes and effective utilisation of resources to maintain strategic focus, manage risk and sustain growth.

35. To work with partners to ensure we play a leading and pivotal role in the regeneration of our local communities and contribute to planning and collective impact at a local and regional level.

STR

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BJE

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MONITORING PERFORMANCEThe KPIs throughout this document are measured and monitored throughout the year by the relevant sub-committee of the Board and reported to the Board of Management.

WEST REGION PRIORITY IMPACTS1. West College Scotland ensures available resources are used effectively and efficiently to deliver a cohesive provision and enhanced services

consistently, and to excellent standards across the region.

2. Students and our local communities are placed at the forefront of everything West College Scotland does. Students will be equipped with the skills, knowledge, motivation and creativity to help them contribute to the delivery of local and national economic and social goals. Relevant work experience and essential employability skills will be embedded in curriculum design and delivery. West College Scotland will enable more students to attain improved and relevant qualifications, fulfilling their potential and realising their ambitions.

3. West College Scotland will deliver 159,025 core and 7086 ESF Credits in 2016-2017. Regional curriculum planning and development will ensure the vocational training opportunities provided for students relate to and contribute to key government priorities including Developing the Young Workforce – Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy and delivering a provision that is responsive to the needs of local, regional and national employers.

4. West College Scotland will play an increasingly significant strategic and leadership role in the educational, social and economic fabric of the West region and will continue to deliver first-class local provision, building on the combined strengths and best practice of our main campuses. Effective partnerships will ensure learning opportunities are agreed through partnership working with Community Planning Partners and employers.

Chair, Board of Management


THE COLLEGE EXTERNAL CONTEXT

West College Scotland delivers learning and vocational training to the West Region of Scotland, a catchment area of 436,200 people, representing 8.2% of the resident population of Scotland.

All three immediate Local Authority areas served by the College – Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire -- claim a rich industrial heritage, including shipbuilding, engineering and textiles. Each, though, has struggled to replace these industries as they declined and as a consequence have experienced many decades of structural economic change. Despite regeneration initiatives, many local communities continue to face serious economic and social challenges surrounding skills, employment, deprivation, poverty and depopulation. This is particularly true of Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire.

The College also has training facilities in East Renfrewshire which, although it contains pockets of social and economic deprivation particularly in Barrhead and Neilston, is statistically one of Scotland’s most affluent council areas, from which a large proportion of workers commute to work in Glasgow.

A total of 23,000 West Region residents were at colleges in Scotland in 2012/13, accounting for 11% of all Scottish college students. This was higher than the region’s share of the national population at 8%1

1 SDS Reqional Skills Assessment West Region, November 2014

POPULATIONThe total population of the West Region is 436,200, equivalent to 8.2% of the total Scottish population. During the period 2000-2012 whilst Scotland’s population grew by 5%, the West Region experienced a population decline of 1%. The decline in population across the West Region is projected to continue, with another 1% decline projected by 2022, in comparison to the projected Scottish population growth of 4%. The majority of the current and projected population decline is concentrated in Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire, with 5,400 fewer people expected to be living in Inverclyde by 2022, a fall of 7% from 2012 and 2,000 fewer people expected to be living in West Dunbartonshire by 2022, a fall of 2% from 2012. This issue is being treated very seriously by Inverclyde Council who have established a multi-partner group to try and address this issue. The College is an active member of this group. Whilst Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire will experience modest population growth, this will be significantly slower than the growth across Scotland as a whole.

The impact of population change within the West Region over the last decade has not been evenly spread across age groups. There has been a significant decline in the number of children, with 10% fewer young people under the age of 16 in 2012 than in 2002, double the 5% decline of this age group across Scotland over the same period. There was an increase of 8% in the 20-24 age group, although growth was slower than in Scotland as a whole, which saw an increase of 15%.

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Over the time period, the greatest population increases have been among older age groups, both in the West Region and across Scotland. The projected population figures for 2022 continue this trend for the West Region with all age groups aged over 50 experiencing population increases and all other age groups declining. It is projected that in our key target age group of 16-19 year olds, Scotland will experience a decline of 9% by 2024, in comparison to an increase of 29% for over 75s2.

The changing demographic profile, particularly the aging population and the projected reduction in 20-24 year olds by 2022, will impact on the longer term financial and curriculum planning of the College. Implementation of a needs- based funding model will clearly have an impact on the future funding of the College within the context of the demographic trends outlined.

UNEMPLOYMENTFor many years, west central Scotland has been characterised by above-average levels of unemployment and tackling this has been a priority for many agencies, policy-makers and governments. The West Region labour market was particularly badly impacted by the recession with a sharp fall in the employment rate from 2008 with unemployment peaking in early 2012. From 2012 there has been a significant reduction, over 50% in some areas, in unemployed Job Seekers across our key local authority areas; West Dunbartonshire from 6.8% to 3.0% , Inverclyde from 5.8% to 3.0% and Renfrewshire from

5.2% to 2.2% by September2015. All three areas continue to be above the Scottish average whilst East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire are significantly below the Scottish Average3.

There has been a similar pattern in the reduction in unemployment among young people aged 16-24 over the same period with even greater reduction than for those aged 16 - 65: West Dunbartonshire from 14.9% to 3.7%, Inverclyde from 12.6% to 5.5% and Renfrewshire from 11.2% to 4.1% by September 2015. In July 2015 there were 1,805 16-24 year olds claiming Job Seekers Allowance a reduction of 31% on LY.

The Region’s employment and unemployment profile will influence a number of the College’s strategic priorities. Specifically, the College will build on already strong and effective partnerships with Community Planning Partners, extending local and regional multi agency working. This is particularly critical in relation to multi-agency approaches to the delivery and equality of access to student support services across the Region. Particular emphasis will also be placed on the development and implementation of a regional employer engagement strategy to ensure the curriculum meets local and regional employer needs and addresses any identified skills gaps.

2 Annual Population Survey3 Skills Development Scotland administrative database, Department for Work and Pensions, as

quoted in SDS Regional Skills Assessment West Region, November 2014


SCHOOL-LEAVER DESTINATIONSSince the onset of the recession in 2008 there has been a 9% increase in the proportion of school leavers entering Higher Education. There has also been a slight increase (2%) in the proportion entering Further Education with equivalent declines in the proportion going directly into employment and unemployment.

Scotland as a whole achieved the highest ever percentage for positive destinations for 2014/15 (92.9%), however our region has experienced a variety of results including the second best performing Local Authority, East Renfrewshire (96.2%) and the worst performing West Dunbartonshire (89.4%). West College Scotland is a destination of choice for high proportion of our local School Leavers. In total 1,537 school leavers, from across Scotland attended West College Scotland as their initial destination, 441 at HE and 1096 at FE level. Of the 1,537, 71% (1,093) came from our partner authorities East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire with a further 11% (175) from Glasgow. One in four of all Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire 2014/15 leavers attended West College Scotland as their initial post school destination and over one in three from Inverclyde.

School-College activity remains a key priority for the College with almost 3,000 school pupils planned to access College provision. The College, working closely with Local Authority partners, is developing

joint strategies to implement the recommendations from the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.

QUALIFICATIONSIn terms of qualifications, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire perform well compared to the rest of Scotland, with above-average numbers for those holding the highest qualifications (NVQ4 and above) and below-average for those with no qualifications.

However, there are clear challenges surrounding qualifications in the other local authority areas: in West Dunbartonshire, 16%% of the working age population have no qualifications, against a Scottish figure of 10.3%. In Inverclyde, the figure is 13.9%.

In West Dunbartonshire, just 27.8% hold the highest qualifications, among the lowest proportion in Scotland. The figure for Inverclyde is 36.4%, slightly higher than the Scotland-wide figure of 35%4.

Improving attainment will remain a key priority for the College, particularly in curriculum areas with low performance indicators. Specifically the College will continue to focus on attainment and sharing good practice across the College to identify strategies for improvement and increase the percentage of enrolments on recognised qualifications, where appropriate, by transferring to assessed provision and leveling qualifications through SCQF. 4 Nomis

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DEPRIVATION AND POVERTYThe West Region as a whole accounts for 8% of the Scottish population. However, 14% of people (60,348) live in some of the 10% most deprived communities in Scotland, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2012.

Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire experience levels of poverty and deprivation well above the Scottish Average. The most recent Index described 18% of Inverclyde’s population as being “income deprived” and the same percentage as being “employment deprived”. The figures are similar for West Dunbartonshire, and although better for Renfrewshire, all areas are significantly worse than the Scottish average. The West College Scotland Ferguslie Learning Centre is situated and delivers training in the most deprived area of Scotland, within the Ferguslie area of Paisley.

Whilst the SIMD is a very useful tool, it does not describe everyone who is deprived, only the most deprived areas. The recent Renfrewshire Tackling Poverty Commission identifies that more than 1 in 5 children in the area are in poverty. Young people from poorer families are less likely to go in to further and higher education, more likely to be unemployed, earn less and be in low paid jobs. The College plays a key role in improving the life chances of individuals within all our communities. The deprivation and poverty profile of the West Region will continue to drive those strategic priorities aligned to access and equality and effective engagement with Community Planning Partners.

ECONOMIC PERFORMANCEOutput from the West Region economy (as measured by Gross Value Added) was £6.5bn in 2012 which amounted to 6% of total Scottish output. Renfrewshire is the largest of the four local authority areas that make up the region and generated 40% of regional output in 2012. The remaining 60% was spread fairly evenly among the remaining three authority areas.

The West Region economy is more reliant on the public sector than Scotland as a whole with public services representing more than a quarter (26%) of economic output compared to 22% in Scotland. The regional economy stagnated between 2006 and 2008 before contracting sharply. The most recent year for which data is available (2012) shows a continued decline in output, in contrast to a more stable position nationally.

Productivity (as measured by GVA per worker) in the West region amounted to £33,500 in 2012. This was 77% of the Scottish average and only 70% of the UK average. The value of GVA per worker in the region fell by 7% between 2005 and 2012 in contrast to an increase of 2% across Scotland and 3% in the UK.5

5 SDS Regional Skills Profile West Region November 2014


BUSINESS PROFILEThere were 11,240 registered businesses in West Region in 20156. At more than 4,800, the number of registered businesses in Renfrewshire is more than double that of each of the other local authorities. The 11,240 registered businesses employ 117,590 people, with the vast majority of businesses (.98%) being either a micro business or SME. In 2015, there were only 870 registered businesses employing more than 250 people.

The sectoral structure of the business base in West region is broadly similar to that of Scotland, with professional services, retail and construction accounting for the highest shares of registered firms.

Scottish Enterprise was working with 162 account-managed companies in West Region in January 2014. This represented 5% of the 2,114 account-managed companies they were working across Scotland, which is in line with the Region’s share of total Scottish businesses. In West Region the account-managed companies -- which have been selected because of their significant growth potential -- are spread across a number of sectors, including ICT, construction, food and drink, energy (oil and gas), textiles and financial services. This suggests that future company growth could come from a range of sectors.

The College is working with partners to ensure that support and services to the business base are streamlined and they meet the skills and employability needs identified to support the growth of the local economy. For example in West Dunbartonshire the College is an active partner in a local authority-led group which is seeking to develop and promote a single offer to employers from a range of public sector partners.

Scottish Enterprise estimates that 36% of businesses in Renfrewshire can be described as being listed in its key sectors. The main among these are construction industry, tourism and enabling technologies (which includes engineering).

The largest private sector employers include Hewlett Packard, Rolls Royce, Chivas Brothers, Diageo, the Scottish Leather Group and Vascutek. In addition, the Braehead shopping and leisure complex provides employment for around 4,000 people and Hillington Park is home to over 300 organisations employing 3,500 people in manufacturing, distribution, technology and service sectors.

Glasgow Airport provides employment for more than 7,000 people across Scotland, supporting more than 4,000 in Renfrewshire alone, through more than 100 companies based at the facility.

6 Business In Scotland 2015 Oct 2015

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East RenfrewshireOnly 30% of those in employment in East Renfrewshire actually work there, with 45% commuting to work in Glasgow.

Within East Renfrewshire itself, 85% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people, with a very small number employing more than 250. The largest concentrations of employment are in the public sector (health and education), followed by a higher-than-average concentration in retail and wholesale trades. At 74%, East Renfrewshire has the highest employment rate within the West Region (70%), against a Scottish average of 71%.

East Renfrewshire promotes itself as a high-quality, green corridor connecting people to the Glasgow. The Council is developing a unique retail offer to attract residents and day visitors and East Renfrewshire already hosts Whole Foods Market in Giffnock and Waitrose in Newton Mearns.

West DunbartonshireAs with Renfrewshire, more than 75% of businesses in West Dunbartonshire employ fewer than ten people. The largest employers are the NHS, the local authority and other public administrators, as well as companies operating in the retail and accommodation & food sectors. A higher proportion of people in West Dunbartonshire work in these sectors compared to the rest of Scotland.

Between 2010-12 there was a small growth in key sector businesses to 560, of which 36% were sole trader enterprises. West Dunbartonshire Council recognises that the area suffers from low rates of economic activity and has a small business base compared with Scotland and the UK as a whole.

The area has a number of major employers, including international companies such as Aggreko, National Australia Group and Pernod Ricard. Anticipating shrinkage in public sector employment, the local council has recognised the importance of encouraging and supporting new private sector businesses to West Dunbartonshire.


InverclydeInverclyde is unusually dependant on a number of large-sized enterprises to provide jobs for its citizens. As recently as 2011 it was estimated that such enterprises accounted for 55% of all jobs in the area. Such companies include RBS (mortgage call centre), Amazon (retail distribution) and Texas Instruments (semi-conductor manufacturing).

The narrowness of the area’s economic base is underlined by its heavy dependence on the public sector for employment, accounting for 37.3% of all jobs in Inverclyde, compared to 30% for Scotland, followed by 23.6% (22.2% Scotland) within distribution, hotels and restaurants and 15.6% (19.1% Scotland) in Finance, IT and other business activities.

Inverclyde maintains a proud shipbuilding and engineering tradition and the revitalisation and growth of Ferguson Marine is welcomed to support high value engineering expertise and provide employment and apprenticeships for the people of Inverclyde.

In April 2013, the Inverclyde Alliance warned of “…a real danger that the long term growth rate…..will remain below that of Scotland unless significant restructuring of the economy takes place”.

Our Commitment West College Scotland will explore and maximise staff expertise, commercial partnerships, niche markets, specialisms and product development, and utilise these to be a responsive organisation with the capacity to invest in and support both regional employers and Scottish Government key growth sectors to increase economic growth for the west region.

The promotion of a cohesive employer engagement strategy, outlining a regional approach to communicating with employers, will ensure the College responds to the skills issues and meet the needs of those key employers located in the Region.

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EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE REGIONAL STRUCTURES

Governance arrangementsWest College Scotland Board of Management has been in place since 1 August 2013 when the College was formed. A number of changes to its membership have taken place since then. The Regional Chair is Keith McKellar, who was appointed by the Scottish Ministers in March 2014. The Board Membership of 18 (including 2 Student Representatives and two staff representatives) was refreshed in line with Ministerial Guidance during 2014/15, and new members have joined. This has added to the range of experience and expertise on the Board. The new Board met for the first time in February 2015.

The Board has established 8 Committees to help fulfil its role. These are Audit, Finance & General Purposes, Corporate Development, Learning Teaching & Quality, Organisational Development & Human Resources, Estates, Nominations and Remuneration.

Since February 2015 the Board has reviewed a number of its regulations, procedures and processes and has also revised its scheme of delegation and standing orders to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The Board held an externally facilitated evaluation workshop in June 2015, and this was a particularly valuable session that has led to the production of a Board development action plan which sets out the various improvements and development activities that the Board will progress.

Staff Relations/HarmonisationHarmonisation of teaching staff pay and conditions was progressed through discussions at monthly Joint Consultative and Negotiating Committee JCNC(L/S) meetings (lecturing staff and support staff) since West College Scotland was created on 1 August 2013. Discussions were positive, based on mutual trust and respect and have set a standard for future working relations.

West College Scotland has committed to national collective bargaining and signed the National Recognition and Procedures Agreement (NRPA). The College is now implementing the necessary changes to move from local bargaining arrangements to national.

Harmonisation of lecturing and support staff pay and conditions was achieved in the first year of merger. Job Evaluation for support staff posts was undertaken during 2014-15. The process for Job Evaluation involved the relevant trade unions and full time officials to ensure staff involvement in the process and ensure a high level of consultation. The process, including staff appeals, will be concluded by February 2016.


Project Implementation A key priority for the College has been to ensure that systems integration and development throughout the merger period and beyond have had as little impact as possible on students. The College maintained business continuity and minimised downtime for existing systems while undertaking a range of significant integration, infrastructure and support projects. During the initial period of merger the projects identified and progressed to ensure effective merger implementation were:

Systems data cleansing prior to all systems migration

Student Records System integration, including on-line applications, enrolments and student records

Integration of student funding system

Integrated Human Resources System, including payroll

Development of West College Scotland web based resources, including the College web site and staff and student intranets

Integrated virtual learning environment (Moodle)

Additional projects implemented following the initial period of merger included:

Further development of online student record resources, including Student Timetable, Attendance and Register (STAR) portal for attendance management and Launchpad for student record reporting;

Continued integration work, including a laptop rollout across to teaching staff across all campuses

Website – Phase 2

Extensions to wireless infrastructure

The College has focused, and remains focused, on delivering efficiencies and improvements for staff and students, with dedicated WCS wide systems now in place and delivering integrated on-line capabilities and resources, including:

Student Records - providing on-line access to course selection, application, acceptance and enrolment functions. For staff this extends, via the STAR portal, to the on-line provision of student timetable, attendance and register data and recording; and, via Launchpad, functionality-delegated analysis and reporting tools.

Student Funding – providing on-line access for students to submit funding, bursary, EMA, childcare and other applications. The students now have the capability to upload documents which are required to process their applications and to view the status of their applications on line.

Student Intranet - providing unified portal access to student- focused resources, including the Moodle virtual learning environment, Office 365 email access, Access All Areas (AAA) (attendance and funding information), Your Essential Skills (YES), and self-service upload for matriculation photographs.

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A review of all projects is undertaken at the outset to ensure the underlying IT infrastructure and support is established and robust prior to any significant IT systems integration projects taking place. Steering Groups for all strategic projects managed the process.

Progress for all projects is formally reviewed and monitored by the College Executive and Senior Management Team. Priority projects are determined by an evaluation of resource requirements and the need to continually improve system integration, support and access for all staff and students, thus improving the operational business of the College.

ICT/Digital Strategy Development Building on the merger implementation projects and activities, a key focus during 2015/16 and 2016/17 will be the development and implementation of a West College Scotland ICT/Digital Technology Strategy.

The McClelland review of ICT Infrastructure in the public sector in Scotland set a context for the direction of ICT development and change, and the Scottish Government’s response, in the form of ‘Scotland’s Digital Future – A Strategy for Scotland’, published in March 2011, emphasised the need to ensure that ICT infrastructure provides, and keeps pace with, the latest digital technologies, in order that all communities can take advantage of the digital revolution. It is these

core principles that will inform College technology and infrastructure development.

The College ICT/Digital Technology Strategy will provide the framework and direction that means College operations, activities and objectives are supported by appropriate technology and infrastructure. This strategic approach will ensure that technological change and development:

Is driven by curriculum and learning and teaching need

Support innovation in teaching and learning

Provide online access to established and emerging learner and support processes

Ensure existing hardware and software assets are utilised to their maximum potential

Embrace mobile and flexible working models

Recognise the benefits of collaborative working and shared service delivery

Ensure adherence to legislative and policy requirements

Support a mobile, flexible and hybrid-could infrastructure

Provide required levels of ICT service delivery and standards


Key projects for 2015/16 and 2016/17 have already been identified, and include:

Review of the systems and processes associated with the student journey from application to leaving the College

Review of the current finance ledger system, which was inherited from two of the constituent colleges at merger. It is anticipated this review may result in a joint procurement exercise with the Glasgow regional colleges for the purchase of a new finance system incorporating a procurement system and improved management reporting capabilities.

A Student Funding Department review of the new online system in consultation with students and staff. Applications for 2016/17 courses will be opened in Easter 2016 to allow students to apply early.

Replacement and upgrade of Janet connectivity and supporting infrastructure.

A series of teaching and learning projects to support Microsoft Showcase College endorsement.

Cross-campus upgrades to deploy Adobe Creative Cloud software in support of teaching and learning delivery

Extension of multi-functional communications tools, increasing desktop ability to undertake conferencing, instant messaging and providing voice over IP functionality.

Introduction of a new multi-function print device fleet, designed to improve functionality, efficiency and effectiveness and to assist in reduction of the College carbon footprint.

Implementing the Change Programme ‘Develop a Culture of Collective Ambition’The West College Scotland Collective Ambition Programme (CAP) was formally launched to staff in 2013. This represented a planned and integrated strategic approach to leading and managing the change process, in the first year of merger and beyond with a focus on effective two way communication between management and staff, providing staff with a range of opportunities to influence, be involved and help shape the culture of the new College.

It is essential that West College Scotland maximises the opportunities that exist as a result of our collective enhanced capacity. The success and strength of West College Scotland going forward will be dependent on staff and students shared (collective) ambition, pride and passion. West College Scotland’s collective ambition will develop around a shared understanding and commitment to the vision, strategic and operational priorities, values and what the brand will stand for. We will also look to develop a shared understanding of what we expect in terms of management and staff behaviours.

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West College Scotland will beWell led

Student and staff focused

Supportive

High standards

Outward looking

Creative

Trusting and ethical

A review of the College ‘Collective Ambition, Pride & Passion’ Corporate Planning Framework was undertaken during 2014/15 to confirm our strategic vision and ambitions; refresh, refine and test our strategic priorities; consider the impact of external changes and environmental factors; and define success and impact. The Corporate Plan 2015-2020 was approved by the Board of Management in September 2015 and will be discussed with key stakeholders, in particular the Community Planning Partnerships across the Region.

PurposeTo provide excellent

education and training opportunities and

services for students and customers Core

Values

Strategic & Operational Priorities

Brand Promise

Vision

Leadership Behaviours

Cultu

re

CultureCulture

Communication

Comm

unicationCom

mun

icat

ion

View our Corporate Plan online:www.westcollegescotland.ac.uk/media/77482/corporate-plan-2015.pdf


Organisational Structure implementation and consultationThe Senior Management Structure for West College Scotland was consulted on and implemented to ensure the majority of College Executive and Senior Management positions were in place by vesting in August 2013 and no later than December 2013. Consultation on proposals for the operational management levels throughout the College was completed by December 2013 and was implemented by spring 2013. The remaining structures across the College were implemented and almost fully in place for August 2014. A review will be undertaken in 2015/16.

Implementation of West College Scotland Student Association The SFC College Transformation Fund was utilised initially to develop, implement and support an enhanced Student Association to ensure equivalence of the student experience across the new college.

The Association now have funding support in place which is agreed by the Board of Management, and are accountable for the effective financial management of this resource, reporting to the Board Learning & Teaching Committee. The funding supports one full time sabbatical cross-college Student President and three part time Vice Presidents,

based on each main campus and working cross-college as a team to support the President. A Student Engagement Strategy has been developed, approved by the Board and is being implemented jointly with staff and students.

The Students Association have an action plan aligned to the national Framework for Developing Strong and Effective Student Associations. Actions are reviewed weekly in a meeting with the Student President and Head of Student Services. The Student Association will be using the Self Evaluation Tool Kit to evaluate performance and are progressing their priority to create a sustainable Association for future years.

The Student Association is involved in strategic planning and the development of the Regional Outcome Agreement through the Board and Learning, Teaching and Quality Committees. In addition, the Student Association is playing an active role in contributing to the new estates strategy and the review and development of student procedures.

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Estates West College Scotland currently operates across four main campus locations and a number of satellite facilities which are situated with East Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde and East Renfrewshire, and cover an area of space in excess of 80,000 square metres. The estate is further supplemented by use of community outreach facilities to support training and curriculum delivery, meaning West College Scotland operates from almost 50 locations. Estates utilisation, maintenance and planning will continue to be developed in a way that supports the College curriculum planning process and community engagement strategy.

In 2013-14 the SFC estates maintenance grant of £2.6m allocated to West College Scotland was utilised to ensure the College’s infrastructure, estates and facilities were maintained to provide an equitable, fit for purpose learning experience across all College campuses. The College also invested approximately £5.6m to make key estates improvements at the Finnart Street Campus in Greenock, which included the provision of new catering, hospitality and motor vehicle facilities, and the improvement and creation of student social space.

During 2014-15 the SFC estates maintenance grant to West College Scotland of £2.6m was used to continue providing an improved student experience, with investment being made in equipment to support curriculum delivery; the development of teaching space; building works

emanating from condition and other surveys; and projects. The project work included redevelopment of the refectory facilities at the Paisley campus and improvement works to the Paisley campus car park. The car park works have been a high priority for a number of years on both student and staff surveys.

The College completed comprehensive condition surveys of its properties during 2015, with the stated aim of understanding the investment need required in order to achieve condition B status for all College premises. The survey reported that the College would require investment of £26m over the next 5 years and £33m over the next 10 years – in order to achieve and maintain Condition B status. Over the life of the reporting period (20 years) £46.2m will require to be invested to obtain/maintain condition B status. Whilst much of this expenditure relates to the Greenock campus it should be noted that Paisley also requires significant investment, and funds are required to maintain the Clydebank campus, which is now 8 years old. It should also be noted that the condition survey investment figures do not include the cost of maintaining the internal fabric of rooms, replacing equipment or improving functional suitability.

It is against this challenging estates backdrop that West College Scotland has experienced a significant reduction in SFC Estates maintenance funding – with this being reduced from £2.581m in 2014/15 to £1.927m in 2015/16 – and a further reduction to £1.483m being applied for 2016/17 This represents an overall


reduction of £1.098m (43%) over a two year period at a time when the College need for estates investment simply to maintain some buildings as operational is significant.- The College will therefore require to invest in the estate in a manner which uses the limited funding available to maintain the estate and improve the student experience wherever possible - with planned upgrades to science laboratories, investment in engineering facilities and purchase of new equipment to support teaching and learning need being key.

A key element of the College Estates Strategy is the future estates need in Greenock. The Scottish Funding Council has provided financial support for the College to undertake an outline business case review of facilities in Greenock, and options are currently being considered, with an initial outcome expected to be provided during late summer 2016. However as outlined, condition survey report identified that significant investment is required in the short term across the College estate – with Paisley also having an immediate need – in order to provide 21st century infrastructure, learning, teaching and working environments - and the College will therefore continue to engage with the Scottish Funding Council to secure the funds necessary to provide such high quality facilities.

In developing our Estates Strategy, the College agreed an Estates Statement of Strategic Intent in June 2014, and this was endorsed by the Board of Management again in June 2015. This Statements is intended to inform important decision-making both now and in the

years ahead, and is an ethos and approach owned by everybody associated with the College. It is a statement of our needs, expectations and ambitions, and how we intend to deliver them in a way that is enabled by, but not limited by, our buildings.

Development of the Estates Statement of Strategic Intent was facilitated by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), who worked with the College Senior Management Team, members of the Board of Management and student representatives. What emerged was a set of principles behind which our Estates Strategy will be aligned. These we describe as Our Purpose:

staying relevant to the needs of our communities

taking a key role in shaping successful places

making a difference by being leaders

The College recognises that applying these principles requires us to respond in a unique way to the needs and opportunities presented by each community we serve, and these principles also provide the strong foundations on which the College is developing its Estates Strategy. It is envisaged the Estates Strategy will be in place for the commencement of 2016-17.

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Carbon Management During late 2015, in partnership with The Carbon Trust, the College agreed a programme for the development of a Carbon Management Plan, with external funding being secured to enable this to be resourced, progressed and implemented during 2015-16 and beyond. In progressing the Carbon Management Plan a five step process has been adopted from the outset, which can be summarised as follows:

Step 1 - Mobilisation Phase – involves identification of key barriers in developing and delivering the plan; building knowledge and providing training internally; and setting the scope of the plan

Step 2 – Measure Baseline and Set Targets – encompasses measuring the carbon emission baseline; calculating energy costs; and energy forecasts and setting and agreeing targets.

Step 3 – Identify, Quantify and Prioritise Opportunities – requires that carbon and cost saving projects be identified; costs and savings are quantified; and actions are prioritised.

Step 4 – Develop Implementation Plan – which is high impact, cost effective and deliverable to ensure implementation

Step 5 – Implementation Phase – commence project implementation; review the performance measurement process; and embed carbon reduction into the daily business.

The College is now moving into Step 4 of this process, which involves the identification of projects, and with this the initial focus is on working with the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Futures Trust

in identifying priorities through the College Energy Efficiency Pathfinder (CEEP) project. It is expected that over the course of 2016 this partnership approach will enable initial CEEP projects to be identified, agreed and progressed, with funding, targets and performance measurement being aligned with these. Given that College SFC estates maintenance funding for 2016/17 has reduced by 43% since 2014/15 our ability to invest in carbon reduction projects has declined. Based on this our Carbon Management Plan will therefore seek to achieve a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2021, taking 2014/15 as the baseline comparison. However should prior year levels of SFC estates maintenance funding become available the College would seek to revisit the carbon reduction target with a view to achieving lower levels of CO2 emissions over the period to 2021.

During 2016/17 the College will also progress work being undertaken with Dawn Developments Limited, the Scottish Futures Trust, West Dunbartonshire Council and wider community partners in seeking to progress a business case for development and implementation of a district heating system in Clydebank, which will look to utilise the tidal zone of the River Clyde as a heat source and distribute the heat to properties located on Queens Quay and beyond. If this can be achieved the College will be involved in the heating system not just as an end user, but will also in a way that will look to maximise educational and training opportunities with partners on an ongoing basis.


Stakeholder ConsultationWest College Scotland will continue to consult with its stakeholders on the validity of the outcome agreement across 2014-15 and beyond to ensure regional needs have been considered and are being addressed. West College Scotland is represented by the Principal & Chief Executive and the Executive Team on the CPP Leadership Groups and underlying thematic groups in each of the three immediate Local Authority catchment areas of Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire. Proactive participation will include building on the College involvement in strategic planning activities, jointly setting strategy (e.g. STEM), exploring opportunities for shared services and joint procurement.

Opportunities will be pursued with partners and communities of interest in the public and private sectors regarding campus estates developments, town centre regeneration and collective approaches to ‘settings for learning and enterprise’. Partnership initiatives with Architecture & Design Scotland and the Carnegie Trust will be developed further and include the exploration of opportunities to accelerate collaborative and self-guided learning in a range of settings using existing spaces in our catchment footprint and town centres, working with the Local Authorities and Schools estate using the prism of ‘enterprise.’

Institutional SustainabilityAs per the current Scottish Funding Council Financial Memorandum, the College will plan and manage its activities in a way which enables us to remain sustainable and financially viable. A college is being managed on a sustainable basis if, year on year, it generates sufficient income to cover its costs and allow for maintenance of and investment in its infrastructure (physical, human and intellectual) at a level which enables it to maintain adaptive capacity necessary to meet future demands

The West College Scotland regional Learning and Teaching Strategy and developing Estates Strategy will take account of the strategic landscape and set out realistically where the College wants to be in the medium and long term. Integrated with the Learning & Teaching / Estates Strategies is the College Financial Strategy. Whilst the financial landscape remains variable and challenging the College continues to plan on a three year financial basis, with medium term scenario planning ensuring that known and possible changes are considered, anticipated and factored into any risk analysis. The future Financial Strategy of the College covers:

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An assessment of what levels of resource the College will need to deliver its outcomes sustainably, taking account of the revised SFC funding methodology in place from 2015-16;

A determination of how this will be raised and managed;

An analysis of the key financial risks and actions required to manage and mitigate them; and

The processes which will be in place to enable individual departments to achieve required outcomes, including resource allocation models and management information systems.

A number of factors will influence the financial sustainability of the College in the coming years. The full impact of the new funding model has yet to be confirmed, with the core SFC funding of the College reducing by 1% in 2015-16. And although there has been a slight increase in the total SFC funding allocation of 0.68% for 2016-17, this represents a challenging financial settlement at a time when significant cost pressures are arising – particularly in relation to pay and conditions for both teaching and support staff - and when there is a need to maintain and develop the College estate in order to ensure it meets 21st century teaching and learning requirements. There will also be a need to clarify the future position in relation to ESF funding, with the SFC allocation to West College Scotland for 2016-17 including £1,732,847 of Structural Funding.

Maintaining required levels of student support funding will also be essential in enabling West College Scotland to deliver agreed regional outcomes. The College is therefore working closely with the Scottish Funding Council to agree a sustainable solution for student support funding in 2016-17 and beyond.


Reclassification of Incorporated CollegesThe College was reclassified as a Non Departmental Government Body as from 1 April 2014 and this has had a number of outcomes which the College continues to work through with the SFC.

Some of the impacts felt by the College to date of this reclassification have been:

The requirement to inform the Board and Committee members on the impact of this change;

The budget setting process / timetable within the College has been amended to comply with the external budgetary requirements of the Scottish Government timetable;

The revision of the College year end temporarily to March although this has now returned to July;

Increased reporting requirements;

The requirement to submit detailed monthly cash flow returns and to ensure that cash is not drawn down in advance of need;

The requirement to submit quarterly resource returns which in the three months to March each year are monthly;

To out in place a number of operational changes in order to support the revised financial operating environment;

The ability to enter into external commercial arrangements has had to

be reviewed in light of restrictions on accessing external funding;

The ability of the College to borrow funds has been restricted;

The requirement to insure college assets is under review.

The revised Financial Memorandum (FM) between the College and the SFC, effective from 1 December 2014, makes it a condition of grant that incorporated colleges and Regional Boards comply with the requirements of the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) and sets out the special actions and derogations, which have been agreed with the Scottish Ministers. The College will continue to work with the SFC to ensure that the requirements of the FM and SPFM are complied with.

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Procurement, Collaboration and Shared ServicesThe Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act and revised EU Procurement Directives willresult in significant change for the procurement landscape, with both the EU and Scottish Parliament seeking to use procurement as a greater driver for economic growth. Together, during 2016 the Act and the Directives will provide the statutory foundations for a Scottish Model of Procurement which seeks to simplify, standardise and streamline procedures for both businesses and public bodies. It will place sustainable and socially responsible purchasing at the heart of the process, promoting collaborative working across a wide range of procurement activities and practice across all public sector procurement spend.

As the emerging strands of the procurement legislation progress the West College Scotland Procurement Strategy will be developed to take account of these changes, and to ensure a procurement approach and structure is in place which supports achievement of outcomes including:

Development and enhancement of procurement skills and knowledge, policies, practices and governance frameworks;

Continued implementation and development of electronic procurement systems;

Development of procurement performance management systems;

Identification of collaborative and shared services opportunities;

Achievement of efficiencies, cost savings and benefits (economic, social and environmental);

Use of community benefit clauses within contracts, to provide social, economic and environmental benefits for local communities

Improved contract renewal, monitoring and supplier management processes;

Engagement with and outcomes from the Scottish Government Procurement and Commercial Improvement Programme (PCIP).


HIGH QUALITY AND EFFICIENT LEARNING

West College Scotland will offer teaching and learning of the highest quality, supported by new technologies and complemented by effective support services that help and encourage all students to achieve their potential and fulfil their ambitions.

West College Scotland will strengthen quality self-evaluation approaches by further analysing data and feedback in order to improve practice. In addition, the College will prioritise the further enhancement of standards of learning and teaching through staff development and the sharing of practice through team and Faculty staff events.

QualificationsImproving attainment will remain a key priority for the new College, particularly in curriculum areas with low performance indicators.

The College will continue to focus on attainment and sharing good practice across the College to identify strategies for improvement, particularly for FE attainment.

The College will continue to increase the percentage of enrolments on recognised qualifications, where appropriate, by transferring to assessed provision and leveling qualifications through SCQF.

During 2014-15, the College leveled and credit rated over 50 college devised courses. These courses were mainly online distance learning courses provided to enhance employability skills.

The percentage of FE students on assessed qualifications, recognized and accredited either by a certified awarding body or where the College had leveled the qualification on the SCQF framework increased by 21%, up from 67% in 2013-14 to 88% in 2014-15. As a result, the percentage of FE students on non-assessed qualifications has fallen from 33% in 2013-14 to 12% in 2014-15.

Student success ratesSteady improvements had been made in full time FE student outcome rates until 2014-15 when there was a fairly marked increase in withdrawal and a drop in student outcomes. Prior to this, WCS student outcome figures had been broadly in line with Sector averages. The College had achieved more than a 2% improvement in overall full time FE percentages over two years, and exceeded the Regional Outcome Agreement target for 2013-14 but failed to achieve the higher level target for 2014-15. The Sector average also reduced in 2014-15 but not by the same level as the West College Scotland reduction.

College overall full time HE student outcome rates had also improved previously in 2013-14 and had seen a 4% improvement over the previous three years until a 2% drop in 2014-15. Prior to this, the College overall HE attainment rate was moving closer to that of the Sector average. While there was a drop in student success for 2014-15, the overall rate was still above that achieved in 2012-13. Improvement in student outcomes is a real priority for West College

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Scotland to bring success rates in line or to achieve our ambition of being above sector averages. We are retaining a challenging target for improvement and working across college teams and with students to try and achieve this.

The focus for 2015-16 will be to improve retention and attainment for both full and part time FE and to reduce partial success rates in HE, in order to have more students achieving their full group award within the session. Analysis of the data has shown that the most marked drop in attainment was for the students from the 10% most deprived areas. The College will aim to put more measures in place to support these particular students as well as continuing to work towards improve attainment overall. Whilst there were reductions in the 2014-15 figures, the College believes it should still be in a position to achieve the original ROA longer term targets for 2016-17 and 2017-18. Whilst this is very ambitious, considering the 2014-15 figures, it is felt that there were additional factors in 2014-15 which distracted from a focus on student PIs and that the structures and quality processes were still being established. The College believes that the ROA targets for 2015-16 should be reduced to the 2014-15 target levels, to give a more realistic chance of being achieved, recognizing that processes are still being embedded during this session. Course changes now being planned for 2016-17 however, plans for additional support for SIMD 10 students and improvements to course delivery are expected to make the higher targets in 2016-17 still achievable.

The College will target marked improvements in both FE and HE attainment and consider ways to help support improved attainment particularly for students from the 10% most deprived postcodes. The College aims to bring attainment rates in line with or above sector averages over the next three years. This could be seen as a major achievement considering the economic context of the student population where over half of the students live in the 30% most deprived areas of Scotland.


Overall Student Outcome

Actual 2010-11

Actual 2011-12

Actual 2012-13

Actual 2013-14

Sector 2013-14

Target 2014-15

Actual 2014-15

Sector 2014-15

Revised Target

2015-16

Retained Target

2016-17

FE Full Time 61.6% 62.9% 64.7% 65% 65.8% 66% 59.8% 64% 66% 68%

HE Full Time 62.5% 65.4% 66% 68.9% 71.1% 70% 67.1% 71.3% 70% 73%

Part Time success rates The College has worked to address a Regional Outcome and National target to reduce the percentage of non-assessed courses. This has been achieved and significantly more students now undertake assessed and SCQF leveled qualifications. The College also has a much higher portfolio of online and distance learning courses than most other colleges. This increases flexibility, efficiency, employability and up-skilling opportunities for our students and communities. An impact of this diverse portfolio however, is lower overall attainment figures overall for part time, compared to sector averages.

In 2014-15 there was a drop in student outcomes for all categories of FE part time provision over 10 hours up to full time. Partial success figures however increased for all part time FE courses. Partial success will be a major area for review for part time provision.

For HE part time courses, there were some improvements made in student outcomes. Almost all part time HE students completed their courses with either full or partial success. There were a higher percentage of HE full time students completing courses with either full or partial success in 2014-15 but a drop in the percentage who achieved their full group award.

For 2015-16 the College is increasing the monitoring and support provided for online and distance learning courses in particular in order to aim to improve attainment for this provision.

The College will work to improve the analysis of part time performance indicators, particularly in FE, and aim for improvements to bring overall figures in line with or above sector averages.

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Overall Student OutcomeCompleted Successful Completed with full and partial success

FE Courses 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15Sector

2014-15 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15Sector

2014-15

under 10 hours 99.4% 99.2% 98.6% 96.4% 97% 96.7% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100% 100% 100%

10 up to 40 hours 90.2% 85.0% 82.1% 85.8% 77.2% 90.9% 96.6% 98.3% 97.6% 99.7% 99.8% 98.7%

40 up to 80 hours 70.3% 77.1% 70.7% 67.9% 64.9% 73.6% 92.2% 92.5% 85.1% 95.4% 96.9% 95.1%

80 up to 160 hours 75.8% 73.2% 72.4% 60.9% 54.3% 70.4% 93.8% 94.3% 89.5% 94.8% 98.3% 92.8%

160 up to 320 hours 65.2% 62.3% 65.4% 65.4% 59.4% 70.7% 83.4% 82.2% 83.1% 85.1% 92.4% 86.7%

320 hours up to FT 67.3% 73.1% 69.0% 70.4% 69.1% 75.2% 84.1% 88.8% 84.9% 87.3% 90.1% 86.5%

Full Time 61.3% 63.3% 64.7% 65.3% 59.8% 64% 74.5% 75.8% 77.1% 77.8% 75% 74.6%

Completed Successful Completed with full and partial success

FE Courses 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15Sector

2014-15 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15Sector

2014-15

10 up to 40 hours - 100.0% 61.8% 82.6% 69.2% 93.8% - 100.0% 85.5% 100% 100% 98.7%

40 up to 80 hours 43.4% 61.5% 77.4% 80.8% 76.6% 76.5% 98.6% 95.4% 97.7% 99% 100% 90.2%

80 up to 160 hours 66.9% 65.1% 74.8% 60.9% 74.7% 74.1% 88.4% 83.2% 84.7% 86.3% 96.2% 93.3%

160 up to 320 hours 67.7% 72.7% 72.3% 73.5% 67% 76.8% 88.1% 87.0% 86.4% 83.4% 92.3% 91.3%

320 hours up to FT 65.3% 75.0% 81.3% 77.9% 91.4% 84.1% 88.7% 87.5% 95.8% 90.1% 97.4% 93.7%

Full Time 62.9% 65.8% 66.0% 68.7% 67.1% 71.3% 80.1% 79.3% 81.2% 81.9% 83.8% 82.7%


Early and further withdrawalEarly Withdrawal PI percentages have compared well with sector averages overall in the past and have been generally consistent over the years. Early withdrawal for HE full time students improved in 2014-15 by 1%. The early withdrawal rates for 2014-15 FE full time students however, did not improve from 2013-14, increasing by 0.6% and remains a focus for improvement across the College.

The College will continue to aim to improve Early Withdrawal rates. In particular, the College will improve the support provided within the student application and induction processes and support in relation to applications for student funding.

The College has introduced new processes for 2015-16 to identify students at risk of withdrawing at an earlier point and be more proactive in taking action to help students continue their studies, where at all possible.

Early and further withdrawalActual

2010-11Actual

2011-12Actual

2012-13Actual

2013-14Actual

2014-15Sector

2014-15

FE Full Time 8.7% 7.7% 7.6% 9% 9.6% 8.6%

HE Full Time 6.1% 6.0% 6.3% 6.3% 5.1% 4.4%

ProgressionThe College will ensure that students are admitted to the most appropriate courses at the right place and time and have options and choices available to progress internally or externally to meet their needs and to match their expectations, motivations and abilities. Students will be offered clear progression routes from access programmes through to Higher Education, including degrees and professional qualifications where available.

For full time 2014-15 provision, changes were made to courses in many curriculum areas to further refine course frameworks and entry criteria to ease progression across the Region. This work has continued within other curriculum areas through the Curriculum Planning and Review processes to ensure a coherent well planned curriculum portfolio for 2016-17 which maximises progression opportunities for students. In addition, partnership work to refresh the School College programme for 2016-17 will provide a wider range of vocational opportunities across the region with clearer progression routes and increased work experience and employability focus. School pupils will have opportunities to study a few subjects at HNC and pilot Foundation Apprenticeship. Successful work to have a common school college timetable across the main local authority areas will enable more opportunities for pupils to select appropriate courses from a common West College Scotland School College prospectus. New employability short courses will also be available to provide valuable certification to enhance school pupils’ employability.

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ArticulationPartnership work has been continuing with the aim of improving articulation rates for students progressing from college to degree courses with advanced standing. The College worked with The University of the West of Scotland through the SFC additional places funding to support 39 students to undertake HN qualifications to articulate to key curriculum areas in 2015-16. A further 78 HNC/D students were supported in 2014-15. This enables the HN students in these subject areas to become Associate Students of UWS. More importantly, work is ongoing with curriculum staff in both the University and College to ensure smooth transitions and pathways from HN to degree level for all articulating students.

In addition, West College Scotland is working with the University of Strathclyde, particularly in articulation for Engineering and through their Engineering Academy initiative. The College has a formal partnership agreement with the Open University and proactively engages with Caledonian University on improving articulation. The College has also secured a formal articulation agreement with Herriot Watt for direct entry to 3rd year for HND Interior Architecture students.

Unfortunately, changes to entry criteria for some courses by a few universities has removed or reduced previously established articulation routes from HNC/D and limited students’ choices for progression. Removal of a few university courses has also impacted negatively on students’

articulation and expectations for progression. The College is considering the changes made to university articulation pathways in future curriculum planning for HN provision and in its work with HEIs.

National data to measure the numbers articulating with advanced standing to Scottish Universities has not been made available to the College at this time. Estimates have been included in the measurement table.

The College will continue to work with HEIs, including the Open University, to aim to increase the numbers of students articulating with advanced standing to full time and part time Degree courses (as per the outcome Measurement Table data).


Student experienceThe College recognises that good guidance and support is crucial to the student success. The College is developing an enhanced guidance support service to improve the student support and progression through and beyond college. A revised induction and guidance programme has been developed for 2015-16 and the majority of students who progressed from non-advanced courses to Higher National courses in 2015 completed a series of personal development and diagnostic workshops designed to help prepare them for transition and identify learning needs.

Student engagement is a key focus of the College and staff and students have worked together to develop the College’s Student Engagement Strategy. A college Stakeholder Experience Coordinator and team of Student Experience Assistants help to collate student feedback and support the work of the Course Representatives.

The restructure of West College Scotland provides increased support for staff in developing expertise in using technology and further enhancing professional standards in learning and teaching. Additional e-learning options have been offered to students to enhance their learning and employability. Increased work placement opportunities, live and community projects, support for enterprise activity, involvement of employers within course delivery, cross campus and cross discipline projects and improved digital communication with students have all

helped to enhance the learning experience. Student feedback on their learning experience has been very positive and the College is working to address any areas for improvement in partnership with the students.

The College will enhance the support provided for students to improve the guidance service, particularly to support transitions and improve attainment.

The College will continue to support the Student Association and increase the number of students engaging in decision making and working groups across the College

The College will increase the use of e-learning and e-assessment to enhance the student experience

The College will enable students to take greater responsibility for their learning and monitoring their own progress, through access to the online Student Portal and YES (Your Essential Skills) systems.

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Education ScotlandIn 2015 the College received a positive College Review report from Education Scotland. The overall judgment was that West College Scotland has in place effective arrangements to maintain and enhance the quality of its provision and outcomes for learners and other stakeholders.

This judgment means that, in relation to quality assurance and enhancement, the college is led well, has sufficiently robust arrangements to address any identified minor weaknesses, and is likely to continue to improve the quality of its services for learners and other stakeholders.

Areas of positive practice included:

In a few subject areas, the success rates for learners on full-time programmes are in line with the best in the sector.

An extensive range of programmes delivered to secondary school pupils across seven local authority areas.

The wide range of online and community-based programmes.

Almost all learners are involved actively in learning, particularly during practical classes, and are motivated by teaching staff to do well.

The learning environment and atmosphere during most teaching sessions is positive and purposeful.

Teaching staff make good use of questioning to reinforce learning, check understanding and determine progress made.

The college works productively with employers to design and deliver

programmes which meet industry needs well.

All learners benefit from constructive and supportive relationships with staff and speak very highly of their college experiences.

Most learners contribute positively to planning aspects of their learning.

Staff feel that the merger and restructure process has been well handled by senior managers and that they are included and consulted. As a result, the principal and senior managers are trusted by staff.

Partnership working is strong across the college and many learners and staff benefit from a wide range of partnerships at local and regional levels.

Main points for action

The college should ensure that its strategies for improvement, including those for improving attainment, are communicated and implemented effectively.

The college should ensure that learners can routinely access reliable ICT systems to improve their learning.

The college should ensure arrangements to capture learners’ views are comprehensive and are used to influence college-wide developments.

The College is working to address the main points for action and will demonstrate progress made in the next Annual Engagement review with Education Scotland.


ACCESS FOR PEOPLE FROM THE WIDEST RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS

Deprivation Whilst some 14% of the West Regions population live in the most

10% most deprived areas, in 2014-15 the volume of activity by students from these areas in the College was 27.8%. This represents a significantly higher proportion than the majority of Scottish colleges, is over 10% above the sector average and was a 1% increase on the previous year. The College works successfully to recruit students from many deprived communities and provides relevant services to help support this group. The College will continue to promote more access to provision, whilst also improving retention and attainment in this particular target group.

For SIMD10 the picture is similar for full time students. In West College Scotland in 2014-15, 30.7% of our full time students were from the 10% most deprived postcodes. However, while over a third of full time FE students were from these postcodes, only a quarter of full time HE students come from the same areas of deprivation. The College increased the proportion of full time students from the 20% most deprived postcodes in 2014-15 from 48.5% to 49.4%. The high proportion of students from these deprived areas characterises the work of West College Scotland.

The College will continue to build links and partnerships with community and voluntary sector groups to ensure social inclusion is a reality, not just an aspiration, thus ensuring equal access to further education in line with the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013.

WCS 2013-14 WCS 2014-15

Full time students from the 10% most deprived postcodes 29.9% 30.7%

Full time FE students from the 10% most deprived postcodes 33.2% 34.4%

Full time HE students from the 10% most deprived postcodes 24.4% 24.7%

Full time students from the 20% most deprived postcodes 48.5% 49.4%

Full time FE students from the 20% most deprived postcodes 52.6% 54%

Full time HE students from the 20% most deprived postcodes 41.6% 41.9%

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The subject areas with the largest proportion of full time students from the 20% most deprived postcodes at FE level are ESOL, Hospitality, Travel & Tourism. The lowest are Art & Design, Performing Arts and Engineering. At HE level the highest are Care and Childhood Practice and the lowest Social Subjects. In 2014-15 there was an increase in students from SIMD20 in Media, Performing Arts, Sport, Hospitality, Travel & Tourism and a drop in Computing and Childhood Practice at FE level. In HE full time courses there was an increase in the percentage from SIMD20 in Care and Childhood Practice but a decrease in Engineering and Social Subjects.

For 2014-15, students from the 10% most deprived areas in the College had a lower attainment figure than those not in SIMD 10 areas but overall the attainment differential between the groups in the College was better than the Scottish average for both FE and HE. The differential between those WCS students from the 10% most

Enrolments on recognised qualifications 160+ hours

Completed Successful Completed partial success

Scotland 2013-14 WCS 2013-14 WCS 2014-15 WCS 2013-14 WCS 2014-15

FEFrom SIMD 10 64.7% (-5.6%) 63.3% (-3.7%) 52.8% (-5.3%) 79.3% (-3%) 81.6% (-4%)

Not from SIMD 10 70.3% 67% 58.1% 82.3% 85.6%

HEFrom SIMD 10 68.5% (-4.7%) 65.6% (-3.9%) 63.4% (-5.8%) 81.8% (1%) 81.9% (-3.8%)

Not from SIMD 10 73.2% 69.5% 69.2% 82.8% 85.7%

deprived areas attaining their full qualification and those from other areas however, widened in 2014-15 for both FE and HE (differentials in brackets in the table below). There is a significant difference in student outcome compared to the outcome levels for students not from SIMD 10. This is an important factor for the College where an increased percentage of student activity was delivered for students in SIMD 10 postcode in 2014-15, representing 29% of our activity. The level of student outcome for HE students not from SIMD10 postcodes was consistent for 2013-14 and 2014-15 but dropped by 2% last session for those from SIMD10 areas. There was a drop in student outcomes for all FE students but it was more marked for those from SIMD 10 areas.


For full time students the difference is slightly less marked but still significant

Full time 2014-15 From SIMD 10 Not from SIMD 10 Difference

Completed Successfully and Partial successFE 71.9% 74.8% -2.9%

HE 80.9% 83.9% -3%

Completed SuccessfullyFE 57.2% 61.1% -3.9%

HE 63.1% 67.4% -4.3%

The College will review SIMD10 student retention and outcomes in far greater depth at subject level and undertake further research with our students to gauge if there is more that can be done to support this particular group and enable them to achieve full success in their qualifications.

In addition to mainstream delivery, the College, working with Renfrewshire Council: Tackling Poverty – Joint Employability Partnership and will deliver a series of learning and employability opportunities targeted at the most deprived young people in the area.

One of the key aims of the Joint Employability Programme is to raise awareness and increase participation in vocational pathways. This will support transition into a positive destination beyond school.

The Programme aims to deliver, to around 60 parents and over 200 pupils, the five elements of the programme:

1. supporting parents in partnership pilot programme;

2. tailored extended work experience placements;

3. extended S2 taster programme;

4. extended senior phase taster programme;

5. bespoke employability/PSE course delivery targeting ASN/LAC and pupils with behavioral social and emotional difficulties.

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Mainstreaming EqualityThe College published its Mainstreaming Equality Progress report in April 2015. The College aims to achieve its Equality Outcomes by April 2017, namely:

We are an inclusive organisation which respects and encourages diversity in all of our activities;

Our staff and students participate in and actively contribute to the advancement of equality;

We are proactive in removing barriers for our students and staff to enable them to achieve their potential;

We systematically review and monitor the mainstreaming of equality, diversity and inclusion in our processes;

We effectively respond to the diverse needs of our students and staff.

The College’s Equality Outcomes encompass all statutory relevant protected characteristics. Our action plan accompanying our Equality Outcomes includes our intentions to investigate the reasons for attainment gaps and take subsequent action to address such gaps, and to involve students in planning following the evaluation of equality data.

Live detailed equalities data is now available for course teams to allow analysis of student performance by the main protected characteristics. The College also monitors overall equalities data through the Equality and Diversity Committee, supported by an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager.


Disability In 2014-15, the volume of activity by students with a declared

disability for courses lasting more than 160 hours was 14.3%, which was an increase from previous years. The overall number of students with a declared disability increased in 2014-15. The College will aim to monitor trends in student’s declaration of disabilities pre and on course, while continuing to further develop learning support services, be proactive in identifying learning needs and address improved access through the new Estates Strategy. The increase in students with a declared disability is likely to be from the work to identify and capture disabilities within the student records system. The College is participating in a project in partnership with the Equality Challenge Unit to attract diversity, and one focus of this project is to understand more about the experience of students with mental health issues, and evaluate the support they receive. Further work will be undertaken, together with the drive to increase Extended Learning Support services, to identify any additional students in this category and help improve support and attainment.

Through leadership for the Learner Development Sector across West College Scotland, the College will ensure meaningful learning experiences which enable appropriate progression and credited achievement for students with additional needs. There has been an increased focus on vocational learning for these students, additional work experience and improved progression to mainstream courses.

The College is responsive to the sector’s needs for meaningful learning for those with profound and complex needs and works, in partnership, with key support agencies to plan and deliver positive learning including the development of sensory awareness. Progress is incremental. Use of Assistive technologies and software gives students some control and independence in learning. Some students progress to part time courses in college.

The College provides extensive support for those students with extended learning support needs and in addition, the College provides specific support for BSL students and those with sensory needs. The College is amending the coordination of these Sensory Support services in particular, in line with the Government’s BSL Strategy.

Students with a declared disability

WCS 2013-14 Sector 2013-14 WCS 2014-15 Sector 2014-15

Completed Successfully and Partial success 82.2% 81.1% 83.9% 80%

Completed Successfully 66.3% 68% 62.5% 65.9%

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Corporate Parenting The College is committed to fulfilling its corporate parenting

obligations from the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and has nominated a senior manager (Director of Student Services and Communities) with a lead role in ensuring compliance with the legislation and best practice in the provision of support and educational opportunities for this vulnerable group; whilst recognising the corporate obligations of all staff to support the ethos of corporate parenting.

A dedicated team of staff has been established, including the Head of Student Services; Student Advisory Services (SAS) Manager; and 3 campus-based SAS Co-ordinators. This team has formed very close partnerships with the Through-care and Aftercare Teams in each of our three main local authorities.

We regard this group as having a protected characteristic, and will therefore monitor, evaluate and revise our practices and procedures in order to improve the outcomes for this group of students.

The Student Advisory Services team will work in partnership with Care Experienced young people, curriculum staff, finance and student support services, the Students’ Association and external agencies (e.g. Who Cares? Scotland and Celcis) to:

encourage early disclosure,

facilitate ease of transition and identification of appropriate course options,

provide targeted support,

be responsive to need,

raise aspirations

improve outcomes.

Quick and easy access to the SAS team is facilitated by the establishment of a dedicated email address and the Pure Chat facility. This has enabled successful promotion of our services and the regular contacts and inter-agency visits have proved to be an effective method of improving communication, sharing information and enhancing personal support for the students and their carers.


The College is listed in the national FE Handbook for Care Experienced young people; has committed to the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant; has signed the “Pledge2Listen” and is the only college represented in the STAF (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum) Policy Focus Group. CPD, facilitated by collaborative partnership working with local authorities, Who Cares? Scotland, CELCIS, SDS and STAF is helping to improve data sharing and identify care leavers while still in school and still in care. The package of support ranges from early identification; pre-course support (including familiarisation visits); support with application and enrolment; specific fast-tracking by student funding teams; additional financial support if required; continual liaison with faculty colleagues to monitor progress, attendance, attainment; pre-exit guidance; and significant personal wellbeing support, which in itself, can be extremely intensive.

Three examples of good practice introduced at Paisley Campus have been highlighted on the Buttle website and the College has progressed an action plan to extend the good practice to other campuses across the College. The number of Care Experienced students known in the College increased in 2013-14 to 45, from the 16 recorded the previous year and again increased in 2014-15 to 52. It is expected that improvements in data capture and reporting will indicate a further, modest, increase in enrolments for 15-16 by another 25% - a target of 65.

Gender Through curriculum analysis and action planning, the College will work,

where appropriate, to address gender imbalances where it exists within the curriculum (more detail provided in the curriculum Sector priorities & DYW Action Plan). This aim is also reflected in our Equality Outcomes. The College has a higher proportion of female enrolments than the national average (60% compared to 51.8% nationally in 2013-14). This is partly due to a college curriculum with higher proportion of traditionally female courses, in areas such as Care, Hairdressing and Beauty and lower than the national percentage of enrolments in HE Engineering, Construction and Sport. The College plans to increase provision in Engineering, Construction and Sport may impact on the overall College gender balance. However, at the same time, the College will continue with strategies to attract more females into traditionally male areas and more males into traditionally female courses and work to improve the attainment of HE males in particular.

Whilst success rates across both HE and FE levels fell for both genders in 2014-15, the most marked decrease in success rate was for males on FE courses. When including partial success as a positive attainment factor, this group were the only category to report a decrease in attainment. All other groups, male and female at HE level and females at FE level showed an increase in attainment in all or part of their qualification aim. Further analysis will be undertaken to establish if younger male learners require different support or different course design in certain curriculum areas, to ensure success. This analysis will inform specific actions which we will add to our Equality Outcomes action planning process.

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Courses lasting more than 160 hours

West College Scotland Sector West College Scotland Sector

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2013-14 2014-15 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2013-14 2014-15

FE females 67% 65.1% 61.7% 68.4% 66.8% 80.4% 82.9% 80.9% 80.1% 78.7%

FE males 64% 67.6% 60.8% 70.6% 69.1% 80.5% 82.7% 82.8% 82.3% 81.9%

HE females 71% 73.9% 72.2% 75.4% 74.6% 78.0% 77.8% 84.6% 84.6% 84.3%

HE males 62% 63.4% 61.8% 70.2% 71% 81.3% 80.8% 84.7% 84.3% 84.9%

In 2013-14 the College increased the percentage of females in Engineering from 4% to 6% through promotional work within schools, with employers and in marketing materials. There has now been an 8% increase in female enrolments into full time HE Engineering courses this session (2015-16). There have been some changes in recruitment for males into more female courses, notably more males into school care courses and males enrolled in Beauty Therapy. Throughout more traditionally male subject areas, including construction, engineering, motor vehicle, sport and IT, female role models are being actively used in marketing and promotion, particularly to school pupils. Sport had experienced a drop in female enrolments but promoted the subject area through a female role model and also engaged students in redesigning the sports kit to better suit female students. There has been a 17% increase in females enrolled in full time FE Sport courses this session and a 5% increase at HE level over the last two years. Construction has seen a

steady small increase in females although the percentages are still low. There have been drop in females into Computing and now only 6% of FE full time students and 10% of HE students are female. The College has plans to do more with schools to promote computing and digital employment options to females in particular. The College is involved with EQUATE in promoting women into engineering and has been successful in bidding for consultancy support from the Equality Challenge Unit to work in partnership with the Student Association to review the student journey, any barriers to recruitment and action to increase participation for underrepresented groups.


The College is currently working in partnership with the Equality Challenge Unit on a project to attract diversity and increase participation. This project focuses on two areas, namely gender and disability. With regards to gender, we have identified two areas of the curriculum (Sports and Care) whereby gender participation has increased. We plan to learn more about the current minority student experience in these areas, and how our teaching staff tailor their

Age Previous trend data by age shows improvements in completed and partial success for all age groups other than under 18 year olds. However, all age

groups saw a drop in the percentage achieving their full qualification aim in 2014-15, other than the over 40 year olds. More analysis of the breakdown of these figures will be undertaken by course teams and at the Equality and Diversity Committee.

approach to promote gender equality. The outputs of this project will inform our work at encouraging participation in other areas of the curriculum where occupational segregation is notable.

61% of West College staff are female and 39% male. The West College Scotland Senior Management Team and Board of Management is almost 50% female and 50% male. There is a similar even gender split for the College Heads.

Courses lasting more than 160 hours


2012-13 2013-14 2014-15Sector

2014-152012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Sector 2013-14

under 18 62.9% 65.4% 56.2% 63.8% 80.4% 82.9% 81.9% 78.9%

18-20 year olds 64.6% 67.3% 63.3% 70.2% 80.5% 82.7% 82.2% 82.7%

21-24 year olds 65.1% 63.6% 62.9% 70% 78.0% 77.8% 81.7% 81.3%

25-40 year olds 70.9% 71.4% 67.3% 72.7% 81.3% 80.8% 82.6% 82.1%

41 and Over 72.8% 69.7% 72.1% 74.2% 84.3% 80.2% 88.4% 84.8%

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Ethnicity

1.15% of West College Scotland students are black and minority ethnic. Their completed success rate is 3.6% lower than all students and their withdrawal rate is higher than other students but is an improvement on the previous session. We intend to examine this gap further to understand more about each ethnic group, and conduct analyses by age and country of birth to explore potential explanations for differences in attainment. We are currently reviewing our online Admissions processes to ensure that non EU applicants have equal access to places in our courses.


RIGHT LEARNING, RIGHT PLACE

West College Scotland is committed to maintaining an effective presence within all its communities and working to strengthen its contribution to the economy of the local areas. West College Scotland has a fundamental role to play in contributing to economic growth at a local level and the College will promote this as a key priority. The College will continue to deliver courses to a wide range of students, from school pupils through to adult learners, offering a comprehensive portfolio of vocational courses and professional development opportunities. A wide range of provision will be available on all main campuses to meet local needs.

The College continually reviews its curriculum and courses and makes decisions at strategic level using internal performance measures and feedback data as well as external environmental analysis, including the use of the recently published Regional Skills Assessments. The curriculum is increasingly shaped by employer involvement and further engagement of employers and industry bodies in the design and support of the delivery of courses is a key objective of all college curriculum areas.

The annual curriculum planning and review process assesses the curriculum against the following newly developed West College Scotland Curriculum Themes, identifying strengths and actions for improvement.

Connected Internally fits within the College –

complements and enhances our curriculum portfolio

Clear, signposted access and progression routes

Aligned to local employment opportunities and government national agendas

Effective external links (community, schools, universities, internationally or employers, as appropriate)

Responsible Meaningful learning and outcomes,

developing relevant skills for progression and/or employment

Makes the best possible use of public money

Is socially, economically, environmentally, technologically and ethically responsible

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Valuable Sufficient demand locally (or a strategic

requirement to run with low demand)

High quality student outcomes

High quality resources

Valued by students, employers and stakeholders

Inclusive Accessible, with minimum barriers for entry

Promotes the equalities agenda, is not biased against any group and as flexible as possible

Responds to and takes account of student individual needs and provides high quality support

Developmental Skills focused - developing generic

employability, essential, vocational and transferable skills, building capacities, capabilities and student confidence

Up to date content and progressive delivery methods, informed by the external environment, self-evaluation, analysis and feedback

Course design and delivery shaped by the input of students and stakeholders


Student NumbersIn 2014-15 the College was 1,677 above the Regional Outcome Credit target although failed to achieve the funded wSUMs target by 722 wSUMs. The College is in line to achieve the 2015-16 Credit target of 159,025 core credits and 7,086 ESF credits.

The College will:

Meet the 2016-17 regional credit target of 159,025 and deliver a coherent and efficient curriculum across the West College Scotland.

In addition, the College will deliver ESF activity target of 7,086 credits and would consider delivery of more activity to meet local demand, if additional funding was made available.

Opportunities for AllFrom 2011-12 to 2013-14, West College Scotland has seen a 1% reduction in the percentage of activity delivered for 16-19 year olds. Activity for this age group increased in 2012-13 and reduced again this 2013-14 in a similar pattern to the rest of the sector but with a more marked drop for West College Scotland. Percentages for 16-19 year olds on full time courses have fallen in a similar way to the rest of the sector, although overall West College Scotland has a lower percentage of this younger age group on full time courses. The proportion delivered to 20-24 year olds has remained more consistent and more in line with the sector averages.

West College Scotland will continue to contribute to meeting the National guarantee for young people and will aim to have over 63% of credits (and 73% of Full Time credits) in the 16-24 year old age groups.

In addition, the College will continue to work with SDS through the Employability Funding which targets the 16-24 year old age group in particular. Therefore, West College Scotland is continuing its commitment to prioritise places for 16-24 year olds together with responding to funding specifically targeted to the age group of 25 and over. West College Scotland will ensure the curriculum is aligned to meet the objectives of ‘Education Working for All!’, the final report of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.

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CurriculumThe College is committed to retaining the breadth of curriculum provision within the West Region and maintaining access to as much FE provision as possible on each campus.

West College Scotland has a broad curriculum for both FE and HE with the proportion of subject area enrolments broadly in line with the Scottish sector profile for enrolment on recognized qualifications.

FE Enrolments HE Enrolments Overall Enrolments

SectorWCS

2013-14WCS

2014-15Sector

WCS 2013-14

WCS 2014-15

SectorWCS

2013-14WCS

2014-15Engineering 14% 14% 12% 13% 6% 7% 14% 12% 10%Construction 10% 10% 8% 6% 1% 8% 7% 6%Languages & ESOL 7% 4% 4% 5% 3% 3%Special Programmes 7% 8% 7% 5% 6% 5%Education & Training 2% 3% 5% 2% 2% 2% 2% 3% 4%Computing & IT 5% 3% 3% 10% 11% 10% 6% 5% 5%Hairdressing & Beauty 10% 14% 13% 5% 10% 11% 9% 13% 13%Business & Management 5% 5% 6% 19% 17% 14% 9% 8% 8%Sport & Leisure 4% 3% 2% 6% 3% 4% 4% 3% 3%Hospitality & Tourism 6% 5% 6% 4% 5% 4% 5% 5% 6%Performing Arts 2% 2% 3% 6% 13% 15% 3% 5% 6%Care 15% 17% 19% 11% 15% 14% 14% 17% 18%Art & Design 4% 3% 2% 9% 8% 7% 5% 4% 4%Media 2% 2% 2% 3% 5% 4% 2% 3% 3%Social Subjects 4% 4% 3% 4% 5% 5% 4% 4% 4%Science 4% 4% 4% 2% 1% 1% 4% 3% 3%


The College has a higher percentage of enrolments in Care, Hairdressing and Beauty and HE Performing Arts than the sector averages (2013-14) but lower proportions in HE Engineering and Sport, and FE Languages and ESOL and Computing and IT. Some changes in enrolments in 2014-15 have been due to fluctuating demand and improved progression from FE but planned changes to the curriculum in 2014-15 have also increased HE Engineering and Sport courses and FE Education, Business, Hospitality, Care and Science courses in particular.

From August 2014, West College Scotland was restructured into nine Curriculum Sectors, aligned to local and national industry and employment. Each of the Curriculum Sectors is working with employers to prioritise skills development to improve the employment and progression opportunities for students. This includes increasing the work placement and industry related skills development within courses. In addition to the nine Curriculum Sectors, the College created an additional Essential Skills Sector with a team in each campus to support staff to ensure students benefit from the widest and most appropriate development of skills for employability, learning and life.

Leadership and collaboration by teams across West College Scotland will ensure a consistency of delivery of post-16 skills and knowledge: a high quality standard of materials; a seamless management of the learning and student experience from any geographical point; and local access alongside international opportunities presented by a large-scale provider. This will be embodied within a curriculum in the College that includes the key sectors outlined by the Scottish Government.

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WCS Curriculum Sector

Key Priorities

Construction To provide the skills to meet employer and Construction Skills Scotland needs as well as developing general employability, learning and life skills.To develop schools college partnership provision through select HN programmes.To actively promote women into Construction at school level to address the gender imbalance in course programmes. To continue to work in partnership with a range of Industry bodies and agencies, ensuring course provision is both relevant, current and meets industry standards.To continue to work with internal stakeholders in the development and delivery of commercial and international courses.

Energy and Engineering

To contribute to the government’s national STEM agenda. To work with employers, Universities and schools to promote engineering as a career path, meet skills gaps and promote females into engineering. To participate in the Strathclyde Engineering Academy. To contribute to the Energy Skills Partnership and renewable energy training. To focus particularly on improving students’ skills in Maths. To maximise the use of the excellent Motor Vehicle facilities within West College Scotland by providing up-skilling opportunities for local employers. To work in partnership with employers to improve Motor Vehicle apprentice attainment.To raise attainment rate s in a few course provision by internal cross faculty working in the areas of essential skills and STEM agendas.To continue to work with internal stakeholders in the development and delivery of commercial and international courses, assisting in the bidding process for new funding.

Business and Computing

To support the Government’s priorities for both Creative and Digital Industries and Financial and Business Services.To focus on enterprise and articulation with HEIs.To increase employability through the delivery of Computing Vendor qualifications.To work with schools and further develop computing provision in software and Apps development.To actively promote women into computing and gaming to address the gender imbalance across a range of course programmes. To continue to work with internal stakeholders in the development and delivery of specific International commercial provision and respond to opportunities to deliver bespoke short course delivery.



Key Priorities

Hospitality, Travel, Tourism and Languages

To support the Government’s Tourism and Service Sector and to contribute to the local tourism strategies. To contribute to the National ESOL strategy and extend other language provision including consideration of Gaelic language.To work with local authorities and further develop current schools college partnership provision through delivering HNCs in Hospitality.To continue to work with internal stakeholders in the development and delivery of specific International provision and assist in the bidding process for new funding.To support International partnership programmes through providing additional English Language support provision.

Learner Development

To equip learners, across the spectrum of additional needs, to achieve their maximum potential in relation to the development of skills for learning, life and work.To develop transferable work skills, via simulated work experience, enterprise and external placements, that prepare students to access employment.To continue to work with schools and other agencies (including exploring new potential opportunities with SDS) to provide a smooth transition to college.To ensure that all Learner Development courses are SCQF leveled, and certificated where appropriate, to enable better progression opportunities and to recognise learning through formal articulation.To work with other Sectors, in the College, to design a number of SCQF level 4 courses aimed at better preparing students for progression in to vocational areas.

Care To deliver a curriculum in line with the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care aims, particularly in the areas of dementia, mental health, integration of Health and Social Care (adult services) and the person-centred approach to care.To work with the NHS and Local Authorities to help meet their workforce requirements.To work with the NHS, Local Authorities and other agencies to provide appropriate continuous professional development for their staff.To work with Universities to further improve articulation in the Care areas.To contribute to the Government’s strategies for Early Years Education.To promote case studies of males, in the Care Sector, and to address the gender imbalance on care courses.

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Key Priorities

Social Sciences, Science, Sport and Humanities

To contribute to the Government’s priorities for skills for employability, with particular focus on the growth sector of life sciences. To map curriculum provision against the West Region’s Skills Assessment and Skills Investment Plans for Scotland’s life sciences and chemical sciences, sector ensuring that we are deliver what industry need both locally and nationally.

Creative Industries

To support the Government’s priorities for developing Creative and Digital Industries. To provide a strong focus on enterprise and holistic creative skills development.To develop transferrable skills and work placement opportunities to ensure work readiness and better employer links.To work with universities to further improve articulation in the Creative Industries.

Hairdressing, Beauty and Make Up Artistry

To contribute to the Government’s priorities for the Service Sector.To further encourage enterprise and business start-up.To develop transferrable skills and work placement opportunities to ensure work readiness and better employer links.To develop the work with employers and schools to promote the Sector as a career path.To work closely with local community to aid employer links and offer employer CPD to support the up-skilling of the workforce.

Essential Skills To meet the Government priorities for skills development with a focus on skills for employability, learning and life, particularly literacy and numeracy.To develop transferrable skills and work placement opportunities to ensure work readiness, better employer links and actively respond to all stakeholder needs and requirements.To raise the awareness of essential skills and YES online portal internally and externally to aid measuring distance travelled and skills development.To encourage and support an environment where all lecturers are ‘Teachers of Skills’.


Community learningThe College works across a wide area of community provision, often in partnership with Community Learning and Development and delivers learning in a variety of venues. In 2013 the College reopened the Dumbarton Centre in partnership with Job Centre Plus and West Dunbartonshire Council. The new Dumbarton Hub provides a more streamlined support, particularly for young people in the area.

The College will harmonise its approaches to community provision to ensure a more coherent offering to best meet the needs of all the local communities.

The College will work to ensure the success of the new Dumbarton Hub and consider engaging in similar joint initiatives to improve learning provision across the region, particularly for young people, those returning to work or furthest removed from the economy.

The College now has a learning advisor working cross college, including Dumbarton Hub and Ferguslie Learning Centre to support transitions within community provision and progression from community to mainstream delivery and positive destinations. A transitions project was started in 2015 with partners in CLD to enable positive transition from community learning into mainstream IT courses in College.

School-College partnershipsThrough the College restructure, a new post of Head of Learning Communities was appointed with responsibility for both School and Community provision. This post leads the further development of opportunities for school pupils and students within the local communities and works with schools and Local Authorities to develop new vocational pathways from the senior phase to the workplace.

In 2014-15, the volume of school-college activity remained at 4% of total activity for pupils in S3 or above. The College engaged with approximately 3,000 school pupils in a variety of tailored courses from short taster programmes, to vocational qualifications either delivered in school or college and online provision. This included working with primary pupils to promote STEM and females into areas such as Construction.

The College will aim to increase this percentage of activity and work with local schools and Authorities to identify new partnership initiatives, including the use of online learning to support the Senior Phase and increased vocational learning opportunities in response to the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce Report.

The College has worked to revise school college delivery models to ensure that all the local authorities served by the West Region have equality of access and the range of provision to meet their needs. This has resulted in an agreed student activity allocation to each local authority in line with their senior phase pupil numbers and the option to request further provision funded by the authorities.

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Joint work with Local Authorities, Schools and College curriculum Sectors was undertaken throughout 2014-15 to ensure a refreshed School College programme which maximizes college vocational learning opportunities for school pupils in the senior phase, is in line with key employment sectors and has explicit progression pathways for young people. In addition the College provides school pupils with access to appropriate online learning opportunities. In 2014-15 the College delivered a pilot HNC Engineering qualification to pupils in the senior phase. There was not sufficient demand to run further subject HNCs offered in 2015-16. The School College offerings, scheduling, delivery and promotion is now being refined jointly with the Local Authorities across the Region to aim for an increased recruitment for 2016-17. Successful work to agree a common timetable for college attendance across the region will enable a regional School College prospectus for 2016-17 and more vocational options for young people. Joint planning is also underway for pathfinder Foundation Apprenticeships in 2016-17. A bid has been submitted to SDS to support 140 pathfinder Foundation Apprenticeships in subject areas including Civil Engineering, Social Services: Children and Young People, Social Services and Healthcare, Financial Services and Software Development.

The College is involved with FOCUS West in supporting SHEP schools to increase progression to HE. All SHEP schools in our area are engaged in the school college programme through vocational learning and tasters. The College hosts the annual FOCUS West event for 60-90 school pupils to see round the College and take part in activities. The College schools team are working in partnership with FOCUS West and other colleges to look at further ways in which we might support the widening access agenda through closer collaboration.

“Education Working for All!” Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce Report

The College has used the recommendations in the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce report ‘Education Working for All!’ to develop an implementation plan for 2014-16. In addition, Curriculum Sectors and the Directorate of Student Services and Learning Communities have more detailed objectives in line with the Commission’s recommendations. The College is also significantly involved in establishing the employer led Regional Invest in Young People Group for the West Region. Now established the College is an active participant in the group. The College has led and participated in a number of national and regional DYW events.


Developing Young People Action Plan 2016-17Recommendations College Action Impact

School College Partnerships & vocational pathways in the Senior Phase

Review the West College Scotland School-College curriculum in line with the “Education for All!” report, LMI and needs of local employers by December 2015.

Learner pathways map of progression and pathway options for all curriculum areas in the School-College programme.

Develop a range of revised curriculum offerings for the Local Authorities and Schools and showcase these options through a Schools partnership events and college campus open days.

Increased uptake on School-College 2016-17 programme and a wider range of courses delivered for the Local Authority areas.

Reduced duplication of provision; expanded vocational options; increase in number of industry-led qualifications and subjects related to economic priorities.

Produce a WCS school college prospectus of courses with clear vocational pathways and consistency of timetabling where possible across the region.

Increased opportunities for increasing options through a regional approach to timetabling.

All main local authorities adopting consistent timetabling methodology.

Pilot Foundation Apprenticeships in selected vocational areas.

Civil Engineering (20 places) Social Service Children & Young People (54 places) Social Services & Healthcare (30 places) Financial Services (18 places) Software Development (18 places) Engineering (TBC)

Opportunities expanded for school pupils; alternative vocational pathways aligned to economic drivers.

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Recommendations College Action ImpactSchool College Partnerships & vocational pathways in the Senior Phase

Deliver the HNC Engineering to one cohort of Senior Phase school pupils in 2014-15 and 2015-16

Deliver an additional HNC Engineering cohorts in 2016-17

HN Human Body (L8) unit delivered for East Renfrew schools & SCQF L5 microbiology unit delivered for Inverclyde schools. Delivery for Renfrewshire schools session 2015/16

Advanced Higher Practicals delivered to Inverclyde students by Greenock Science staff

HNC Engineering qualification delivered successfully and reviewed for future offerings of HN qualifications.

In addition, increased offer of HN Units extends vocational opportunities for Senior Phase pupils.

Units delivered successfully and offered to other schools in all main local authority areas.

Work in partnership with schools to systematically track student progress and outcomes, with a particular emphasis on the evaluation of the newly offered NC and HNC qualifications.

Joint evaluation of the school college programme, to inform future developments.

Progress reports evaluated at Partnership meetings and used to determine provision that reduces duplication; provides clear progression pathways and adds value to student experience.

Undertake joint CPD sessions with school teachers Shared understanding and collaborative work across the region enriching the School College partnership.

Shared resources and shared teaching enhances the delivery of the programme.

Focus on employment Complete an audit of the current level of work experience within all courses and prepare actions for improvement where required.

All full time courses include relevant, high quality work experience content for 2016-17.


Recommendations College Action ImpactFocus on employment Further develop student led enterprise projects

across the College to provide simulated employment opportunities.

Shop and coffee cart operational, staffed by Learner Development students in Greenock.

Development of Loriston Trust horticulture project for Learner Development students.

Increased ‘live’ projects for Creative Industries, Social Sciences and Construction.

Employ Employment Advisers to support the further development of work-placement and employment options for Learner Development students.

Increased placement and employment for Learner Development students.

Implement the ‘Bridge to Business’ project in the college to support enterprise activity

Increased engagement with enterprise activity across the College

Embed additional qualifications and awards into courses to enhance student employability

CSCS training and tests included in Construction programmes.

Increased involvement in skills competitions for Construction, Business and Computing.

IMI Level 2&3 Hybrid Motor Vehicles

BPEC Awareness of Environmental Technologies.

EAL Performing Engineering Operations (PEO)

Heart Start and ECS H&S card for Electrical Installation

Vendor qualifications in Computing, Graphic design and Photography.Offer increased work placements within the College to students.

4-6 students placed in college nurseries each year.

Paid placements offered to students within the college IT support.

Paid placements offered to students in Sports facilities.

Additional placements provided in college support areas, including for Learner Development students.

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Recommendations College Action ImpactPartnerships with employers

Develop a WCS Employer Engagement Strategy.

Increase the involvement of employers in all Curriculum Sectors including the support for student work-placements.

Engagement with employers improved with more formal arrangements in all Curriculum Sectors.

Increased engagement with the Chamber of Commerce for Business and Computing.

Work with the private sector and lead the development of a Regional Invest in Young People group

Successful bid to secure funding for a group.

Development of the steering group, sub groups and sustainable projects to impact on employment options for young people in the region

STEM Introduce a cross-college Maths department in August 2014 to support the development, contextualisation and attainment in maths across the College.

Maths department engaging effectively with other departments across the College.

Increased maths provision within the College

Joint Maths group developed with Strathclyde University Engineering Academy.

Online Maths materials for National 5 developed.

Tutor led summer bridging course in Maths delivered.

Maths Technician 1 introduced into HN Engineering programmes to increase attainment.

Develop an Essential Skills Strategy and staffing capacity to support the further development of numeracy support across the College

Essential Skills Strategy, YES portal and Essential Skills Vision launched in Jan 14

Tailored delivery of numeracy provided.

Numeracy attainment improved and provision increased.


Recommendations College Action ImpactIncrease Science and Engineering provision. HND Biomedical Science delivered in 2014-15

Increased Access to Science provision.

NC Science courses delivered in Clydebank

New Microbiology course delivered.

Vocational Engineering programmes developed to meet the needs of Engineering Forum and wider engineering community in Inverclyde.

Engage effectively in the Energy Skills Partnership

Increased funding and engineering activity as well as enhanced profile for West College Scotland and staff capacity in energy skills and emerging technologies.

Develop a WCS STEM strategy and Regional STEM Strategy.

Provide sustainable model which gives the ability to deliver a long-range plan for growth and success.

Commitment from partners to develop a regional STEM strategy

Develop the Strathclyde Engineering Academy programme to widen access to the University engineering degree programmes

Places on Engineering Academy expanded and engineering degree progression opportunities expanded..

Expand the STEM Ambassadors project with local schools.

Continue the comprehensive programme of science with local primary schools – extended to WD and Renfrewshire also include Maths

All science students registered as STEM Ambassadors.

Student developed science resources used in schools.

In those cases where an improved approach to STEM education has been introduced into primary school, this has had a marked, positive impact on the take up and performance of STEM subjects in the senior phase. Tailored vocational options aligned to DYW requirements.

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Recommendations College Action ImpactDevelop the technological capacity of Creative Industries students, focusing on multimedia vocations and digital literacy.

A sustainable model provided which gives the ability to deliver a long range plan for growth and success.

Employing young people within the College

Commit to increasing College employed MAs 2 additional MAs recruited in Science by Sept 2014Offer work-placements to local young people. Placements arranged for the Lennox Partnership and 5

placements in Clydebank Campus arranged under YESF initiative.

Employ Student Experience Assistants in each campus to support the Stakeholder Experience Coordinator

Student Experience Assistants working effectively across the College also increasing the quality of student feedback and the support for student engagement.

Equalities – gender imbalances and support for care leavers

Male students in Care used effectively to promote care options to other students.

Increased male students undertaking Care courses

Female students used as role models to promote engineering and construction as options for school pupils.

Increased percentages of female students in Engineering and Construction.

Actively promote women in Sport To address the gender imbalance in sports courses.

Use female students in Music and Sound Production in marketing materials and course promotion.

Increased female applicants for Music and Sound Production


Recommendations College Action ImpactActively promote males in Hairdressing and Beauty areas Increased percentage of male students in Hairdressing and

Beauty. Represent WCS on the EQUATE Women into Engineering Project Advisory Group (steering group).

Including involvement in project analysing the reasons for low female numbers and actions to address the issues.

Work with ESP to increase female lecturers in engineering disciplines (role models).

Present at awareness raising events

Raised awareness with students of careers in engineering for women in an effort to increase numbers.

Provide dedicated staff to provide corporate parenting role and provide specific support to LAAC and Young Carers

Director and Head of Sector named contacts and leads for LAAC and Young Carers.

Collaborative work with local agencies to support vulnerable students.

Raising awareness with staff development sessions provided by local specialist organisations.

College entry in national handbook for LAAC students.

6 month work placements offered to young people from LAAC background.

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A DEVELOPED WORKFORCE

West College Scotland will continue to explore and maximise staff expertise, commercial partnerships, niche markets and product development, and utilise these to be a responsive organisation with the capacity to invest in and support both regional employers and Scottish Government key growth sectors to increase economic growth for the west region.

The College will promote a cohesive employer engagement strategy, raising the awareness of income generating activities, knowledge exchange and bespoke training programmes. The engagement strategy will outline a regional approach to communicating with employers - positioning the new college as a ‘stand-out’ training provider in the sector by establishing regional service level standards and creating innovative communication campaigns.

West College Scotland has committed to ensuring that the right learning will occur in the right place and is evidenced through Outcome 2.

build on current practice and work with the SFC to develop an appropriate process to generate data to evidence the proportion of students entering and sustaining employment

work with our key stakeholders to complement the nationally devised indicators for developing the workforce

The College works closely with local and regional partners including; public and private sector employers, Sector Skills Councils, Industry Leadership Groups, Skills Development Scotland, Community Planning Partnerships, DWP and the Third Sector to maximise opportunities across Stages 1-5 of the Strategic Skills Pipeline including:

Development and delivery of a curriculum that meets local and regional employer needs and addressing any identified skills gaps.

Effectively engaging employers in the design of the curriculum via Sector Advisory Boards.

Providing qualifications, skills training and enhancing work readiness of 16-19 year olds, supporting the strategic achievement of Opportunities for All, the Youth Employment strategy and Education Working for All!

Supporting the delivery of employability training via both the SDS and SFC funding mechanisms, to raise the employability skills of young people and maximise the number sustaining jobs.

Develop provision and offer opportunities across Stages 2, 3 and 4 of the Strategic Skills Pipeline in alignment with the needs of Local Employability Partnerships (LEP) across the West Region.


Offering significant work placement opportunities via the Employability Fund in collaboration with employers to ensure a match between qualifications and experience required by industry.

Development and delivery of Modern Apprenticeships and SVQs to support work based learning opportunities, providing recognised vocational qualifications and core skills for young people in employment.

Increase engagement with employers and employees, and support access to a range of flexible provision to support continuous professional development and the up-skilling of the regional workforce.

Employer EngagementThe College is committed to employer engagement and workforce development and to support this hosts a number of sector specific Employer Engagement events across the region to both sustain and create new college links with businesses and employer organisations. The College has strong strategic partnerships with our Chambers of Commerce in Greenock, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire being well represented at networking, supporting, sponsoring and attending Business 2 Business events and hosting a significant number of Chamber events within the College itself.

Invest in Young People – Employer GroupThe College has led on the development and establishment of an Invest in Young People Employer group for the West Region which will provide leadership and a single point of contact and support to facilitate engagement between employers and education. The West Region IiYP Group has representation from across key industry sectors and involves private sector employers with membership drawn from local employers, the third sector, education and economic development bodies from across the regional footprint.

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The West Region IiYP Group has identified 15 Key Actions to encourage and support employers to engage directly with schools and colleges, and encourage more employers to recruit more young people;

Promote and facilitate the formation of long-term partnerships between individual schools, college and employers

Facilitate employers input to activity such as career advice, enterprise education and job search skills in schools

Enhance and improve the provision of careers information through knowledge sharing and co-ordination of industry placements for teachers and careers professionals

Co-ordinate employer participation in the design and delivery of accredited good quality work experience and work placement for young people

Support SME’s and micro businesses to build capacity to recruit and train young people

Promote local campaigns to encourage companies to have an Invest in Youth Policy and to employ more young people

Present the business case benefits of employing young people to employers in the region and support plans to increase the recruitment of Modern Apprentices

Encourage large businesses to work with their supply chain to promote employment of more young people

Promote the Investors in Youth accolade. Support the introduction of an equivalent award to be developed for schools and colleges

Appoint IIY Ambassadors – individuals from within the regional community that currently are leading best practice and will provide peer support to employers and schools

Raise awareness of equalities issues in the training and recruitment of young people

Support young people from SIMD areas and other disadvantaged young people

Support activities that focus on STEM subjects and how they link to employment opportunities locally

Support the role out of the Foundation Apprenticeship Model

Promote the value of vocational education and create parity of esteem between vocational and academic routes


Local and Regional PartnershipsThe College works with a wide range of regional partners across Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, specifically aligned to the Strategic Skills Pipeline. These include being key members of a number of strategic groups including; Jobs and Economy, Local Employability Partnership, Childcare and Young People, Employer Engagement.

These groups have supported skills development and successful partnerships directly linked with industry requirements including:

Retail Academy in partnership with Intu BraeheadThe College delivered a bespoke Retail Academy developed in conjunction with Intu Braehead and its blue chip retailers to prepare currently unemployed individuals gain skills and experience to pursue a career within retailing. Each individual undertook accredited qualifications as well as a period of tailored work experience leading to permanent employment on successful completion

Inverclyde Engineering ForumWCS with our Community Planning Partners Inverclyde Council and Inverclyde Development Trust are engaging with local and national engineering employers to design and develop a Pre-Apprenticeship Engineering programme for young people who are either at school or unemployed that meets the needs of the local growing engineering employer base in Inverclyde.

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Enterprise and InnovationRecognising that an increase in entrepreneurship and innovation activity from individuals and businesses in Scotland results in more businesses being formed and new products and services from existing businesses the College has been working with a number of strategic partners to support more students with the ambition and skills to create, lead and grow successful businesses. Working in partnership with Young Enterprise Scotland, West College Scotland is involved in the Bridge 2 Business programme which inspires, connects and supports college students into business. As part of the programme, the College has a funded Entrepreneur Executive who offers college students first hand opportunities to engage with appropriate entrepreneurial role models known as Local Heroes. In addition to inspiring and connecting college students, the Programme also offers them the chance to pitch for a small grant to help test out their business ideas and will match those successful with a mentor from the local business community who will be able to assist as they progress with their business ideas.

The College has continued its strong association with the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) working together to promote and support enterprise and entrepreneurship in Scotland’s students. The College has 2 SIE Interns who champion enterprise education and help students start new innovative businesses and social enterprises. SIE provides free one-to-one advice, enterprise workshops and access to national competitions.

In terms of supporting businesses, the College has utilised the Energy Skills Challenge Fund to help businesses from across Scotland to develop skills and gain qualifications which has allowed them to diversify and enter new growth markets. Following this the College successfully bid for the SFC Innovation Fund to support innovation and development in a small local company to facilitate the company’s ambition to develop and expand its services.

The College was awarded the College Development Network ‘Employer Engagement Award’ highlighting its commitment and innovation to working with local companies.


Modern ApprenticeshipsWest College Scotland has a significant SDS contract to deliver Modern Apprenticeships in a variety of vocational areas with a primary focus on Scottish Government key growth sectors including; Life Sciences, Construction, Engineering and Hospitality. In supporting this activity, relationships continue to be developed with both large employers as well as small and medium sized enterprises which reflects the business community within the West Region. In addition to this, the College continues to successfully grow the contracts with key sector bodies including CITB, SNIPEF and SECTT to ensure their MAs have the skills, capacity and qualifications required by the industry. This strong reputation in the delivery of MAs and VQs has enabled the College to develop a broad portfolio of work-based learning qualifications allowing us to offer a variety of training solutions to employers.

EmployabilityThe College continues to deliver its regional providing Employability Fund programmes across Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire. The programmes cover a variety of vocational areas as well as significant periods of work experience to reflect identified areas of opportunity by LEPs including Construction, Health and Social Care, Hairdressing and Hospitality. The College works closely with the LEP partners to ensure provision reflects the needs and job opportunities available within the local economies. In line with the needs of LEP across the West Region, the College provision is focussed on Stage 3 within the Employability Fund. This is in line with LEP contract allocations and reflects the needs of the local areas and the optimisation of the available providers and resource. The College works collaboratively with SDS, DWP and the relevant Local Authorities (and other providers) to ensure the ‘best fit’ to meet local needs across the region. Working with SDS contract managers and other providers (Stage 2) the College is ensuring appropriate opportunities are available to suit the demands of the LEP area.

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STEMThe College has committed to leading a regional STEM strategy. The College curriculum development, the development of STEM subjects and the inclusion of more technology through all curriculum areas has been prioritised. NEF The Innovation Institute will be supporting the College in the development of both a College STEM Strategy and a Regional STEM Strategy including Local Authority and School partners.

The College has prioritised STEM provision and seen an increase in the volume of SFC defined STEM credits delivered from 2013-14 to 2014-15. STEM credits rose from 17.2% of provision to 18.5%.

Through the College restructure, a dedicated cross-college maths department was set up. Following the successful work of this department, maths enrolments have increased and improvements have been made in attainment, particularly for Engineering courses where successful partnership work has been undertaken with Strathclyde University to improve the learning and teaching of maths at HN level.

Science provision has been extended across all campuses and in 2016-17, HNC Science will be available for the first time in Clydebank campus to meet demand for more science provision. Science enrolments have increased and considerable work has been undertaken in schools to promote science through the STEM Ambassadors programme. The Student of the Year for West College Scotland was a science student who was also recognised nationally by winning the CDN Student

Contribution 2015 award and the College received Highly Commended for the CDN Changing Colleges Award for the work to develop and harmonise science provision across the College.

The College has been active in the Energy Skills Partnership, with increased funding secured. A successful STEM camp has been introduced in partnership with SYHA, John Mather Trust and SECTT to provide employability skills and STEM related activities for pre-apprenticeship students. Engineering has been extended by increased apprenticeship enrolment across the region, successful commercial courses and employer engagement, more developed school college provision including HNC Engineering and an increase in the allocation of students on the Strathclyde University Engineering Academy. The College is a key member of the new Inverclyde Engineering Forum to promote engineering within Inverclyde and in a wider regional context.

The College collaborated with schools in a range of computing initiatives including a joint STEM experience in conjunction with Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, and a partnership with Microsoft and their Kinect programme. There was significantly increased digitalisation of the Creative Industries provision including the development of TV and media.

The College will continue to promote STEM subject areas in partnership with local authorities, schools and employers across the region and to ensure the development of critical STEM skills for all our students.


Measure Indicative

11/12Indicative

12/13Indicative

13/14Baseline

14/15Actual 14/15

Target 15/16

Target 16/17

Note

1. Gross carbon footprint (3 year period)

5,300 5,300 5,300 5,300 5,300 5,300 5,200 The 2014/15 baseline target and actual have been updated to better reflect the actual level of

carbon emissions generated by the College. Based on the narrative above regarding funding, the level

of carbon emissions is not expected to reduce during 2015/16. The College now believe a 10%

reduction in CO2 over the next 5 years is more appropriate and the 2016/17 target figure has

been adjusted accordingly.

Outcome Progress Table

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Measure CategoryBaseline 2011/12

Actual 12/13

Actual 13/14

Target 2014/15

Actual 2014/15

Target 2015/16

Target 2016/17

Note

SFC Priority Right learning in the right place

2. Volume of credits delivered Core Credits(ESF Credits)

185,408 (SUMs)

171,153(SUMs)

166,189 164,845 Incl. ESF

166,520Incl. ESF

159,025 7,086

159,0257086

3. Volume and proportion of Credits delivered to learners aged 16-19 and 20-24

16-19 years: 43.1% 44.6% 41.6%(69,201)

42%(69,867)

42%(69,800)

42%(69,800)

Reflection of demographic trends for

the region20-24 years: 21.2 % 22.1% 21%

(34,964)20% 21.7%

(36,211)21%

(34,000)21%

(34,000)

4. Volume and proportion of credits delivered to full-time learners aged 16-19 and 20-24

16-19 years: 51% 50.3% 48.7%(52,473)

50% 47.7%(50,660)

48% 48%

20-24 years: 24.4% 24.5% 24.1%(25,915)

24% 23.7%(25,161)

24% 24%

5. Volume and proportion of credits delivered to learners in the most deprived 10% postcode areas.

26.7% 26.9% 26.7%(44,422)

27% 27.8%(46,369)

28%(46,500)

28%(46,500)

Increased targets 15/16 & 16/17. Significantly above sector averages

which was 16.7% 2014-15

6. Volume and proportion of credits relating to learners from different protected characteristic groups and care leavers (where data is available)

Male 41.8% 42.7% 41.8%(69,419

43.4%(72,207)

43%(71,400)

43%(71,400)

Female 58.2% 57.3% 58.2%(96,771)

56.6%(94,219)

57%(94,700)

57%(94,700)

BME 3.2% 3.6% 3.5%(5,868)

3.7%(6,232)

4%(6,600)

4.5%(7,400)

Declared disability

15.9% 15.1% 16% 18% 18.6%of

students

18% 18%

Number of care leavers

16 45 50 52 65 70



Actual 12/13

Actual 13/14

Target 2014/15

Actual 2014/15

Target 2015/16

Target 2016/17

Note

7. Volume and proportion of credits relating to learners with profound & complex needs enrolled on courses involving formal recognition of achievement

Number at Access 1

577 531 540 370 350 350 Greater emphasis is now placed on vocational learning and credits above

Access 1.

%age of credits

0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%

8. Volume and proportion of credits delivered to learners at S3 and above as part of ‘school-college’ provision

Credits 6,180 6,198 7,283 6,600 6,227 6,500 7,000 Proportion of activity is in line with Sector figures. Additional provision may

be delivered if funding is available% of Credits 3.33% 4% 4.% 4% 4% 4% 4%

9. Volume and proportion of Credits delivered at HE level to learners from SHEP schools (i.e. Secondary schools with consistently low rates of progression to HE)

New measure from 2016

As part of the College student application process, data is collected on previous school or educational institute. Currently this is set as a non-mandatory

field - allowing applicants to progress their application without entering and therefore is not complete data. It is our

understanding that Capita software developments and upgrades in Unit e for session 2017/18 may require mandatory collection of this information to facilitate

full learner journey data collection, and we await further guidance. For session

2016/17 we will make every attempt to collect this information at enrolment

stage.

10. Volume and proportion of Credits delivered to learners enrolled on STEM courses.

New measure from 2016

17.2%(28,539)

18.5%(30,809)

19%(31,500)

20%(33,200)

073


Actual 12/13

Actual 13/14

Target 2014/15

Actual 2014/15

Target 2015/16

Target 2016/17

Note

Priority High quality learning

11. Proportion of enrolled students successfully achieving a recognised qualification

FE Full TimeHE Full TimeFE Part TimeHE Part Time

63.1%65.8%76.9%69.9%

64.6% 66%

73.9%74.6%

65.3%68.7%69.1%74%

66%70%73%75%

59.8%67.1%64.2%76.3%

66%70%73%76%

68%73%75%77%

12. Number and proportion of successful students who have achieved HNC or HND qualifications articulating to degree level courses with advanced standing

Number articulating

227 296 242 300 242 250 250

% articulating 8.7% 12.4% 13.5% 13.5% 13.5% 13.5% 13.5%

13. Number and proportion of full-time college qualifiers in work, training and/or further study 3-6 months after qualifying.

The College is participating

in the SFC pilot


in the SFC pilot


in the SFC pilot



Actual 12/13

Actual 13/14

Target 2014/15

Actual 2014/15

Target 2015/16

Target 2016/17

Note

SFC Priority A developed workforce

14. Number of starts for direct contracted apprenticeships (e.g. in construction)

CITBSECTTSNIPEF

SDS contractTotal

132 168 16019343

235631

21422734

217692

29722439

255835

2015-16 figures are actuals rather than

targets. There has been a 20% increase in places for

2015-16

15. Number of full-time learners with substantial “work experience” more than 10 days as part of their programme of study.

579 1,432 1,560 1600 2,000 2,500

16. Number of senior phase pupils studying vocational qualifications delivered by the college

1,585 1,500 1,600

17. Volume and proportion of credits delivered to senior phase pupils studying vocational qualifications delivered by the college.

Credits 6,083 6,000 7,000

Proportion 3.6% 3.5% 4%

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