Context and Policy Drivers
1. Since the publication of Ayrshire College’s three-year Outcome Agreement in March 2014,
there are additional policy drivers, specifically:
Education Working for All! – final report of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s
Young Workforce published in June 2014
Ambitious for Ayrshire – Ayrshire College strategic plan published in August 2014
Developing the Young Workforce – Scottish Government’s youth employment strategy
published in December 2014.
Strategic plan
2. In 2014, the College aligned its mission and
vision with the strategic priorities of our partners,
in particular to support the overarching
ambitions of the three Community Planning
Partnerships (CPPs) in Ayrshire, each of which
was consulted on the plan as it was developed.
This integration is demonstrated in the following
diagram.
3. Strategic priorities of the CPPs – growing the
economy and skills, building community capacity
and tackling inequalities – are supported by six
strategic goals, which in turn have a number of
key objectives.
Education Working for All
4. The College adopted a proactive approach to work with the Commission for Developing
Scotland’s Young Workforce, inviting Sir Ian Wood to Ayrshire to meet employers and
stakeholders and witness the already significant commitment to the Commission’s ambitions.
In the months after merger, the College launched its employer engagement strategy, Making
Your Business Our Business, and initiated a major programme of activity to meet employers’
skills needs and tap into their commitment to prepare young people for the regional labour
market.
5. In parallel with this, the College enhanced its partnership working with CPPs, in particular with
the leadership of the local authorities’ education and economic development directorates, and
with schools. A major outcome of this was the establishment of the Skills Centre of Excellence
at Irvine Royal Academy, a shared campus development which will support the delivery of
innovative learning and teaching models which blur the boundaries between school and
college. In 2015-16, the College will introduce construction and engineering programmes for
senior phase pupils in North Ayrshire, including a Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering
aimed at a group of fourteen school students.
6. In 2014-15, the College enhanced its engagement with the education directorates in the three
local authorities and senior staff in the 27 secondary schools across the region. This included
2015-16 Addendum to Ayrshire College Outcome Agreement
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