Partnership working and business engagement are at the core of South Lanarkshire College’s promise to provide the best quality learning and teaching for students, whilst supporting local communities, local businesses and the local economy.

The College invests in a number of partnerships with businesses and local authorities to ensure skills gaps are met.  One such partnership is the outstanding collaboration with South Lanarkshire Council to upskill and train care sector employees, critically important at this particular time. The project, now in its fourth year, has achieved an 86% pass rate for employees over the period, illustrating how this partnership has supported the local care sector organisations to offer the best possible service, through highly trained and competent staff.

The purpose of the partnership is to enhance the education and skills of employees and to provide alternate pathways for individuals who are not on a traditional college route. This includes youth and adults from areas of deprivation, employees returning to work after long periods of unemployment, and English-language learners. South Lanarkshire College and South Lanarkshire Council come together in this partnership to find solutions to jointly identified education and skills challenges and use combined resources to implement them.

South Lanarkshire College Principal Aileen McKechnie said “At South Lanarkshire College we are fully committed to developing our partnership with the Council to increase and develop the skills and qualifications on offer to care sector employees.  As the course is bespoke to fit the needs of South Lanarkshire Council employees and government standards, it ensures industry demands are met in places where there is a gap in skills.  This has been a very successful partnership and I’m pleased that it will continue into the 2021/22 session.”

The bespoke project was designed to upskill employees of small to medium sized enterprises to develop the skills needed by employers. The initiative supports employees undertaking training or other activity leading to improved employment circumstances.  The project is open to any employee aged 16 plus who is resident in South Lanarkshire, and has experienced barriers to progressive employment, such as few or no qualifications, health or disability issues, previous experience of unemployment or is a low skilled worker.

Angela Black, Development Officer: Employability and Staffing at South Lanarkshire Council said “

Over the past 4 years the South Lanarkshire College/South Lanarkshire Council partnership has been upskilling low waged and low skilled employees to enable them to maximise their earning potential, the initiative has been highly successful and has offered support to many employees and employers throughout the South Lanarkshire area. Training offered has included: SVQ 2 and SVQ 3s in Health and Social Care, as well as more tailored courses such as the PDA in Dementia Practice which has increased in demand over the years”.  

Many students who complete the course also use this upskilling as a platform for lifelong learning and enrol on other work-based, part-time or even full-time courses at the college. This showcases the success of the partnership, the importance of joint working between the College and the Council to upskill those in the care sector and the importance of creating opportunities for all.  

The South Lanarkshire College/ South Lanarkshire Council partnership has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Outstanding Business Engagement Category in Colleges at the 2021 Herald Higher Education Awards to be held on Thursday 17th June. 

This article appears as part of The Herald's The Future Of Education campaign, in association with South Lanarkshire College.

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