A new initiative announced today Monday 6 May will see universities and business organisations in Scotland team up to support and encourage graduate employability in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).Universities Scotland, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses Scotland, student organisations and others will work together on a joint campaign which will promote SMEs as a positive career destination to graduates as well as promoting to businesses the added value that graduates can bring to SMEs.The initiative is one of 22 recommendations in a report, Taking Pride in the Job, published by Universities Scotland. The report responds to the Scottish Government's call for an "all Scotland" approach to youth unemployment and follows a year-long programme of engagement with businesses, students and others.University engagement with SMEs was made the centre of one of eight chapters in the report as SMEs are central to Scotland's economy. Consultation with stakeholders during the report's development uncovered real and perceived barriers that could be preventing higher levels of graduate employment within SMEs. The report finds that there are opportunities for SMEs and graduates which are not yet fully realised. Unlocking these opportunities will develop the ability for graduates to make an impact at SMEs and SMEs' ability to gain from graduates' subject specific skills and transferrable attributes. SMEs are responsible for 54 per cent of Scotland's private sector employment, so it is important that these opportunities are made clear to both parties - particularly at a time when the labour market is challenging for young people and small businesses alike. In response, Universities Scotland will work with the representative bodies of small and medium sized businesses, students and university careers staff to develop a campaign focussed at both current students and SMEs with a view to encouraging greater levels of graduate recruitment by SMEs. A new initiative announced today Monday 6 May will see universities and business organisations in Scotland team up to support and encourage graduate employability in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).Universities Scotland, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses Scotland, student organisations and others will work together on a joint campaign which will promote SMEs as a positive career destination to graduates as well as promoting to businesses the added value that graduates can bring to SMEs.The initiative is one of 22 recommendations in a report, Taking Pride in the Job, published by Universities Scotland. The report responds to the Scottish Government's call for an "all Scotland" approach to youth unemployment and follows a year-long programme of engagement with businesses, students and others.University engagement with SMEs was made the centre of one of eight chapters in the report as SMEs are central to Scotland's economy. Consultation with stakeholders during the report's development uncovered real and perceived barriers that could be preventing higher levels of graduate employment within SMEs. The report finds that there are opportunities for SMEs and graduates which are not yet fully realised. Unlocking these opportunities will develop the ability for graduates to make an impact at SMEs and SMEs' ability to gain from graduates' subject specific skills and transferrable attributes. SMEs are responsible for 54 per cent of Scotland's private sector employment, so it is important that these opportunities are made clear to both parties - particularly at a time when the labour market is challenging for young people and small businesses alike. In response, Universities Scotland will work with the representative bodies of small and medium sized businesses, students and university careers staff to develop a campaign focussed at both current students and SMEs with a view to encouraging greater levels of graduate recruitment by SMEs.Universities Scotland's Convener, Professor Pete Downes said:"Universities are proud to develop talented and motivated graduates who have confidence in themselves and in their ability to forge a successful and rewarding career - whatever shape that takes. We are committed to supporting every graduate to achieve this."Small businesses are a key part of Scotland's economy and can offer graduates so much in the way of diverse opportunities and hands-on experience, particularly as employment in this sector means working closely with established and successful entrepreneurs. Employing graduates is important for these companies to succeed by being more innovative and adaptable. Small businesses are the lifeblood of Scotland's economy and to continue to thrive they will need to refresh their talent with highly motivated and highly skilled university graduates."Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, commented:"In Scotland, we are rightly proud of our diverse and high performing university sector. There are many existing examples of productive collaboration between business and universities in knowledge transfer, and innovation. Focussing on employability within universities provides a truly valuable opportunity to both deepen and broaden the engagement between our universities and the business community, which will benefit the Scottish economy and support business growth."Scottish Chambers of Commerce therefore welcome this report, particularly the recognition by our universities of the vital role of SMEs. We look forward to working with Universities Scotland and the Higher Education sector to strengthen the engagement between the sector and the business community, building on the many excellent relationships that the sector enjoys with Chambers of Commerce and the business community across Scotland."The report contains 22 recommendations to further support graduate employability, most of which are for universities themselves to take forward. The report also shares a further 21 actions and initiatives, considered to be good practice, that are already in place at many universities across Scotland. Other recommendations include: Exploration of how universities encourage greater levels of graduate entrepreneurship. In continuing to develop an institutional culture of enterprise, universities should consider how to increase cross-overs between their enterprising research and knowledge exchange activity and teaching, ensuring that students have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by this activity.A role for student associations in encouraging student take-up of university careers services from the first year of study. Such services are available and advertised to students from enrolment onwards but a survey in Scotland found fewer than ten per cent of students using careers services were first-years.Work placements offered to students should be paid or credit bearing as part of a degree programme. Not all placements can be made available on a paid basis, particularly if we are to encourage further growth in the number of placements available. However, unpaid work placements create inequalities in terms of which students can access them. This can be reconciled if work placements offered by universities become credit-bearing as part of a degree or paid. Taking Pride in the Job also looks at how Scotland's universities have universally embedded employability as well as issues around the availability of work placements, university careers services, global skills and the delivery of enterprise and entrepreneurship within universities. Universities Scotland will be working with Scotland's 19 universities to take forward the recommendations.Minister for Youth Employment, Angela Constance said: "Graduates often suffer from the same difficulties as school leavers and young people finishing college courses. As they often lack hands on work experience, they are not always the first choice for employers, particularly in times of economic difficulty. I am very pleased that Universities Scotland has answered the Scottish Government's call for a fresh focus on youth employment and their work with the business world will not only help open up more employment opportunities for graduates, but also allow our SMEs better access to an incredibly enthusiastic pool of young talent."Graduate employment remains high in Scotland, despite real challenges in the job market which have taken the biggest toll on young people under 25 years of age. 93% of graduates from Scotland's universities are in positive destinations within six months of graduating; the highest proportion anywhere in the UK. However, universities are not complacent and take the view that any unemployment is a waste of talent. Taking Pride in the Job represents a commitment on behalf of all of Scotland's universities to do all they can to ensure students have every opportunity whilst at university to acquire the right mix of subject knowledge, skills and experience to enter the jobs market in the strongest possible position.Employability has been a priority focus at Scotland's universities for many years, with every one of Scotland's 19 higher education institutions committed to it at strategic level in contrast to universities in the rest of the UK and Europe [1].CASE STUDYUniversity of Glasgow Graduate Peter Rowan undertook a three-month internship at a Scottish SME, Micro Technology Consultants (MTC) through the Club 21/Santander Internship Opportunity.Jim Magill, Partner, Micro Technology Consultants (MTC) said:"MTC has a long association with Glasgow University and is delighted to be able to introduce graduates to a range of commercial engineering projects, giving them the opportunity to apply the knowledge they've gained during their studies and to further develop their skills."Graduate, Peter Rowan said the opportunity "proved to be incredibly beneficial to both my personal and professional development and provided an excellent opportunity to gain some valuable experience in industry". Peter said:"I found working at a smaller organisation had many advantages. The most immediately apparent of these was that the small work force ensured a very friendly atmosphere, which immediately helped me to feel comfortable in my new role at the company. It also meant working more directly with both senior engineers as well as the company management, which provided a unique insight into the practicalities of how a business is structured and run. Additionally it felt like I had more influence as to the direction certain projects would take compared to if I had been at a larger company. During the internship I got the opportunity to work on several different projects, which exposed me to a breadth of different challenges. This allowed me to draw upon the wide range of skills developed whilst at university and to learn some that were entirely new. It also helped to give me a good understanding of the range of work that is undertaken by MTC and a better appreciation for the company."For more information about Club 21 please visit: www.gla.ac.uk/club21Notes  See page 44 of the report. This is taken from a 2011 BIS report called Supporting Graduate Employability: HEI Practice in other countries.You can find the report on the Universities Scotland website here: http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/uploads/TakingPrideintheJobApril13.pdf 

Taking Pride in the Job is the product of a year-long engagement with business, students, and universities. Our goal, and the focus of the report, was to identify existing good practice which can be shared to enhance employability and propose further action to continue to improve the employability of graduates. Read Taking Pride in the Job Taking Pride in the Job is the product of a year-long engagement with business, students, and universities. Our goal, and the focus of the report, was to identify existing good practice which can be shared to enhance employability and propose further action to continue to improve the employability of graduates. Read Taking Pride in the Job

Universities Scotland welcomes the draft publication of a new code of good governance for Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions today [16 April], describing it as a progressive code which would set Scotland’s universities at the leading edge of accountable governance amongst all of Europe. Key measures within the new draft code include:New measures to provide greater transparency in decisions relating to the remuneration of the Principal.New measures for greater staff and student involvement in the formal appraisal of the Principal.A new requirement to include goals for greater diversity of the governing body membership and regular monitoring of progress towards such goals.The creation of a new role in university governance of Vice Chair with particular responsibility for assessing the Chair’s performance.A requirement for the constitution of a nominations committee for the appointment of lay members of the governing body and selection of the Chair to ensure staff and student engagement.A new requirement that vacancies for independent or lay members of university governing bodies are advertised externally. The recruitment process must address issues of equality and diversity and should involve a skills register to assist in identifying the skills needs of the institution. Clear responsibilities for the Chair to protect discussions at the governing body from dominance by senior management.Affirmation of the importance of university autonomyRenewed commitment to the importance of academic freedom  Taken collectively, the measures proposed in the new code represent a significant step forward in university transparency, inclusion and accountability to stakeholders, building on what is already recognised as a solid basis of university governance.The code remains a draft at this stage as it enters a final consultation phase lasting eight weeks. Following stakeholder consultation the code is expected to be finalised and implemented in time for the new academic year which formally starts 1 August 2013.The code can be downloaded from the official website at: www.scottishuniversitygovernance.ac.uk You can download the full Universities Scotland press release here.  Universities Scotland welcomes the draft publication of a new code of good governance for Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions today [16 April], describing it as a progressive code which would set Scotland’s universities at the leading edge of accountable governance amongst all of Europe. Key measures within the new draft code include:New measures to provide greater transparency in decisions relating to the remuneration of the Principal.New measures for greater staff and student involvement in the formal appraisal of the Principal.A new requirement to include goals for greater diversity of the governing body membership and regular monitoring of progress towards such goals.The creation of a new role in university governance of Vice Chair with particular responsibility for assessing the Chair’s performance.A requirement for the constitution of a nominations committee for the appointment of lay members of the governing body and selection of the Chair to ensure staff and student engagement.A new requirement that vacancies for independent or lay members of university governing bodies are advertised externally. The recruitment process must address issues of equality and diversity and should involve a skills register to assist in identifying the skills needs of the institution. Clear responsibilities for the Chair to protect discussions at the governing body from dominance by senior management.Affirmation of the importance of university autonomyRenewed commitment to the importance of academic freedom  Taken collectively, the measures proposed in the new code represent a significant step forward in university transparency, inclusion and accountability to stakeholders, building on what is already recognised as a solid basis of university governance.The code remains a draft at this stage as it enters a final consultation phase lasting eight weeks. Following stakeholder consultation the code is expected to be finalised and implemented in time for the new academic year which formally starts 1 August 2013.The code can be downloaded from the official website at: www.scottishuniversitygovernance.ac.uk You can download the full Universities Scotland press release here.

Widening access beyond socio-economic statusAlastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said:"Universities take a broad approach to widening access which focuses on addressing under-representation of all kinds including the participation of students with disabilities and care leavers alongside those from less advantage socio-economic groups.  Universities will continue to approach their role in widening access on this broad understanding, an approach which is evident in universities' intentions as laid out in their outcome agreements on access"The Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill makes reference to outcome agreements on access negotiated between the Funding Council and universities.  Such outcome agreements are already in existence for academic year 2012/13.  Universities' broad approach to widening access of under-represented groups is reflected in each institution's individual published outcome agreement, and the majority of universities have provisions relating to improving access based on a range of socio-economic indicators including care leavers and those with disabilities.Universities are monitored annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) using Performance Indicators which provide comparative data on the performance of institutions in widening access.  Widening access beyond socio-economic status Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said: “Universities take a broad approach to widening access which focuses on addressing under-representation of all kinds including the participation of students with disabilities and care leavers alongside those from less advantaged socio-economic groups.  Universities will continue to approach their role in widening access on this broad understanding; an approach with is evident in universities’ intentions as laid out in their outcome agreements on access.” The Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill makes reference to outcome agreements on access negotiated between the Funding Council and universities. Such outcome agreements are already in existence for academic year 2012/13. Universities’ broad approach to widening access of under-represented groups is reflected in each institution’s individual published outcome agreements, and the majority of universities have provisions relating to improving access based on a range of socio-economic indicators including care leavers and those with disabilities. Universities are monitored annually by The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) using Performance Indicators which provide comparative data on the performance of institutions in widening access. 

Widening access: HESA Performance Indicators fail to capture universities' significant step-up on access over the last yearThe Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has today, Wednesday 21 March, published a data set of performance indicators for entrants to university from state schools and from social classes NS-SEC 4,5,6 and 7 in academic year 201/12. However, the time-lag on today's data means that it cannot record the impact of a range of significant actions taken by universities and the Scottish Government over the last year to widen access to disadvantaged students. Since 2011/12 every university in Scotland has signed up to an outcome agreement on access including targets for progress. Additionally, the Scottish Government has funded an additional 700 places at university which are to be ring-fenced for students from the poorest neighborhoods (as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation's lowest two quintiles - SIMD40). Universities are currently recruiting to fill these places and will see more students enter university in academic year 2013/14 from a broader range of backgrounds.Commenting on today's figures, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said:"The inevitable time-lag on the data means that today's figures don't yet reflect the major action to widen access that universities have taken over the last year. Every university has publicly committed to doing so and has developed an outcome agreement including goals for progress. Universities are also working hard to recruit to 700 additional places which have been set aside for students from the poorest neighborhoods and which we hope to see on university campuses from the autumn onwards. "We can project that the impact of the additional access places is likely to mean as much as a 15 per cent increase in university students from the most disadvantaged areas of Scotland, but frustratingly this won't show up in the figures for another two years."Universities have been working to widen access for years in partnership with schools and colleges. There must be a collective effort to raise aspiration and attainment of young people, from the earliest years onwards, if we're to bring about a significant change in the profile of students at university." The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has today, Wednesday 21 March, published a data set of performance indicators for entrants to university from state schools and from social classes NS-SEC 4,5,6 and 7 in academic year 201/12. However, the time-lag on today's data means that it cannot record the impact of a range of significant actions taken by universities and the Scottish Government over the last year to widen access to disadvantaged students.Since 2011/12 every university in Scotland has signed up to an outcome agreement on access including targets for progress. Additionally, the Scottish Government has funded an additional 700 places at university which are to be ring-fenced for students from the poorest neighborhoods (as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation's lowest two quintiles - SIMD40). Universities are currently recruiting to fill these places and will see more students enter university in academic year 2013/14 from a broader range of backgrounds.Commenting on today's figures, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said:"The inevitable time-lag on the data means that today's figures don't yet reflect the major action to widen access that universities have taken over the last year. Every university has publicly committed to doing so and has developed an outcome agreement including goals for progress. Universities are also working hard to recruit to 700 additional places which have been set aside for students from the poorest neighborhoods and which we hope to see on university campuses from the autumn onwards. "We can project that the impact of the additional access places is likely to mean as much as a 15 per cent increase in university students from the most disadvantaged areas of Scotland, but frustratingly this won't show up in the figures for another two years."Universities have been working to widen access for years in partnership with schools and colleges. There must be a collective effort to raise aspiration and attainment of young people, from the earliest years onwards, if we're to bring about a significant change in the profile of students at university."In addition to the HESA figures, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has produced a complementary set of figures which look at Scottish-domiciled entrants to Scottish universities. As Scotland is a net-importer of students from the rest of the UK, such entrants can skew the figures for Scotland. The SFC figures provide a more focused picture than that produced by HESA.Figures from the SFC show: 29.2 per cent of Scottish entrants to Scotland's universities were from social classes 4-7, a figure which is broadly comparable with last year (29.6 per cent). 22.5 per cent of Scottish entrants were from neighborhoods in the 40 per cent most deprived data zones in Scotland. NOTESFigures from the SFC show that there were 4,676 students from MD40 backgrounds in 2011/12 out of a total of 20,782 of known deprivation. When the additional 700 ring-fenced university places for MD40 students have been recruited, the number of MD40 students is projected to increase to 5,376 entrants, which would mean as much as 15 per cent increase in MD40 entrants between 2011/12 and 2013/14.SFC's data, with a focus on Scottish-domiciled students, can be found here. Today's figures show the picture in 2011/12. Outcome agreements on access as signed by universities take effect from academic year 2012/13. The additional funded places are for academic year 2013/14 which means neither action is captured in the HESA or SFC figures released today. 

Delivery of Public Services and the McClelland review of public sector ICT, Scotland's universities and colleges set out here a shared vision for ICT in the sector. This strategy will engage and be developed for the benefit of Scotland's citizens. It will ensure an inclusive approach and will aim to position Scotland, not only as one of the best educators in the world, but one of the most modern and efficient practitioners of education supported and enhanced by technology. Read the ICT Strategy Delivery of Public Services and the McClelland review of public sector ICT, Scotland's universities and colleges set out here a shared vision for ICT in the sector. This strategy will engage and be developed for the benefit of Scotland's citizens. It will ensure an inclusive approach and will aim to position Scotland, not only as one of the best educators in the world, but one of the most modern and efficient practitioners of education supported and enhanced by technology. Read the ICT Strategy

Today, Wednesday 6 March, universities in Scotland and South Korea will sign a memorandum of understanding to foster closer academic ties between the two countries. The formal agreement is to be signed by the representative bodies of universities in both countries; Universities Scotland and the Korean Council for University Education at an event hosted by the University of Edinburgh.This collaboration between Universities Scotland and the Korean Council for University Education builds on the success of past visits to Scotland by two delegations from South Korea in 2011 and 2012 to explore avenues of cooperation in student mobility, dual degrees and joint research. There is a significant amount of complementarity between Korea and Scotland's research strengths with pockets of excellence in geo-sciences, material sciences, engineering and electronics to name a few key areas. Speaking at the event, Professor Pete Downes, Covener, Universities Scotland said:"Engagement between our two organisations through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding is a welcome step in furthering closer academic ties between Scotland and Korea. It will help the sector continue to develop partnerships and collaborative research between individual universities in Scotland and Korea, as well as through Scotland's highly regarded research pools in areas such as Energy, Engineering, Economics, Education, Life Sciences, Science and Social science." Today, Wednesday 6 March, universities in Scotland and South Korea will sign a memorandum of understanding to foster closer academic ties between the two countries. The formal agreement is to be signed by the representative bodies of universities in both countries; Universities Scotland and the Korean Council for University Education at an event hosted by the University of Edinburgh. This collaboration between Universities Scotland and the Korean Council for University Education builds on the success of past visits to Scotland by two delegations from South Korea in 2011 and 2012 to explore avenues of cooperation in student mobility, dual degrees and joint research. There is a significant amount of complementarity between Korea and Scotland's research strengths with pockets of excellence in geo-sciences, material sciences, engineering and electronics to name a few key areas. Speaking at the event, Professor Pete Downes, Covener, Universities Scotland said:"Engagement between our two organisations through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding is a welcome step in furthering closer academic ties between Scotland and Korea. It will help the sector continue to develop partnerships and collaborative research between individual universities in Scotland and Korea, as well as through Scotland's highly regarded research pools in areas such as Energy, Engineering, Economics, Education, Life Sciences, Science and Social science." A representative from Korean Council for University Education said:"The memorandum of understanding marks a real effort to achieve concrete actions which will enhance academic links between both countries and generate bilateral opportunities for students and staff."BackgroundUniversities Scotland (US) represents Scotland's 19 higher education institutions. Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) represents 201 South Korean universities/institutions of higher education.