Digital Skills Pathfinder
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Register here“We worked with higher education, which we don’t always get the opportunity to do.”
Catherine Thomson, Quality Improvement Manager, Scottish Borders Council
The South of Scotland Digital Skills Pathfinder set out to improve the digital skills of post-16 learners in the region and to meet skills needs in sectors defined by employers.
The project’s achievements include providing new digital upskilling opportunities in Health and Social Care, Hospitality, and Construction. The Pathfinders pilot project encompassed professional development sessions for lecturing staff to support them in updating the curriculum.
The project also delivered a series of successful “Meet the Learner” events which brought together current and future learners in digital technology
Project Aims and Objectives
The project’s aim was to enhance digital skills education by developing a highly skilled and adaptable digital workforce, increasing diversity in the digital sector, and strengthening connections between educators and employers to meet regional economic needs.
Objectives
- Develop a highly skilled and adaptable digital workforce.
- Increase diversity and inclusion.
- Increase the number of post-sixteen learners on digital courses.
- Strengthen connections with employers.
- Simplify the digital skills landscape.
Key Working/Strategic Groups Established to Deliver the Project
Digital Skills Hub’s Management Group
Members included representatives from the Scottish Funding Council, Borders College, CENSIS, Dumfries and Galloway College, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Developing the Young Workforce Dumfries and Galloway, Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, Edinburgh Napier University, ScotlandIS, Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Borders Council, Skills Development Scotland, South of Scotland Enterprise, The Data Lab, Third Sector Dumfries & Galloway, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of the West of Scotland.
The management group provided strategic guidance and helped develop and support the programmes.
Six Working Groups
These groups included stakeholders responsible for translating the Pathfinder’s objectives into operational plans. They also supported the delivery of the plans. Members of the Digital Skills Hub’s Industry Advisory Group joined the working groups to provide industry insights and feedback.
Employer Round Tables
These were held to identify employers’ digital skills needs in the Construction, Social Care, and Health sectors. The events helped to inform curriculum development.
Outputs Delivered
Meet the Learner Online Events Programme
Learners at school, college, and university came together under this programme to discuss their learning journeys in computing science and cyber security.
Interactive Digital Skills Provision Map
This resource signposts people to digital skills courses across the South of Scotland. It is now updated annually and so is a lasting legacy of the Digital Pathfinder.
Curriculum Development Projects
Twenty curriculum development projects were delivered in the 2023-24 academic year. They focused on embedding digital skills required by local sector employers into key parts of the curriculum. The projects will continue to run across both colleges. A core/meta skills development programme was also delivered to lecturing staff.
Project Insights
The tables below provide insights into the project. They highlight the context in which the project tested new ways of working, enhanced learner pathways, and improved regional skills planning.
SFC Strategic Plan 2022-27
Building a connected, agile, sustainable tertiary education and research system for Scotland.