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Photos (left to right): University of Aberdeen, Borders College, Robert Gordon University
Computing and cyber security students at universities, colleges and schools have been sharing their experiences in a bid to attract more South of Scotland school pupils to study technology.
Meet the Learner sessions were first piloted in 2023 by Dumfries & Galloway College and Borders College as part of the Scottish Funding Council’s Pathfinder programme. The pilot project was also supported by Developing the Young Workforce funding and Scottish Borders Council.
The two colleges now run Meet the Learner sessions for schools across the South of Scotland and hope the initiative will help address the digital skills gap and support the region to become more competitive in the technology economy.
The sessions are designed to allow pupils considering a career in technology to hear from those already studying technical subjects. The idea is to inspire them to follow suit and begin a learning pathway that will lead them to the digital technology workplaces of the future.
Hundreds of pupils have now taken part in online Meet the Learner sessions and figures suggest that over 70% of them would be more likely to consider taking a course in computing as a result.
During a carefully designed series of events, pupils are led through different stages of the learning pathway. The tech student presenters talk openly about how they chose their course, what they enjoy about it and what they are aiming to do afterwards.
Francesca Osowska, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“The Pathfinder programme is all about exploring how we can make the education and skills system more responsive, more integrated, and more able to support regional economies.
“This is a brilliant example of creative thinking, innovative partnerships and focusing on making things better for learners.
“I hope the success of Meet the Learner in the South of Scotland will encourage other colleges and other regions to develop similar initiatives so the benefits of the Pathfinder programme can be spread as widely as possible.”
Lesley Broadwood, Skills Lead at Dumfries & Galloway College, and Project Lead for the Digital Pathfinder said:
“It has been fantastic to see the extent to which this programme changes the perceptions of young people, making it more likely for them to want to take a course in Computing Science.
“This initiative provides a new way to help encourage young people to consider a career in tech, which is especially important when one in ten of all Scottish job vacancies are within the tech sector.”
