From education to employment

Scottish FE Building Specialist Educational Communities

The Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEA) has been reviewing the support networks of specialist staff within Scotland’s colleges to improve knowledge and practice sharing. The review identified that the networks within the colleges should seek to enhance the sense of community and raise the profile of the sector, and encourage discussion of strategic and operational issues.

Migration from the established networks to Communities of Practice (CoP), staff of similar professions or vocations, will enhance links based on common experiences and practices. The SFEU proposes a number of steps to support the transition; an annual conference dealing with strategic issues, events dealing with operational and technical aspects of delivery, a web page for each CoP and a carefully selected steering group.

The SFEU will also provide further support for each CoP; recognition of attendance at CoP events through a continuous development log, project funding support and setting up of online community facilities.

Dan Atkinson


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