Informed Scotland April 2020 – Learning & skills in lockdown
While March was a month of two worlds, before and during lockdown, April was all about learning & skills in lockdown and a recognition of the emerging new normal.
The focus has shifted from closing down and moving as swiftly as possible to online and remote learning, to developing and sharing, discovering new ways to connect and learn, and checking how everyone, including learners and practitioners, is coping. There’s also a growing emphasis across the landscape on finances and funding, with concerns expressed, and answers and sources sought.
The Scottish Government has set up three major new groups: the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group for schools and early learning; the Further & Higher Education COVID-19 Leadership Group; and the Community Learning & Development Stakeholder Reference Group. We’ve provided subscribers with a list of members in each group, for ease of reference.
Although the usual pile of research reports and evaluations was a little smaller, there is still a number worth highlighting:
- LockdownLowdown, a survey of young people’s views about COVID-19 by Young Scot, Scottish Youth Parliament and YouthLink Scotland
- Three reports from the Higher Education Policy Institute: a YouthSight survey of higher education applicants and students on the impact of COVID-19, on Students’ views on entering the labour market, and analysis asking Does the UK still have a single higher education sector?
- London Economics’ report for the University & College Union (UCU) on the impact of the pandemic on university finances
- ScotlandIS’s Scottish Technology Industry Survey 2020
- Scottish Funding Council’s fourth annual Report on Widening Access.
I have also been compiling a COVID-19 Response & Support Extra – more on that later.
Thanks to one of our subscribers for this heart-warming feedback: ‘It is at times like these when organisations look to cut back however I have been most grateful for the Informed Scotland contribution that it brings and your continued support of our work online and therefore happy to continue to subscribe…’
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