Work-force and Employer Needs – A Collaborative Solution. Presented by Andrew Comrie and Janis Deane (Edinburgh Napier University), Morag Gray and Barbara Lawson (Edinburgh's Telford College). Facilitated by Paul Richardson (RSC Cymru). Jisc conference 2011

1. Workforce and Employer Needs:
A Collaborative Solution
Andrew Comrie
ELRAH Director
Barbara Lawson
Head of External
Liaison
Edinburgh’s Telford
College
Prof Morag Gray
Academic Lead
BA (Hons) Youth Work
Edinburgh’s Telford College
Janis Deane
BA (Hons) Youth Work
Programme Leader
Edinburgh Napier University
THE PRESENTING TEAM

2. Part 1: Introduction
ELRAH Director

3. Delegate
Questions
Presentation Structure
• Introduction
• Background to the Youth Work Programme
• Designing the Youth Work Programme
• Delivering the Youth Work Programme
• Sum Up

4. A Changing Post-16 Education Landscape
September 2010 - Scottish Government published their pre-legislative
White Paper, “ Putting Learners at the Centre:
Delivering our Ambitions for Post-16 Education in Scotland”
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/09/15103949/0
• Focus on workforce skills development.
• Regional Planning (driven by regional labour market needs).
• Collaborative curriculum design and delivery (HEI, Colleges
and Employers working more closely in partnership to design
and deliver programmes).
• No loss of time for learners (especially those moving to
degree study having studied HE level programmes in a
Scottish College).
• New “partnership models” for delivering HE in Scotland.

5. Helping with the Challenge of
Designing Work-based Programmes
• JISC Work-Based Learning Maturity Toolkit:
http://www.tinyurl.com/wbl-toolkit
used to inform and evaluate the design and delivery of the Youth
Work Programme.
• Partnership development funded by JISC, led by University of
Bradford in collaboration with University of Westminster, University
of Wales Institute Cardiff and Middlesex University and ELRAH.

6. Poll Question 1
The term ARTICULATION has become commonplace in
colleges and HEIs in Scotland. What does it mean?
College Students can gain some credit when applying for
undergraduate programmes for prior learning at HE levels in
colleges.
College Students gain full credit for Higher National
Qualifications gained in colleges entering level 2 with an
HNC and Level 3 with an HND. HEIs reserve places.
College Students must be able to evidence advanced level
academic skills before being offered an undergraduate
place in an HEI.
Don’t Know

7. Part 2: Background to the Youth
Work Programme
Barbara Lawson
Head of External Liaison
Edinburgh’s Telford
College

8. Background
Youth Work Programme
• New Youth Work Programme developed to illustrate an alternative,
collaborative way of delivering HE which is more flexible and
responsive to local employer need.
• Articulation is designed in – students can enter at advanced levels of
the programme depending on prior qualifications and experience - this
was a key aspect for the employer.

9. Edinburgh
City Council
ELRAH
Edinburgh
Napier
University
Edinburgh’s
Telford
College
Skills for
Scotland
Scottish
Qualifications
Credit
Framework
Our Successful Partnership
Successful Partnership Working

10. PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYER
ENGAGEMENT
Youth
Work
Degree
Christine Mackay
CLD Manager
Gavin Crosby
Youth Work Strategy
Implementation Manager
Sue Bruce
CEO Edinburgh Council

11. Sue Bruce – Chief Executive, City of Edinburgh Council

12. Sue Bruce – Chief Executive, City of Edinburgh Council
“By working in partnership we
have made best use of our
resources and produced a very
cost effective course, grounded
in practice and accessible to a
group of staff who now have the
opportunity to access this
excellent professional training.”

13. Christine Mackay – Edinburgh City Council Community Learning and
Development (CLD) Manager

14. Christine Mackay – Edinburgh City Council Community Learning and
Development (CLD) Manager
“The development of the work-based Youth
Work Degree has been an important
development for us.
Working with Edinburgh Napier University and
Edinburgh’s Telford has been a very positive
experience – our secondment of an experienced
youth worker to the qualification design team
has ensured that the content reflects the needs
of the field and core competencies which was
invaluable for us and great professional
development for her.
Developing this qualification has helped us
ensure we train work-based assessors who will
be evidencing those competences and this has
been really worthwhile”

15. Gavin Crosby – Edinburgh City Council Youth Work Strategy
Implementation Manager
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfsdSMxzo1s

16. Question time

17. Part 3: Designing the Youth
Work Programme
Prof. Morag Gray
Academic Lead, BA Youth Work
Edinburgh’s Telford College

18. Collaborative Development of Programme
•Learning gap expressed by Edinburgh City Council
•ELRAH Scoping
•Partnership working and early agreement
•Detailed Planning document
•Planning Team: Experienced curriculum developer & seconded subject expert
•Regular progress meetings
•Programme Team
•Existing Approved Foundation Degree Framework
•CLD competencies & National Occupational Standards for Youth Work
•Employer Expert Team
•Potential Students
•Module Content
•Stage alignment and integrity
•Delivery and assessment strategies
•Collaborative programme Documentation
•Cohesive team reflecting partnership ‘defended’ programme
•Commended by validation panel for obvious close working relationships
Plan
Design
Build
Test
Validation
Sept 2010
May 2011
Start September 2011

19. Programme Structure
1 year
3 months
1 year
3 months
6
months
9 months
1 Year
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4

20. This course is perfect for me otherwise I would have to leave my job. What would I do if I failed the course? I would have no job.

21. Question time

22. Part 4: Delivering the Youth
Work Programme
Janis Deane
Programme Leader
Edinburgh Napier
University

23. Delivering the Youth Work Programme
• Community of practice and peer support
• Blended learning and the constructivist delivery
model
• E-learning and the 3 major components of the
online environment: activities, resources and
supports (Oliver & Herrington 2001)

24. Delivering the Youth Work Programme:
Pre-entry and induction

25. Delivering the Youth Work Programme:
Blended and online learning

27. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=314c13vocZE
Delivering the Youth Work Programme: Student voice

28. Delivering the Youth Work Programme: E-learning
Moule’sE-learning ladder (page 41 at the link below) offered a conceptual model for planning e-learning approaches across the programme.
Moule, P. (2007) Challenging the 5 stage model for e-learning: a new approach ALT-J Research in Learning Technology 15 (1) pp37-50 [internet] available at http://repository.alt.ac.uk/713/1/ALT_J- Vol15_No1_2007_Challenging_the_five-stage_mod.pdf

29. Delivering the Youth Work Programme:
Example of online learning activity
Discussion posting 2 – Critical Incident Analysis
# Look back at the Unit 1 week 2 reflection material and the reflective models
reading in particular.
# Using a model of reflection of your choice, undertake a critical incident
analysis of a situation or event at work or in your personal life. This can be a
small but significant event and need not be a crisis or even negative. Be careful
with confidential information e.g. clients’ or colleague’s names!
# Write this up as a 300 word (maximum) discussion posting and make
at least 2 responses to other students of 50 words total. This is worth10% of the
module mark and due in week 7.

30. Delivering the Youth Work Programme;
brief extract from online discussion posting
• Subject: Discussion Posting 2 - Critical Incident Analysis Topic: Online Discussion 2
Deadline 12 Noon 21.10.11 Author: xxxxxxx Date: 20 October 2011 12:02 PM
On researching different models of reflection, I have decided to complete a
critical incident analysis using The Reflective Cycle (Gibbs G, 1988, Learning
By Doing). I deliver a substance awareness session to a capacity building group
as part of their twelve week programme, a few groups ago they asked if we
would be interested in allowing a young person to complete their work
placement in ---------------. We decided to have her placement as part of my
project and that I would supervise her.

31. Delivering the Youth Work Programme:
Grading criteria for on-line discussions
Description and points out of 10
0
• No posts, non-participation by student or merely repeats other people’s contributions or not addressing the topic/question.
1-3
• Participates in a limited way, with relevant material but which has limited analysis or engagement of fellow-students. Posts but
does not respond to peers or uses social/informal style with slang/text language.
4-7
• Participates with relevant contributions showing critical thought based on literature use. Trying to engage with fellow-students
but could be stronger.
8-10
• Consistently enthusiastic and rigorous participation by student. Responsive engagement with material and with
fellow-students. Evidence of critical thought based on a literature use to demonstrate new insights or synthesis of
innovative ideas.
Marker’s comments 10/10
Excellent posting in both content and style and use of the Gibbs reflective cycle to add structure. 6
positive responses to others. Obvious learning with forward planning. Any further questions, please get
back to me.
Janis

33. Question time

34. Summing Up
• An Effective, Collaborative Partnership – employer actively involved
from the start inputting to the design as well as development and
delivery.
• A Work-based undergraduate programme developed and validated in 8
months.
• A flexible programme – designed to meet industry needs with multiple
entry and exit points
• Learners able to accelerate learning by getting maximum credit for prior
qualifications (including work-based qualifications) and prior experience.
• Technology enabled to support remote learning, peer learning and
mixed model of learner support from both College, HEI and Employers

35. ONLINE DISCUSSION
• Please join us now in the online discussion area where we will be
delighted to answer any further questions you may have.
• As a starter for ten:
Are you experiencing similar changes to post-16 education
where you come from? What will this mean for future
delivery models of your programmes?

36. Contact for Further Information
Andrew Comrie
a.comrie@napier.ac.uk
ELRAH Website:
www.elrah.ac.uk