Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
HNC at school opportunity given to secondary pupils
Pupils at Coatbridge’s secondaries will have the opportunity to complete an HNC at school as the first step in a degree programme under a new skills and employment pilot programme.
It is designed to create a defined qualification and training pathway leading directly to employment in key sectors including computer assisted design, cybersecurity, construction management and engineering.
The project will see North Lanarkshire Council team up with both New College Lanarkshire, where participants will earn an HND in year two, and University of the West of Scotland (UWS) where they will spend two years completing a degree and then move into work.
Beginning from September, pupils at Coatbridge, St Ambrose and St Andrew’s high schools will be able to take part in the pilot initiative – working on an Hnc-based programme with both school and college staff, after being “recruited in a competitive process involving employers, who provide industry mentors”.
After the college year, students will move straight into their university honours years, and will have a paid internship between the two years and a guaranteed job interview on completing the programme.
Derek Brown, the council’s executive director of education, called the programme “a genuinely exciting development” and said: “It will enable pupils to study for an HNC while still at school, gain relevant industry work experience and provide the opportunity to progress further towards a degree in their chosen area.
“It’s crucial that we maximise employment for our young people – this partnership will create packages of learning and support, align the curriculum and ensure school leavers have the correct mix of skills to benefit from future job opportunities.
“Covid-19 has created specific challenges that have necessitated redesigning core activities to meet future challenges, and the curricular pathways of the future need to be supported by programmes which prepare young people for the critical thinking and creative challenges that lie ahead of them in their working and personal lives.”
New College Lanarkshire principal Professor Christopher Moore said: “We have exciting plans to build upon existing expertise and strength by bringing forward proposals for a Lanarkshire Institute of Technology.
“This will become a centre for excellence in providing pathways to employment in careers ranging from bio-technology and life sciences to engineering and construction.”
UWS vice-principal Marcus Ross added: “This unique partnership will bring clear benefits to young people in North Lanarkshire; it underlines our commitment to providing employerfocused degrees that align with business, community, third sector, government and international priorities.”
The pilot project was given the goahead during a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee, where a report noted that “a key development in this approach is the planned revision of the school week” to four-and-a-half timetabled days from August, which “will lead to an enhanced curricular offering and a clear plan for enrichment activities in all schools”.
Members were also told that there are expected to be 3400 construction vacancies in North Lanarkshire during this decade and 4200 in health and social care, with academy and action plan projects being set up to help meet the forthcoming demand.