Aberdeen College
Excellent practice: Partnership working
Enterprise is a key feature of the curriculum, underpinning pathways to work,
self-employment, and approaches to personal development. Through their
approaches to Curriculum for Excellence, and where appropriate within the
curriculum, teaching staff develop learners’ entrepreneurial skills. Strong internal
and external partnership working is a key aspect of this approach. External
partnership working extends to local schools, colleges, universities, charities,
employers, enterprise agencies, Scotland’s Colleges and the Scottish Programme
for Entrepreneurship. This provides a strong network of Continuing Professional
Development for staff, sharing of good practice and opportunity for joint activity. A
joint steering group with partners has been established to develop further the
planning and review of shared projects and partnership activities.
Staff have facilitated the culture of enterprise amongst learners through a strategy of
curriculum review across all levels of provision. This review encompasses practical
and enterprise activity, development of project and problem-based activities, social
enterprise activities, cross-college projects, and the showcasing of learner work and
excellence in this area. Placement and volunteering opportunities have an increased
focus on identifying and linking curriculum areas and employers, and there are
currently eight student enterprise interns in place. Through a range of initiatives
such as The Student Forum, learners are encouraged to be focused on developing
enterprise skills and building confidence. Staff have further embedded enterprise
through overt links to careers and progression routes, promotion of student
enterprise skills to potential employers, and the tracking of alumni. This has built a
sustainable future for a growing enterprise culture across the college.
Education Scotland
Foghlam Alba