Chamber and committees

I shall lead a debate in Parliament on the recommendations of the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment on 28 February 2024.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25062 on 27 February 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

All of the test and learn projects in this phase of the Scottish Educational Exchange Test and Learn pilot were led by Scottish higher education institutions.

(a) 23 applications were submitted

(b) 2 projects applied for additional funding for cross sector projects

(c) 3 projects applied for the full £25,000 (in addition to those who applied for extra cross sector funding. The total amount applied for was £345,093.10

Institutions have been informed of the outcome of their applications for funding from the Scottish Educational Exchange Test and Learn project, with projects already underway.

The Scottish Government works with the Scottish Funding Council, Colleges Scotland, and College Boards to ensure good governance.

We also engage with regional strategic boards, trade unions, student associations, and the College Development network, through the Good Governance Steering Group, to ensure the implementation of governance improvements across the sector.

In my statement to Parliament on 5 December 2023, I reiterated my commitment to streamline funding for colleges, universities and apprenticeships. As a first step, this means bringing together funding for student support into one place and funding for apprenticeships into one place.

The Scottish Government will provide further detail shortly.

The Scottish Government does not hold information about meetings between College Employers Scotland and trade unions.

However, it is my intention, in the coming weeks, to convene a roundtable discussion, with all partners, to discuss the next steps.

Throughout February 2024 the Scottish Government is undertaking consultation events with members of the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group on the draft Student Mental Health Action Plan. Following this, and the completion of attendant Impact Assessments, the Scottish Government will publish the Student Mental Health Action Plan .

The draft Plan sets out our expectations for institutions on supporting student mental health and wellbeing and how the Scottish Government will work with them and the wider public sector to give effect to those. It recognises the critical importance of early intervention and prevention and ensuring effective access to a diverse range of community-based clinical and non-clinical services. It outlines the significant levels of Scottish Government investment in mental health and wellbeing support which students can access. It makes clear the importance of providing timely clinical acute care for those who require it and how we will work with NHS Boards and institutions in this area.

The Good Governance Steering Group has had oversight of the implementation of the addition of trade union nominees to college boards.

The Good Governance Steering Group is monitoring the progress of trade union nominations and the Scottish Government expects the Group to continue to keep abreast of good governance in the college sector and to inform the Scottish Government of governance issues.

The Scottish Government's International Education Strategy was published on 7 February 2024.

Scotland's International Education Strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)