Developing the Young Workforce: annual report 2014-15

GLOSSARY

Advanced Apprenticeships: a new approach to blended workbased learning which includes elements of academic, as well as work-based learning to degree equivalent or above.

Curriculum for Excellence Management Board: The Curriculum for Excellence Management Board has overall responsibility for ensuring that the programme of curriculum change is delivered.

A range of organisations with a part to play in bringing about the changes in educational outcomes is represented on the Board.

These are:

• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland ( ADES)
• Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland ( AHDS)
• College Development Network ( CDN)
• Community Learning and Development Manager Group ( CLDMG)
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( COSLA)
• Education Scotland
• Educational Institute of Scotland ( EIS)
• General Teaching Council for Scotland ( GTCS)
• National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers Scotland ( NASUWT)
• National Parent Forum of Scotland ( NPFS)
• School Leaders Scotland ( SLS)
• Scottish Council of Independent Schools ( SCIS)
• Scottish Government
• Scottish Qualifications Authority ( SQA)
• Scottish Teacher Education Committee ( STEC)
• Skills Development Scotland ( SDS)
• Universities Scotland

Curriculum for Excellence Implementation Group: The Curriculum for Excellence Implementation Group brings together those who are directly responsible for major aspects of delivery of Curriculum for Excellence. It provides a mechanism for identifying and jointly addressing key issues with a view to resolving them and so achieving successful outcomes through the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence .

College outcome agreements: Set out what colleges plan to deliver in return for their funding from the Scottish Funding Council. Their focus is on the contribution that the college makes towards improving life chances and creating sustainable economic growth for Scotland. Outcome agreements span a 3-year period and comprise a regional context statement and an outcome progress table.

Early adopter activity: This refers to the seven ‘early adopter’ college regions who are exploring and developing senior phase vocational pathways - aiming to bridge the gap between school, college, university and employment for 15-18 year old secondary school students. The early adopter regions are Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Fife, Central, Glasgow, and West Lothian.

Foundation Apprenticeships: an option in the senior phase of secondary school (S4-S6) that combines nationally recognised qualifications and the acquisition of industry recognised work based skills and capabilities, through learning undertaken in the workplace and school/college. Derived from the existing Modern Apprenticeship frameworks, they better prepare the young person to progress into further or higher education, employment or offer a head start and second year entry into a Modern Apprenticeship.

Insight benchmarking tool: Insight is a new online benchmarking tool designed to help bring about improvements for pupils in the senior phase (S4 to S6). It is a professional tool for secondary schools and local authorities to identify areas of success and where improvements can be made. Insight has a focus on helping to reduce the gap between higher and lower attainers, raising attainment for all, improving literacy and numeracy and helping more young people to reach positive post-school destinations. Insight will continue to reflect the wide range of awards undertaken in school or through school college partnerships where these awards meet the criteria for inclusion. These criteria are: be SCQF credit rated; fit in with Curriculum for Excellence principles; and meet the Insight technical requirements.

Modern Apprenticeship: Modern Apprenticeships are workbased learning with employed status following a framework approved by the Modern Apprenticeship Group ( MAG).

Pathfinders: the term used to describe early activity being undertaken to test new models, including foundation and advanced apprenticeships.

Regional Skills Assessments ( RSA) provide a high quality and consistent source of evidence about economic and skills performance and delivery at a regional level across Scotland. They are intended as a resource that can be used to identify regional strengths and any issues or mismatches arising, and so inform thinking about future skills planning and investment at a regional level.

SCEEN: SCEEN serves as a national network of strategic lead officers on enterprise in education in local authorities. The network operates as an independent and non-representative body to facilitate discourse on all aspects related to enterprise in an education setting 3-18.

Skills Investment Plans ( SIPs): statements of industry skills development needs facing each economic growth sector, and some enabling sectors, on behalf of the relevant Industry Leadership Groups with significant employer input.

STEM: refers to subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.