Programme

Conference Programme (Subject to change)

Feedback from Forum participants will be sought following the individual sessions to gather issues for discussion during panel question time. At the designated feedback points in the hall you will be able to transmit your questions electronically to the panel - our staff will be on hand to provide assistance.

09.30     Registration and refreshments

10.00     Welcome by the Chair 
               Ruth Wishart, Journalist and Broadcaster

10.10     Introduction: Learning and working for Scotland’s future 
               Peter Syme OBE, Director, The Open University in Scotland

Session 1: Part-time learning and Scotland’s employment and skills objectives

10.20     Employability and skills: The next steps 
               Dr Janet Lowe CBE, Chair, SFC/SDS Skills Committee

10.40     Flexible learning for an adaptive economy
               Willy Roe, Chair, Skills Development Scotland

11.00     Refreshments

11.20     Panel session
               Dr Janet Lowe CBE, Chair, SFC/SDS Skills Committee
               Willy Roe, Chair, Skills Development Scotland

Session 2: Case studies
               New initiatives affecting the part-time sector:  How are they working? What are we learning?
               What is the way ahead?

11.35     Case study 1:
               Employer engagement:

               Working with SMEs:
               Veronica Lynch, Head of External Relations, Dundee College
               Bill Sturrock, Managing Partner, PrintMatters

               Linking to employer needs and practices in Engineering: Opportunities for rich work-based
               learning initiatives
               Professor Alan Roach, Centre for Engineering Education & Development, Scotland
               Emeritus Professor, University of the West of Scotland
               Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Glasgow

12.35     Lunch

13.15     Case study 2: 
               Skills utilisation projects in social care and engineering: Early lessons
               Bruce Heil, Skills Utilisation Project Manager, The Open University in Scotland
               Sue Dumbleton, Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor (Health and Social Care), The Open University in
               Scotland
               Mike Kiely, Workforce Development Officer (Care Homes), Private Care Sector Workforce Initiative

14.10     Case study 3:
               Financial support enhancements: Supporting part-time study at postgraduate level
               Michele Cano, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of the West of Scotland
               Dr Bill Gerrard, Head of CLYDEUNION Academy, CLYDEUNION Pumps
               Alan Ross, CLYDEUNION Pumps & part-time student

15.05     Refreshments

Session 3: The way ahead

15.20     Keynote speech
               Keith Brown MSP, Minister for Schools and Skills

15.40     Panel session:
               Keith Brown MSP, Minister for Schools and Skills
               Bruce Heil, Skills Utilisation Project Manager, The Open University in Scotland
               Michele Cano, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of the West of Scotland
               Veronica Lynch, Head of External Relations, Dundee College

16.05     Closing remarks by the Chair

16.10     Close