Colleges
Knowledge Exchange in Scotland's Colleges
In 2007, the SFC created two streams of funding to help colleges build capacity to support social and economic development by engaging with public and private sector organisations. Funding to colleges for these programmes was allocated during the first phase of Learning to Work. The funds (£2 million per programme per annum) were available for two years and were:
- Developing Employer Engagement Programme (DEEP) - focusing on skills and learning needs and development for businesses and employees; and
- Knowledge Transfer Grant (KTG) for colleges - looking at how college knowledge and intellectual assets can be used to improve business products and processes.
These separate funding streams ceased in academic year (AY) 2009-10 when the money was consolidated into colleges' core grants. However, SFC has continued with the evaluation programme by commissioning a series of three reports examining the impact of the DEEP and KTG capacity building programmes for SFC:
- Year 1 report [PDF]
- Year 2 report [PDF]
- Year 3 report [PDF]
- Final report [PDF]
2KT
2kt provides businesses with a range of support and services to facilitate research, development and innovation. We draw on the expertise of eight of the east of Scotland's universities and colleges: Edinburgh Napier University, Queen Margaret University, Stevenson College Edinburgh, Jewel and Esk College, Edinburgh's Telford College, Elmwood College, Oatridge College and Carnegie College.
More information is available from: http://www.2kt.org.uk
Business to College Awards
SFC provides sponsorship for the Business to College Awards. This provides an excellent opportunity to network but also celebrate the many success stories arising from the close connections between colleges and the business community in Scotland.
More information is available from Scotland's Colleges: www.scotlandscolleges.ac.uk
Scotland's Colleges Mean Business
Scotland's Colleges Mean Business, is a marketing campaign launched in April 2008 with the aims of raising awareness of the business support available from and already provided by colleges. SFC provided funding worth £5 million per annum in 2008-09 and 2009-10 for colleges to further develop their support services to businesses across Scotland.
More information is available here: www.scotlandscollegesmeanbusiness.com
Scotland's Colleges Economic Development Community of Practice
The Economic Development Community of Practice (CoP) represents business development staff in Scotland's colleges. The CoP receives funding from SFC to support its activities. The key purpose is to help the business side of Scotland's college sector to grow. The CoP plans and organises the conferences and events which are held during the year.
More information is available from: www.scotlandscolleges.ac.uk/organisational/communities-of-practice/business-development-cop.html
Learning to Work
Learning to Work is the SFC's employability strategy for supporting college and university work to build capacity and good practice with a view to enhancing student employability. We define employability as:
"a combination of knowledge, skills and attributes (attitudes and values) which result in capable people who will be effective in their chosen occupation - as employees, employers and entrepreneurs".
More information is available here:
www.sfc.ac.uk/skills/LearningtoWork/LearningtoWork.aspx