Dundee College
Showcase for Excellence
The Shop
HMIE is committed to identifying and disseminating good practice more widely in
order to promote innovation and improvement. The college is invited to provide
details which may be included in the published inspection report.
Please briefly outline below features of practice in the college in which college staff,
young people/adult learners and parents take particular pride. Please feel free to
provide up to two examples of good practice which have a significant impact on
young people/adult learner’s learning. These may include innovative and creative
approaches across any aspect of the college’s work. Please keep a report on each
aspect of good practice to a maximum of 200 words. Each entry should have a
suitable heading to alert readers to content. The format should address the
following.
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What was the identified issue? What did college staff set out to do?
What was done?
What were the benefits to young people/adult learners as learners?
A member or members of the inspection team will wish to discuss entries with you,
staff and children/young people.
Excellence example: College Shop
The college shop improves the confidence and interpersonal skills of learners from
the special programmes area of the college. Learners also acquire basic retail skills
and thus enhance their employment opportunities. The college shop is managed by
an experienced team of retail teaching staff who also provide practical training to the
learners. The learners are responsible for the day to day running of the shop and are
studying towards the SVQ in Retail Skills Level 1 award. Learning and assessment
takes place both in the classroom and in the shop.
The regional manager for Sector Skills Council Scotland supports the shop by
facilitating placements for learners with local companies such as Sainsbury,
Debenhams and Marks and Spencer. This helps learners to gain experience in a
busier retail environment to compliment their learning in college.
The college shop is open to all learners and staff within the college to place articles
for sale and this provides another opportunity for learners to develop their
entrepreneurial skills. The stock is then sold on, in exchange for a negotiated
commission. The money raised by the learners will be used to benefit their learning
through investment in shop-related technology.
Dundee College
Learners involved have developed and improved their interpersonal skills and have
become more confident both in themselves and when talking to others. They take
pride in their appearance and their personal presentation has improved. The
learners are far more aware of the expectations of employers in areas such as
timekeeping, following instructions both verbal and written, attendance, hygiene,
health and safety, money management and the need to work as part of a team.
They are encouraged to use their initiative and have developed the confidence to
make decisions within the shop.
Working together and sharing responsibility has developed the learners’ social skills.
They agree amongst themselves who will be doing what on a daily basis and
participate in the design of the corporate brand. They are interviewed for the shop
placement which raises their knowledge of real working life and prepares them for
the workplace beyond the college. Learners are also encouraged to think of the
sustainability of the shop and also the products they sell. Fair trade products will
gradually be introduced following research by learners into sourcing such products
and also looking at the environmental impact of the products. Recycling will also be
part of the development of the programme in the shop where learners and staff will
be able to recycle items such as mobile phones. Learners will be encouraged to
ensure that there is a systematic approach to the safe recycling of products.