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SC/17/05*
Agenda item 9
2 February 2017
Draft outcome agreements: early outputs relating to skills and employability
 To highlight the common themes emerging from the draft university and
college outcome agreements for AY 2017/18.
Recommendations
 Note and consider the emerging common themes from the draft outcome
agreements
 This paper will be published following the Committee meeting.
SC/17/05*
Agenda item 9
2 February 2017
Draft outcome agreements: early outputs in skills and employability
Purpose
1.
To highlight the common themes emerging from the draft university and
college outcome agreements for 2017/18.
Strategic Plan implications
2.
Outcome agreements between SFC and the colleges and universities that we
fund have become an integral part of how SFC monitors the impact and
outcomes of our funding. They also play an important part in demonstrating
the impact of the sector and its contribution to meeting Scottish Government
priorities.
Outcome agreement context
3.
SFC introduced outcome agreements in AY 2012-13. There are many intended
similarities in our approach and in the guidance to both colleges and
universities, but there are also some important differences which take account
of the respective role and position of the sectors. For both sectors, the outcome
agreement process enables and develops a positive and constructive
relationship with SFC to ensure our funding decisions take account of the
context within which individual universities and colleges operate. The outcome
agreement reporting process assists SFC to better support both sectors and to
show impact at national and regional levels. This also offers a platform for
dialogue with SFC regarding institutional aspirations and for exploring
collaborative approaches to strategic challenges.
4.
In AY 2017-18 we move to the next three-year cycle of outcome agreements,
which means that the priorities set for 2017-20 will, broadly, stay the same.
However, SFC’s guidance will be refreshed in each year of the cycle to reflect
the developing priorities of the Scottish Government. Against the above
context, the Committee will want to note that the institutional outcome
agreements are a process for enhancement and self-evaluation rather than a
list of restrictive fixed quantitative measures and should have the learner, the
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employer and the economy at their heart.
5.
It is also important to note that the information presented in this paper is a
reflection of the first draft of outcome agreements; feedback from the skills and
other policy areas will be managed through the Outcome Agreement Managers.
Deadline for final submission is 31st March 2017. The executive will provide an
update to the Committee in April 2017.
University guidance and emerging themes
6.
Outcome Agreements are intended to help universities demonstrate their
distinct contribution to the Scottish Government’s priorities as set out in the
Scottish Economic Strategy and annual Programme for Government. Outcome
Agreements have become a powerful tool in demonstrating what universities
deliver in return for public investment. By doing so they help individual
institutions to show how they meet Scottish government priorities, how the
sector as a whole meets these priorities and how SFC can better support
institutional missions and specialisms.
7.
The current priorities for the university sector centre on
o Widening access, - providing learning that is accessible and
diverse, attracting and providing more equal opportunities for
people of all ages, and from all communities and backgrounds.
o High quality learning and teaching – an outstanding system of
learning that is accessible and diverse where students progress
successfully with the ability, ideas and ambition to make a
difference.
o World- leading research – world-leading universities, nationally
and internationally connected with a global reputation for their
research.
o Greater innovation in the economy – a national culture of
enterprise and innovation leading to a more productive and
sustainable economy.
o High-performing institutions – a coherent system of highperforming, sustainable institutions with modern, transparent and
accountable governance arrangements.
8.
The Committee should note that skills and employability were less explicitly
emphasised as a priority in previous guidance. However following feedback
from the JSC in 2015/16 greater emphasis was placed on these areas in the
guidance for 2017-20. Universities are asked to:
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o Provide greater evidence in outcome agreements of how they are
responding to skills needs, including those expressed in Skills
Investments Plans (SIPs). Based on evidence this should inform
decisions on those curriculum areas where the intention is to
invest or rationalise provision.
o Provide detail on the level and extent of employer engagement
within curriculum areas and outline how this engagement impacts
on student experience and employability.
o Identify areas of provision in which high proportions of graduates
fail to enter employment at graduate level, and provide an action
plan identifying areas of skills development to improve graduate
employability. This should include particular learner groups such
as those with disabilities; and the actions that they are taking to
enhance employability and entrepreneurship.
o In the 2016-17 OA Guidance universities were asked to provide a
baseline of current provision in relation to placements and
express their ambitions for growth. This continues to be a priority.
Institutions should identify curriculum areas where there are few
placements and state their aspiration for growth.
9.
On reviewing the drafts we note that a greater number of universities make
reference to key sectors and specific actions to meet their needs; however few
draft outcome agreements make explicit reference to the SIPs and to other
sector wide LMI. Instead, institutions seem to draw more from existing direct
partnerships with employers and the needs of students.
10. The draft outcome agreements are still short of detail on how institutions are
engaging strategically with employers and how this engagement helps to
inform the development and delivery of the curriculum. Under Priority 2 High
quality learning and teaching Universities are asked to set their aspirations for:
o the number and proportion of Scotland-domiciled undergraduate
entrants to STEM course;
o the number and proportion of Scotland-domiciled graduates
entering positive destinations; and
o the number and proportion of Scotland-domiciled graduates
entering professional occupations.
11. At this stage of the Outcome Agreement process and in the absence of
definitive budget data from the Scottish Government very few of the
Universities have set targets for the above measures.
12. In relation to placements and ambitions for growth, the inclusion of targets and
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how to achieve these varies. Some institutions have ambitious targets, such as
for all of their mainstream learning programmes to include work experience
opportunities by 2020, but it is often not clear how the institutions will achieve
this.
13. Few draft outcome agreements give information on how universities intend to
improve positive destinations for graduates into graduate level jobs,
particularly for those groups of students who are least likely to enter graduate
level jobs. There is however some evidence of institutions restructuring and
repositioning their careers services to reach out to those groups of students
who need more help and support in order to find graduate-level work.
14. Whilst the university outcome agreement guidance does not include a
reference to promoting opportunities for the development of partnerships with
colleges for the delivery of Graduate Level Apprenticeships (GLAs), a few are
referencing the collaboration with local colleges into developing GLAs and
others are mentioning their intention explore GLAs in the future.
15. Many universities make reference to institutional employability strategies, but
we need to see more on how the specific outcomes and outputs from these
strategies have helped to “embed” employability into the core curriculum.
College guidance and emerging themes
16. Our approach to developing outcome agreements with the college sector is
consistent with that for universities, but in a context where many colleges faced
significant structural and financial challenges. That said, regionalisation and
college mergers have created a significant opportunity for the newly formed
larger colleges to respond far more effectively to the needs of learners and
employers in their region.
17. Our guidance for colleges for 2017-20 is focused on meeting the needs of
industry and once again requires colleges to demonstrate in their regional
context statement how provision meets the needs of the region and beyond
based on the Regional Skills Assessments (RSAs) and other LMI.
18. The majority of colleges indicate in the draft outcome agreements that they are
using the RSAs and other LMI to provide evidence of regional need. Many of the
colleges also reference the information provided within the sector specific Skills
Investments Plans when reviewing curriculum and course planning
19. A key driver for our strategic outcome ”a more successful economy and society
with well-prepared students progressing into jobs with the ability, ideas, and
ambition to make a difference” is the delivery of high quality senior phase
vocational pathways in line with the ambition of Developing the Young
Workforce. Working in partnership with local authorities, schools and
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employers, colleges have significantly increased the volume of DYW activity (as
evidenced in the 2016-17 outcome agreements and the draft 2017-20 outcome
agreements) including the delivery and expansion of Foundation
Apprenticeships. Across the sector colleges are increasing their offer of FA
frameworks to senior phase pupils from 2017/18.
20. Under this outcome colleges are also asked to detail the level and extent of
employer engagement in course and curriculum design and delivery and the
impact on college leaver employability. Several draft outcome agreements
indicate that colleges have employer/industry fora for all curriculum areas
which provide guidance during curriculum and course planning. Other colleges
indicate that they have employer fora for some areas, and were in the process
of setting them up for others. A few colleges do not indicate clearly the level of
employer engagement they have in the planning processes.
21. Colleges are asked, in response to the publication of the new Work Placement
Standard for Colleges to provide a baseline of current provision in relation to
work placement and to express ambitions for growth. However, even where
this information is included and targets are set, it is difficult to get a sense for
the nature and quality of the placements.
22. Modern apprenticeships are a key vehicle for effective workforce development.
The plan to increase the number of MAs to 30,000 by 2020 highlights the
potential for colleges to make a greater contribution to the development and
delivery of high quality MAs. Continuing improvement of quality and flexibility
around delivery are key to colleges wishing to increase activity in this area. For
Measure 5 SFC expect colleges to report on the total number of MA starts
contracted from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and other industry bodies
such as Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) and Construction
Industry Training Board (CITB). Many of the draft outcome agreements still
need to complete the targets for MA delivery so at this stage it is unclear what
level of activity is expected for 2017/18 and beyond, although narrative within
the documents indicate colleges’ plans to increase the provision of MAs.
23. The SFC guidance asks that colleges promote opportunities for the
development of partnerships with universities for the delivery of Graduate
Level Apprenticeships (GLAs), although only a handful of the draft outcome
agreements make reference to the GLAs, with only a few colleges indicating
that they are in active discussion with a partner university.
24. The SFC executive is in the process of internally reviewing the draft outcome
agreements which, as with those for universities, are not yet supported by
Scottish Government budget data, and the SFC policy teams will provide
extensive feedback on individual draft outcome agreements for institutions and
outcome agreement managers. The final drafts of the outcome agreements for
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2017-20 are to be submitted by 31 March 2017 with the publish date of April
2017.
Equality and diversity assessment
25. There are significant implications for equality and diversity relating to our
assessment of and the feedback on the draft outcome agreements, which need
to be considered in the process of signing off the 2017-20 agreements.
Recommendations
26. The Committee is invited to note and consider the emerging common themes
from the draft outcome agreements.
Publication
27. This paper will be published following the Committee meeting.
Further information
28. Contact: Sharon Drysdale (SFC), Outcome Agreement Manager,
[email protected]
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