NEWSKeep up to date with the ayrshire college Foundation. Follow us on twitter here
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July 2022
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NEWSKeep up to date with the ayrshire college Foundation. Follow us on twitter here
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Archives
July 2022
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Can you tell me a bit about your career? My career has been in education, primarily in the University sector. For the main part of my career, I worked as a Career Advisor at the University of Strathclyde and I finished my full time working as the Director of the University of Strathclyde’s Career Service. It involved helping people make the best possible choices about what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. I feel that is very important - you can be as clever as you like, but that doesn’t mean that you know what you want to do, and you can give people as much information of you like - but unless they’ve got somebody objective that can help them analyse that information, it can be a difficult decision to have to make. I understand you’re part of the learning and teaching committee, what does this involve? Yes, I’m the Chair of the Learning and Teaching Committee which has an overview of the curriculum development plan, it keeps an eye on the College’s performance in learning and teaching, which is perhaps one of the most important things that the College does! It also receives reports from the industry programme side of the College’s work, so really everything that assures the board that the College is doing everything in its power to get the best possible outcomes for the students. And I believe you are a board member too, this must make for a busy life! So why did you also want to get involved with the ACF? Yes that’s correct. I joined the Foundation in 2015 when it was set up, as it was agreed that the College should nominate two board members to join. The Foundation decided that the Chair of the Board should be one of the representatives and that also, since the purpose of the Foundation was to support the College in teaching and learning, then it made sense for the person who was the Chair of the Learning and Teaching committee to be nominated, and therefore I was fortunate enough to be nominated to be part of the Foundation. My motto is, ‘better busy than bored.’ What is the Innovation Fund and why has the Foundation created it? This particular fund is only open to Ayrshire College staff. The Foundation can make donations to a whole manner of projects as long as they are going to enhance the quality of learning and teaching and the experience for the students at Ayrshire College. Many of the College staff have great ideas on how to improve their courses and improve their facilities, but sometimes the unavailability of relatively small amounts of cash is holding them back from making these innovations. It was therefore decided that the Foundation would set up a fund, the first part of that fund is the ‘Innovation Fund’ which was launched in August 2017 at an all staff development day at the College and almost immediately, in came twenty-four first class bids! It was super, it shows the enthusiasm and the creativity of the staff. There is a panel, represented by the Chair of the Foundation, Tracey Stark, myself as the Chair of the Learning and Teaching Committee, the Principal of Ayrshire College, Heather Dunk and the Student President, Lainey McKinlay who review all these bids. Some have been given what they asked for almost immediately, others have been asked to develop their bids further and some have been directed to other sources of funding. Virtually all of the proposals that came forward have been assisted in some way. What kind of things have people been applying for funding for? Some were around giving students relevant work experience, others were around equipment which would enhance the courses and would also be letting the students have equipment which is just as good as they would find when they go to work with external employers. What advice would you give to people who are considering submitting an application to the Ayrshire College Foundation? They need to be clear that it meets the criteria under which the Foundation can award money and it must have a clear educational purpose. Where possible, external bids should also form some kind of connection with Ayrshire College. For example, if an organisation outside wanted to develop something like outdoor play equipment for pupils, the project could be advanced by getting some of the College’s students to help with that project. People who are bidding should also be aware that because the Foundation doesn’t have a finite sum of money, we cannot give money year on year. The money can be used to start something off, then people have to be clear about how they are going to maintain that in the future. Anyone who is thinking of making an application will get advice from the Chair of the Foundation, or indeed from any of the trustees - we don’t want people to be making bids that are ineligible from the word go.
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Can you tell me a bit about yourself and a brief history of your career? I am proud mum of three and grandmother of four who loves nothing better than having them all over for dinner – preferably in the garden. Background in hospitality sector at senior level followed by a period as a civil servant with a few more jobs in between, prior to joining Chamber in 1999. Now as CEO I head up team of 17 based at Glasgow Prestwick Airport giving a range of support services to businesses across Ayrshire together with working with schools and the college to increase employer engagement. I represent the private sector on a vast range of committees, boards and stakeholder groups. Why did you choose to get involved with the Ayrshire College Foundation? I have always been passionate about education and helping young people reach their full potential. As a huge fan of the work of Ayrshire College becoming involved in the Foundation allowed me to further expand my relationship with the College and support the wider community. It’s great that the ACF Trustees sponsored Mission Discovery this year. What did you enjoy the most at this year’s event? The week was amazing and I don’t really have a favourite part. Overall to see the enthusiasm of the young people who are lucky enough to participate, to hear their ideas, be inspired by the speakers and learn something at the same time was a privilege. Reflecting on the achievements so far for Ayrshire College Foundation, what are you most proud of? There have been a wide range of projects supported by the Foundation both large and small in financial terms but they have all made a difference to lives of the people involved in the final results. I would have to say I am proud of them all. What would you say to encourage local groups to apply for funding from the Ayrshire College Foundation? Be innovative, dream big, have vision – we want to support projects that support the education and development of young people in Ayrshire. The Foundation can help you reach your goal. Also read the information carefully to see if you project fits with our aims and objectives, seek advice from us if unsure. Make contact with the College also for further guidance. Can you give me a brief history of your career? I trained as a librarian and I started my career working as a trainee librarian at Leeds University Library. Then I went to Cambridge and ran a Cambridge College Library for a few years, then I went to Oxford and ran a higher education college library and IT service for a couple of years. I worked in what’s now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and then the National Library of Scotland as a Director. What did you study at University? I studied English Literature at Durham University and then a Masters in Librarianship at Sheffield University. What made you get into that? I always wanted to be a librarian. I grew up surrounded by books, my parents’ house is full of books and so I read from a very young age. I just had that real interest in books. I started working in my local public library from when I was about fifteen because we had a thing at school called “community service” where you could go and work for half a day out of class, a bit like an apprenticeship. How did you end up at UWS? I came to UWS in 2008 as the university librarian, so I was responsible for all the libraries on all of the campuses. I was then given the opportunity to be a Campus Director, Director of Planning and I am now Head of External Engagement. It’s about building the presence of the university in the community and having a valuable impact on the community. What we’re really trying to achieve is that UWS transforms the lives of the people who live in the area we work in. It’s a big area because we cover nine local authorities plus we are in London now too. So the challenge is how we grow our presence, how do we become much more engaged with the community? It’s a fantastic thing to be doing, no two days are the same and you never know where you’re going to be from one day to the next. For me, it’s about always challenging yourself. I am still involved in libraries, I am the chair of the Scottish Library and Information Council, which is a government advisory body for libraries. I am still very committed to libraries as a service and as a social good. Why did you choose to get involved with the Ayrshire College Foundation? Well, it’s something I’m very proud of as I was one of the three founding trustees of the Ayrshire College Foundation. It came about through other non-executive work that I had done. The offer to be a trustee fitted so well with what I had been doing as I had a lot of experience of how colleges work and my day job includes being the liaison for colleges for the university. I already knew a lot about Ayrshire College and the people who worked there and it seemed like a natural fit. The chance to be in at the start of something, which doesn’t happen very often, was exciting. Why do you think social media is important? I was a fairly early adopter of Twitter. I think for me as a librarian, social media is very much an informational tool, so librarians tended to adopt it very quickly because we could share information. I think it is important as a communication medium as well as an information medium and I’ve used it professionally to disseminate useful information to students and colleagues. It helps people make connections with other people. As far as the Foundation is concerned, I think it’s about raising awareness of what the Foundation does. It’s not the type of organisation where there’s something happening every single day but it’s about raising awareness at the right times and amplifying what’s happening in other places too and as we build our following we can start to do that. It’s important that we can promote to people that they can apply for funds and that they can go to the website to find out more information. What did you think of the Mission Discovery Project? Mission Discovery is fabulous. The most important thing about the event is the level of inspiration it gives people. I particularly enjoyed the open event where astronaut Michael Foale spoke to over 300 people and hearing young kids in the audience saying, “I want to do that, I want to be an astronaut” you can build on that. A lot of what Mission Discovery does is about raising ambition and raising aspiration and getting young people thinking about all the different things they can do. Realism comes in at some point – not everyone is going to be an astronaut, but the point that Michael was making through Mission Discovery was that we also need scientists, designers, IT specialists and people to run things on the ground. There’s a famous story about NASA in the sixties, that if you asked one of their cleaners, “what are you doing here?” they would say, “I’m working to put the man on the moon” because everyone in the organisation was pointed in that direction. So what I think you’re doing is getting people excited about the possibilities of things they can achieve and that’s the great thing about space, there’s an amazing thing about any kind of exploration, that gets people excited and anything that has a child going home and saying, “I’ve seen what I want to do” and then finding out how to do it is good. It could be space, it could be other things and what we really need to do with the projects that we fund is get them to be part of that, getting people to believe that they can be anything they want to be. What did you think of the work done to the Student Services areas in Ayr and Kilwinning? I think they were really good projects, it’s important to have a good environment to work in and while it’s true that good learning doesn’t depend on being in a lovely building - because great teachers are the key to good learning - but there’s no denying that if you put people in a really good space, they will learn better and engage better. The buzz and the atmosphere you create around spaces is really important. I think it was important that the College had comparable spaces on all the campuses but also that the students had a space that was really inviting and really fitted with what they needed. I think that’s what’s been achieved and I think that the projects that are coming up will do the same thing for other areas. What type of person or group can apply for funding from the Ayrshire College Foundation? Any group that has a really exciting educational project that fits with what Ayrshire College are trying to do can apply for funding. We are aware that there are lots of really great community groups out there that want to develop educational activity in their areas and want to have an impact on young people that struggle for funding. I would be really keen to see applications from groups with a great idea, that will support the development of people’s skills in Ayrshire and that will help the College to fulfil its mission. We want people to feel able to come to us with their projects so that we can help unlock some of those really small but beneficial projects. I would feel that would then really begin to have an impact beyond the walls of the College. The key is to think about how it fits with what the College is trying to do so that there is an overarching ethos. Fundamentally, we want to fund inspirational ideas. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? I am a Depute Head Teacher at Grange Academy and my background is as a Physics teacher. I have worked together with Ayrshire College for decades because I believe that if we are working together, we can get the best we can for the young people we serve. I have had many roles including being involved in enterprise and education with the College, I have been a member of the College Board, the chair of learning and teaching at Kilmarnock and I am now delighted to be a trustee of the Ayrshire College Foundation. Why did you choose to get involved with the Ayrshire College Foundation? With the Foundation it was almost a natural progression for me, when Ayr, Kilmarnock and Kilwinning Colleges merged to become Ayrshire College, I stepped down from the board but was delighted to be invited back to continue some involvement with the College. I am passionate about education, industry, colleges and further education all working together, so this let me maintain some involvement with the College and continue my support for it. What did you think of the Mission Discovery Project? We sent pupils from the school every morning, who were all very excited heading off to Mission Discovery and returning in the afternoon enthusiastically with lots of stories to tell. I visited the event where astronaut Michael Foale gave a talk, which was such an inspiration. Our students found it hugely beneficial, especially within my subject, physics, where the challenge is always to ensure that young women understand that they have a huge future within the STEM industries. Another benefit was that the students realised the massive opportunities that are here for them right on their doorstep in Ayrshire. One of the young people at the event commented on how they couldn’t believe that they could pursue their career in Ayrshire. I’m interested to hear how you encourage girls into STEM subjects? We have done so many things over the years as joint initiatives, with schools and colleges and other partners as well, higher education and further education sectors but it is sometimes difficult. As a teacher of physics and as a principal teacher of physics, I could have three rows of girls, and one row of boys in my class, but then not many of the girls were actually going on to do anything to do with STEM when they went on to university or work. I would say that the biggest impact for me, my most successful experience, was getting the young people out and working in real work places. When I taught my advanced higher class on a Friday afternoon, we used to meet in the carpark and jump in my car and I’d take them to wherever would give me a project, a real problem for them, and allow my girls and boys to work together and use their skills. We visited places like Diageo and the Paper Mill and actually see what it was like for women, and for men, to work side by side in engineering and scientific environments. The problem is that many people believe that science isn’t “girly” so to deal with that, I felt the best way was to get the girls out there and see what it was really like in a working environment. Because they were treated equally in the workplace, it made the students realise it didn’t matter if they are male or female, they can do whatever they want to do. What did you think of the work done at the Student Services areas in our Ayr and Kilwinning campuses? I think that the work was all very thoughtfully undertaken and it is evident that all students are benefiting from it. After the work was completed, I actually thought to myself, “why did we not do this sooner?” It’s great. What type of person or group can apply for funding from the Ayrshire College Foundation? One of our challenges is to understand and support applications appropriately. We need to make sure we get right applications and respond appropriately to them. However, we don’t have an exclusion zone, my experience is that the foundation are open to considering a wide range of applications. We have no set expectations, however the project has to be seen to benefit educationally and we want it to lead to positive destinations and impact the area and community, not just one person. |
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July 2022
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