Glasgow Clyde College – External review 23/01/15
Excellent practice
Enhancing employability: effective use of industry links
Glasgow Clyde College uses several innovative approaches to enhancing learners’
employability skills. This reflects the college’s key strategic aims of meeting the
needs of the local economy and of improving learners’ life chances. Most subject
areas across the college work very well with industry partners to enhance the
curriculum. Many programmes include live industry projects as part of coursework,
which often involve learners working alongside industry experts. Industry specialists,
including part-time college staff members, also often enhance the knowledge of
learners and staff through delivering workshops. In most subject areas learners also
benefit from work-placement opportunities.
Certain key elements underpin the college’s successful use of industry links. For
example, many programme teams ensure that opportunities for employability are
planned into programmes from the start of the academic year. This is particularly
prevalent in programmes at all levels in the textiles department, where teaching staff
select or integrate appropriate units through which learners can carry out live
industry-based projects. In HND Fashion Technology, for instance, learners studied
two units, Costume Construction and Corsetry, and created Victorian costumes for
the guides at Pollok House in Glasgow. This enabled learners to research an
historical theme and learn traditional garment construction techniques, while also
meeting stringent client requirements.
While planning ahead can be beneficial, other successful employability projects have
required high levels of creative thinking, responsiveness and agility within
programme teams. These projects depend on a readiness to capitalise on
opportunities as they arise and team capacity to plan quickly and collaboratively. All
of this reflects real business practice. A good example is the recent Glasgow
Commonwealth Games and the Host Broadcaster Training Initiative in which
learners on the HND Creative Industries: Television programme worked alongside
professional broadcasters in a high-profile sports event. This improved learners’
professional skills, which greatly enhanced their prospects for employment or further
study.
A further element of success involves developing and sustaining mutually beneficial
partnerships. Managers and staff in many programmes proactively seek out projects
which address both college and partner aims, while enriching the curriculum. This
enables the college and its partners to make imaginative use of shared expertise,
resources and funding. A good example of this is the Governments Cashback for
Communities initiative and its financial support for the college’s award-winning
Powerskills programme. In this project, the college’s Faculty of Engineering and
Built Environment works with closely with Scottish Power. As a result, several young
people who had disengaged from education have taken part successfully in
Glasgow Clyde College – External review 23/01/15
six-month introductory engineering programmes. The college has developed a
highly-effective operating model from this venture and is extending it to other subject
areas.
All learners who undertake employability projects benefit greatly from the
experience. These projects also help college staff to enhance and update their
knowledge of the workplace. As the new college becomes fully established, further
innovative approaches to industry links are being identified, developed and shared
across the college.