Pathfinders – the wider legacy

Photos: University of Aberdeen, Borders College, SRUC, University of Glasgow.

It’s exactly a year since we published the outcomes of the Pathfinders pilot projects.

In a series of reports and videos, we mapped out what we’d collectively discovered about improving the way learners move through tertiary education to develop the skills needed by regional economies.

The production of these resources was the result of a £500,000 development programme led by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) under the umbrella of the Scottish Government’s shared outcome framework for skills. The framework for skills brought together collaborative projects undertaken by SFC and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) as part of the Shared Outcomes Assurance Group with the Scottish Government and also fed into the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

In their reports, each of the seven Pathfinders pilot projects in the North East and the South of Scotland outlined how they would continue to harvest benefits beyond the life of the project and build on the strong partnerships that had been developed for delivering skills. The seven reports can all be accessed via the SFC website. An overview of insights from across the full sweep of projects is provided in our System Level Report.

One example of the ongoing impact of the Pathfinders work in the pilot regions is the proposal under consideration for Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal Skills Funding. This includes SRUC and Borders College partnering with Jas P Wilson, a forestry company, and with the Federation of Forest Industries. Meanwhile in the South West and the North of Scotland, there are some exciting new pilot projects developing around collaboration and student interests under the auspices of the STEP programme.

And the legacy is spreading to other regions too. The knowledge and experience generated through the Pathfinders’ pilots is now being used by SFC to support collaborative partnership working on skills planning and responses in other regions, including Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Tayside and Central.

Beyond Scotland, the UK-wide education foundation, Edge, has shown interest in the learner journey and progression elements of the Pathfinders programme as well as wanting to know more about regional collaboration. We have also had close engagement with colleagues at Medr in Wales, keen to explore learning around collaboration and regional skills responses. The programme learning has been shared to wider audiences through the OECD, College Alliance and Wonkhe.

Pathfinders has an important place in the development and future planning work currently being taken forward by SFC, the Scottish Government and the sector representative bodies. Many of the things we learned about working together for skills will bring real life experience and insights to the universities’ Framework for Sustainability and Success and the College Sector Of the Future workstream. The Pathfinders legacy is also an invaluable resource of reference and reflection in the ongoing work to reform post-16 education as a result of the passing of the Tertiary Education and Training Act earlier this year, and in particular is informing work led by Scottish Government and partnering with SFC and SDS to reform Skills Planning.

When we published the outcomes of the Pathfinders pilot projects, SFC’s Chief Executive, Francesca Osowska, said she hoped colleges and universities across Scotland would be able to use the findings to add impact to their own work. A year on, I’m delighted that this has been the case and that the influence of Pathfinders has spread still further into new initiatives, new policies and new planning for the future in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.

Our ambition in designing those initial Pathfinders pilot projects to balance the diverse, complex needs of students, employers, communities, and national priorities remains strong and continues to bear fruit.

Liz Shevlin, Deputy Director Assurance and Outcomes, Scottish Funding Council 18 March 2026