Colleges - Tripartite Alignment Group: terms of reference

Context

Following a session with the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education & Veterans, it was agreed that close, partnership working between Scottish Government, Scottish Funding Council and Colleges Scotland (and including representatives from the college sector where beneficial) will help us work through urgent pressures and opportunities facing colleges. 

Originally a 3 month initiative (August to October 2023), the Group will continue for as long as it proves to be of value to all parties.

The approach expressed here in terms of partnership working will underpin wider work on reform of the post-16 education and school system develops.

Group purpose and duration

This small and focused alignment group will provide strategic direction on a tightly bound body of work examining and providing options on enhancing flexibility and sustainability of college finances. A list of current areas of focus is detailed below (these may change and develop over time).

It is important the right people, with the right experience and knowledge, are able to engage with this work in order to meaningfully progress thinking; and it is expected that SG, SFC and CS will proactively support engagement between key colleagues.

Membership

The alignment group will include senior representation from Scottish Government, Scottish Funding Council and Colleges Scotland. A full membership list is available.

Approach

This initiative is not intended to address all the issues and opportunities facing colleges. It is a proof of concept exercise to see how closer working can help us be even more efficient and collaborative in how we tackle prescient and urgent issues.

Building on work already undertaken or underway, the group will direct the work of at least one working group, setting the agenda and culture for collaborative working and problem solving.

The group will meet for  for 90 minutes every 6 to 7 weeks with catch-ups in between the meetings to monitor progress and provide strategic direction and guidance on issues as they are surfaced.

The Minister will attend a number of meetings throughout the year, and the Group secretariat will provide a short update on progress to the Minister in between meetings.  

Underpinning all of the work of the Group are commitments from all parties to proactive information-sharing, in order to offer assurance on the development of thinking on wider systemic issues which sit beyond the parameters of this Group’s remit; and to progress actions and workstreams as agreed at Group meetings in a timely manner.

Areas of focus

Priorities and target outputs

• an agreed and actionable approach to enhancing the flexibilities on disposing of capital assets

• enabling conditions for increasing non-public forms of funding in the sector
• looking at options around curriculum transformation between the SFC and a group of pilot colleges to enable colleges to plan their curriculum for future need
• exploring colleges’ perspectives in setting their strategic direction and any blockages they may face
• consideration of any other relevant matters relating to the wider reform of tertiary education
• development of appropriate methodology to determine accurate cost of teaching delivery in college settings in order to support wider considerations linked to questions of parity of funding at HND/HNC level across universities and colleges
• using the development of future credit guidance as a testbed, create a structured approach for communication and engagement, led by SFC and supported by CS, in order to enhance levels of understanding of the impact of changes ahead of time
• consideration of any other relevant matters relating to the wider reform of tertiary education including periodic updates on SFC’s review of the college funding model