WORLD-CLASS SKILLS BOOST FOR CITY OF GLASGOW COLLEGE

Scotland’s Super College is one of 12 colleges and Independent Training Providers selected to join an elite skills training programme by becoming part of WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence.

The Centre of Excellence – partnered and funded by educational charity and awarding body NCFE – will see more than 40,000 young students and apprentices, from all socio-economic groups across the UK, equipped with world-class skills.

City of Glasgow College Principal and CEO, Paul Little said:

"City of Glasgow College is delighted to be part of Centre of Excellence as it will help equip our students with world-class skills which they will then take to local, national, and international employers.

"We have a proud record as a leading college in WorldSkills UK competitions and joining this elite training programme will deliver further benefits to our lecturing staff and students. The timing of this initiative could not be better given how intrinsic colleges are to Scotland's socio-economic recovery, and fully participating in the Centre of Excellence enhances City of Glasgow College's role in that skills-based rejuvenation."

The Centre aims to supercharge the quality and delivery of technical and vocational training by transferring world-class expertise and knowledge to help develop educators and learners.

City of Glasgow College will join 12 institutions entering the Centre this year along with 20 colleges selected in September 2020, at the launch of a three-year pilot project.

Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK, said:

“In order to deliver the world-class skills that employers demand to be internationally competitive, we need to invest in the educators that are training young people for the future.

“The Centre of Excellence is a radical new way of bringing global best practice to local economies. Mainstreaming excellence in training standards and delivering it directly to tens of thousands of young students and apprentices at their places of learning is key to levelling up the economy and attracting inward investment.

“This new phase of the project means that we are now supporting young people the length and breadth of the UK.”

Lecturers and training staff at the selected colleges and training providers will receive exclusive ‘train the trainer’ sessions and 60 hours of intensive continual professional development. The programme covers three strands:

· train the trainer modules

· harnessing of international industry best practice through current preparation for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022

· influencing setters of training standards.

The effectiveness of the programme will be tested by measuring impact on learners, educators and institutions in order to continually develop and innovate. This level of insight will help the organisations involved to develop a programme which will give more young people, irrespective of background, better work and life opportunities, and help boost economic productivity.

The three-year partnership deal is the single largest investment ever made by the NCFE Group.