12 City of Glasgow College Annual Report & Accounts 2020-21
Learner Destinations
In return for funding from the Scottish Funding Council,
every college is required to produce evidence of the
destination outcomes of learners. This is one measure
of success contained within the college's outcome
agreement, in turn one part of the regional outcome
agreement overseen by the Glasgow Colleges' Regional
Board.
Destination data is critical information to a successful
college, telling us something about how well curriculum
is aligned to employer demand. It also allows us to see
how well our higher education curriculum is planned and
aligned, especially in terms of articulation to university.
Data is collected by tracking previous students and is
then compared across the sector as a whole. Reports are
produced on the outcomes of previous academic years.
In this year we were able to report on the outcomes of
learners from AY2019-20.
Confirmed leaver destinations were obtained for over
5137 leavers - the highest number of learners across the
college sector - which represented 91% of the College's
learners sampled, 2pp higher than the sector average.
As a proportion of all the College leavers sampled, just
over 90% were reported to be in a positive destination.
This is 6pp above the sector average. Moreover, of those
confirming a destination, almost 96% (4906) were in a
positive destination 1.7 pp above the sector average.
Of those progressing into employment, 66% work in an
area related to their study, 1pp above the college sector
average. Of those completing and continuing within the
college, 91% do so at a higher level of study, some 4pp
above the College average.
The College Leaver Destination results for our 2019-20
leavers, helps to demonstrate the college's effectiveness
in building the needs of business and industry within
the curriculum. Moreover, it endorses the work we have
being doing to build partnerships and connections with
employers across the college.
Looking ahead we are particularly mindful of the scale of
local, regional and national economic challenges, and the
combined impact on the hospitality and leisure sector in
Glasgow. Whilst this demand will build back, outcomes
for learners on existing courses will face significant
barriers to work.
Quality of Learning & Teaching - Education
Scotland
Education Scotland oversees the quality of learning and
teaching in Scottish Colleges. Whilst their visits to assess
progress were suspended and self-evaluation moderated
this year, the College has continued to implement the
Education Scotland quality framework 'How Good is Our
College'.
In support of this, the College has an Enhancement Plan
and significant progress has been made against this,
especially in relation to our mental health action plan and
our digital transformation.
Key areas of progress with regard to mental health
and well-being, for example, include: on-campus
counselling sustained through a new telephone service;
the procurement of Togetherall to offer learners (and
staff) a safe community to support mental health 24/7;
weekly welfare checks undertaken with most vulnerable
learners; specific support and welfare checks for learners
in City Halls of Residence; and new resources developed
to tackle social isolation. The College also prioritised
the track and trace system as a further opportunity to
support vulnerable students.
Significant progress has also been made with the College
digital transformation plan to design, combine and deliver
a substantive and coherent blended learning experience,
and open-up learning to all. This year there has been a
step-change in the nature, scale and development of
digital resources - from free-to-access webinars, online
learning materials and on-line training events to build
capacity - not only in the College but across education.
The work was showcased at JISC's (the national body
that supports digital services for colleges and universities)
UK conference. We have also collaborated with the
University for Industry Trust, the General Teaching Council
for Scotland, and a range of relevant Scottish and UK
stakeholders in promoting the materials, webinars,
and our overall approach, delivering over 500 webinar
sessions to over 6000 participants.
The College featured in Education Scotland's practice
visits to inform its National Overview Report. The
College's effective practice on integrated assessment
was highlighted as part of the report and showcased
to the sector as part of a series of best practice events
coordinated by Education Scotland.
Student Satisfaction
Student satisfaction is a key performance indicator.
Achieving high satisfaction rates tells us something
about the quality of the learning and teaching experience
as well as the effectiveness of the whole College in
supporting that experience. The College undertakes an
annual student satisfaction and engagement survey. This
is part of a national college sector survey overseen by