How time flies… Informed Scotland is two years old!

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The publication of the May 2014 issue of Informed Scotland marks its 2nd birthday.

So what have been some of the biggest changes noted since the first issue?

Two years ago we still had Standard Grade – now the new National Qualifications are a reality for young people, teachers, parents – and employers! In 2012 there were around 40 colleges – now there are 13 college regions, with mergers complete and many new names to grapple with. Two years ago many were only just waking up to the need to develop digital skills for all – now it is a key issue, with business, education, government and the wider community urgently trying to understand and tackle the problem.

Turning to May 2014, the main focus at a national level was on Modern Apprenticeships, highlighted during Scottish Apprenticeship Week. Adult Learners’ Week was at the same time, which was unfortunate as the launch of Adult Learning in Scotland: Statement of Ambition was probably missed by many as apprentices grabbed most of the attention.

The main challenging issue highlighted this month was widening access, with the Scottish Funding Council’s outcome agreements published, and research papers including Eurydice’s Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe.

Also worth looking out for Mondelez International’s snapshot of young people’s attitudes to STEM, with some interesting comparisons between Scotland and the UK as a whole.

This is a great opportunity to publicly thank our subscribers – those who have been with us from the beginning, as well as those more recently signed up. One who just renewed for a further 12 months commented, ‘It was a no brainer renewing our subscription. Informed Scotland is a really useful resource to a good number of us… Keep up the good work!‘

Become an Informed Scotland subscriber to keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.