Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change - 15 June 2015 Stirling Court Hotel - Scottish ...
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Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change 15 June 2015 Stirling Court Hotel
Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change
Contents Page
Purpose of the day………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 3
Programme…………............................………………………………………………………………………….........…... 4
Workshops…………………………………………...............................……………………………………………...……. 6
Delegate list…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Scottish Funding Council Gender Action Plan……………………….…………….………………………………… 10
Notes.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15
Purpose of the day
A Gender Action Plan is currently being developed by SFC, in partnership with SDS and the
Scottish Government.
This event will be an opportunity to share good practice and consider how the action plan should
be shaped to support colleges, universities and partners in addressing gender imbalances to meet
the ambitions of Government policy, such as in Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland’s
Youth Employment Strategy.
Whilst the action plan will ultimately have a broader focus, this initial event will be focused on
looking at gender imbalances amongst students.
3
Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change
Programme
9.30am Coffee and Registration
10.00am Welcome – Alice Brown, Chair, Scottish Funding Council
10.10 – 11.00 Key notes – The case for change and how colleges and
universities are responding
• The student perspective - Rebecca O’Neill
• The case for change - Emma Ritch, Director, Engender
• A college strategic approach: Ayrshire College –
Marla Baird, Equalities and Inclusion Manager
• A university initiative: Educated Pass - Neil Speirs, Senior
Widening Participation Officer, University of Edinburgh
11.00 – 11.15 Coffee
11.15 – 11.45 The Gender Action Plan – The key issues and achieving
sustainable change by working together
• SFC overview – John Kemp, Director of Access, Skills and
Outcome Agreements
• SDS overview – Katie Hutton, Depute Director, National
Training Programmes
11.45 – 12.30 Table discussions
12.30 – 12.45 Feedback – main themes
12.45 – 1.30 Lunch
4
1.30 – 2.25 Workshops – practice sharing
1. Challenging gender imbalances in degree courses
2. Gender plus: understanding the multiple factors that
influence student access
3. Achieving non-gendered pathways from school choices to
employment outcomes
4. Let’s Talk About Sex: utilising funding to kick start STEM
gender equality
2.35 – 3.30 Workshops 1 - 4 running again
See outlines on next page
3.30pm Close, with refreshments available
5Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change
Workshops
1. Challenging gender imbalances in degree courses
The workshop will analyse the complex issue of gender imbalances in degrees. It will
consider the experiences of Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) students who have
studied an access programme and are now at University studying nursing, primary education
and engineering. The workshop will consider the challenges faced by students in breaking
down stereotypes and practical ways Universities and Colleges can address these issues. The
participants in the workshop will analyse the effectiveness of intervention at:
• raising awareness of opportunities and marketing of programmes
• challenging attitudes
• supporting the role of the College and University lecturer
• developing students as role models
This workshop will be facilitated by Kenny Anderson, Scottish Wider Access Programme.
2. Gender plus: understanding the multiple factors that influence student access
This workshop will take gender as the starting point for a discussion about the concept of
intersectionality and its relevance for access to further and higher education. Using case
studies, discussion and activities participants will map out the multiple factors that influence
student access. Participants will also be provided with the opportunity to think about how
they can take account of these different factors through using existing activities and building
partnerships within their institutions to tackle gender imbalances.
This workshop will be facilitated by Gemma Tracey and David Bass from the Equality
Challenge Unit.
3. Achieving non-gendered pathways from school choices to employment outcomes
This workshop will discuss Forth Valley College’s STEM and SCOTS program*, the 8-14 and
14+ school link and transition. Following an overview of the college’s work, delegates will be
invited to design a STEM Plus course to address gender imbalance across all areas of elivery.
* The Schools-College Opportunities to Succeed (SCOTS) programme is jointly delivered with
Forth Valley’s local authority partners. The programme is for pupils entering S4 who see
college as a potential post-school destination, but are unclear about their choice of
vocational area or future pathway and are deemed to be at risk of low achievement and a
potential negative destination. The programme specifically sets out to challenge gender
stereotypical vocational choices.
This workshop will be facilitated by Fiona Jackson and Rob McDermott from Forth Valley
College.
64. Let’s Talk About Sex: utilising funding to kick start STEM gender equality
This workshop will explore work carried out by Equate Scotland and Edinburgh Napier
University in tackling gender inequalities in STEM subjects. The presenters will outline the
strategic intent behind their work, challenges encountered and its impact. Participants will
then have the opportunity through small group and plenary discussion to share
experiences from their own institutions in tackling gender inequality in STEM. Common
themes will be identified and collated.
The workshop will be facilitated by Allison Johnston, Equate Scotland and Sandra
Cairncross, Edinburgh Napier University.
7Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change
Delegate list
First name Last name Job title Organisation Table
Rachel Adamson Senior Policy Officer SFC 2
Michelle Anderson Director of Library Services Robert Gordon Univeristy 9
Kenny Anderson Director SWAP West 7
Anne Ashton Senior Policy Executive Scottish Government 1
Ruth Bain Administrator FOCUS West 11
Marla Baird Equalities and Inclusion Manager Ayrshire College 2
Elaine Ballantyne Equality Officer South Lanarkshire College 10
David Bass Senior Policy Adviser Equality Challenge Unit 8
Nancy Birney Head of Equality & Inclusion Glasgow Clyde College 8
Stef Black Policy & Research Coordinator University of Stirling SA 4
Alice Brown Chair SFC 1
Fiona Burns Assistant Director, Access SFC 4
Sandra Cairncross Assistant Principal Student Experience Edinburgh Napier University 1
Fiona Caldwell Policy Officer Abertay University 7
Andrea Cameron Head of School of Social and Health Sciences Abertay University 8
Hollie Cameron VP Education University of Stirling SA 2
Maria GraziaCascio Athena SWAN coordinator University of Aberdeen 7
Janine Chalmers Equality and Diversity Adviser University of Aberdeen 8
Neil Croll Head of Widening Participation University of Glasgow 10
Karen Cullen Outreach & Community Engagement Team Queen Margaret University 6
Patricia Currie Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Manager Glasgow Kelvin College 9
Jill Davie Schools & Community Planning Officer West Lothian College 7
Edna Docherty Policy, Planning and Governance Officer University of Stirling 5
Lesley Dunbar Director SWAP East 6
Helen Duncan Equality and Diversity Adviser Perth College UHI 10
Jennifer Dunlop Policy Manager Glasgow Caledonian University 11
Valerie Egdell Senior Research Fellow Edinburgh Napier University 2
Clare Fraser Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager West College Scotland 11
Linda Gibson Widening Participation Office - Reach Project University of St Andrews 11
Ian Graham Academic Registrar/Lecturer Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI 9
Stephanie Graham Vice Principal Educational Leadership West College Scotland 9
Linda Grant MIS Officer Edinburgh College 10
Susan Grant Head of Quality North East Scotland College 6
Neva Haites VP and Champion for E&D University of Aberdeen 9
Pauline Hanesworth Academic Development Officer (Equality and Diversity) HEA Scotland 9
Jane Henderson Widening Access Manager Ayrshire College 4
Gill Hogg Acting Vice-Principal Heriot-Watt University 1
Peter Hughes Development Manager Skills Development Scotland 8
Katie Hutton Depute Director, National Training Programmes Skills Development Scotland 3
Susan Inglis Equalities, Policy and Research Manager Edinburgh College 11
Fiona Jackson CM Forth Valley College 4
Allison Johnstone Project Officer Equate Scotland 10
John Kemp Director of Access, Skills and Outcome Agreements SFC 3
Louise Ker Policy Officer (Learning & Teaching) Universities Scotland 11
8First name Last name Job title Organisation Table
Tracey Kerr Widening Participation Manager University of Stirling 6
David Killean Vice Principal - Quality and Innovation Borders College 1
Andrew Kinnell Student Union President University of Stirling 7
Louise Lauchlan Policy Officer SFC 6
Dorothee Leslie Director of Curriculum (Higher Education) Dundee and Angus College 8
Ian Lowe Project Manager - Dundee Academy of Sport Abertay University 9
Lesley Macniven Development Partner Edinburgh Napier University 3
Alison Malcolm Policy Officer SFC 7
Priscilla Marongwe Equality and Diversity Business Partner SRUC 3
Suzanne Marshall Advisor- Equalities College Development Network 4
David Marshall Director of Student Services Glasgow Clyde College 6
Julie Martin Policy Executive Scottish Government 7
Muriel Masson Student Retention and Surveys Officer Queen Margaret University 7
Halena McAnulty Senior Policy Officer SFC 8
Janet McCauslin Director – Projects Fife College 11
Rhona McComiskie Project Co-ordinator Robert Gordon University 11
Rob McDermott Forth Valley College 3
Joanna McGillivray AP Learning, Teaching & Quality Enhancement Fife College 3
Megan McHaney Policy and Public Affairs Officer NUS Scotland 1
Stephanie McKendry Widening Access Manager University of Strathclyde 4
Mairi McKinnon Depute Manager LIFT OFF 2
Michelle McNeill Policy Officer SFC 9
Alison Meldrum Outcome Manager SFC 10
Sam Mucha Caseworker Edinburgh College SA 2
Alison Murray Head of Department Engineering, Science & Technology SRUC 1
James Nicholson Head of Student Services Abertay University 10
Karen Nimmo Skills Planning Policy Manager Skills Development Scotland 10
Rebecca O'Neill Student University of Stirling 3
Andrew Quickfall Head of Planning Edinburgh Napier University 4
Emma Ritch Director Engender 5
Alison Robertson CfE Officer Aberdeenshire Council 6
Helliate Rushwaya Project Manager Creative Loop 3
Bernadette Sanderson Director FOCUS West 1
Lindsay Seywright Assistant Principal West Lothian College 1
Carron Shankland Athena SWAN lead, Professor of Computing Science University of Stirling 8
Mhairi Shillinglaw Equalities Manager Forth Valley College 5
Gillian Simmons Policy and Project Manager University of Edinburgh 5
Elaine Sinclair Wider Access Team Leader Robert Gordon Univeristy 10
Neil Speirs Senior Widening Participation Officer University of Edinburgh 4
Seamus Spencer Outcome Manager SFC 11
Nick Stansfeld Policy Officer SFC 5
Caroline Storey Diversity Co-ordinator Forth Valley College 7
Ruth Swan Senior Student Recruitment Officer Edinburgh Napier University 5
Rhiannon Thompson Athena SWAN Project Officer University of Aberdeen 6
Gemma Tracey Senior Policy Adviser Equality Challenge Unit 9
Carol Turnbull Principal and Chief Executive Dumfries and Galloway College 5
Sharan Virdee Equality and Diversity Partner Heriot-Watt University 2
Emma-Jane Whitehead Strategic Development Officer HWB Aberdeenshire Council 5
Mark Wild Policy Officer (Learning & Teaching) Universities Scotland 2
Helen Young Depute Head of Engineering West Lothian College 2
9Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change
Scottish Funding Council Gender Action Plan
An individual’s gender should not determine their life’s course, but too often at the moment it
does, with early life experiences differing for boys and girls in fundamental ways that go on to
determine outcomes and earnings. As part of our ambitions to ensure equality lies at the heart of
Scotland’s education system, the Scottish Funding Council is developing a gender action plan, in
partnership with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Government.
Consultation event
Today’s event is an opportunity for the Scottish Funding Council to hear from both sectors on
how the action plan should be shaped to support colleges, universities and their partners in
addressing gender imbalances, as well as what level of ambition for change we should have.
During the course of the morning, delegates will hear about the development of the plan and will
be asked to discuss the following questions:
1. Of the work currently being undertaken by Scottish colleges and universities to address
gender imbalances at a student level what do you think is and is not working well and why
do think this?
2. What level of change can we expect from both sectors in 10 years?
Following the event, to enable as many people as possible to contribute to the development of
the plan, we will be distributing the following information widely, with a broader range of
questions posed at the end, inviting responses within 6 weeks (see page 14).
Our approach in developing the plan
We are adopting a phased approach to the development and implementation of the plan. Whilst
it will ultimately have a broader focus, our first phase will outline how we plan to address gender
imbalances amongst students, as we were tasked to do by the Government through Developing
the Young Workforce: Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy (DYW). Our action plan will however
go beyond the expectation of that strategy to identify the key actions to tackle gender imbalances
within colleges and universities, as well as outlining the aspirations and ambitions of both sectors.
We believe that an aligned action plan between the sectors is necessary as we recognise the
systemic issues underpinning gender imbalances across both sectors require action from partners
across the educational system and beyond, if they are to be tackled. Secondly, there are many
different routes an individual’s journey through the education system can take and an aligned
plan will help address the issues at each stage of the journey in a more coordinated fashion than
when addressed separately. To ensure alignment across the sectors, we are working closely with
Skills Development Scotland.
10Actions and ambitions for the first phase of the plan will be published by the end of 2015, at
which time we will also signpost our key priorities for the second phase of development, those
associated with broader issues of gender inequality. These priorities will then be developed into
concrete actions during the beginning of 2016. In parallel, we will enhance our expectations on
both sectors to tackle gender imbalances in the next round of Outcome Agreement (OA)
negotiations (guidance to be published in summer 2015). The full action plan, covering both staff
and students, we propose will be published by the beginning of the next three year cycle of OAs,
with the OA guidance updated to reflect this (summer 2016).
In parallel with the development of the plan, we will be allocating funding from the Scottish
Government to support the further implementation of DYW, in particular colleges’ ambitions to
tackle gender imbalances, as well as commissioning research to understand and evaluate current
approaches to tackling gender imbalances across both sectors.
The rationale
Many courses in both sectors are heavily gendered: that is, their students tend to be mainly men
or mainly women. These courses are often those most closely related to particular occupations.
They therefore have a significant effect on subsequent career options. This is the main issue we
want to address. There are other gender issues in further and higher education. These cannot be
separated from the main focus of this work and we will address them in the second phase of its
development.
While there are many arguments for reducing gender imbalances in subject choices the principal
reason for SFC is that the course choices students make affect the career pathways that create
‘women’s jobs’ and ‘men’s jobs’, this affects wages and perpetuates a system where young
people can’t make genuinely free choices on their futures. Changing these patterns cannot be
done by colleges and universities alone – but gendered choices in college and university are such
a big contributor to patterns in the workforce that they have to be part of the solution.
The challenge
There are people who believe that as gender imbalances at a subject level reflect individual
choices, there is not an issue to solve or that the issue is so deeply rooted within society, that
colleges and universities cannot play a role in tackling them. We do not agree with either
position. With sociocultural factors impacting differently on boys and girls from birth, we believe
it is essential that both sectors work in close partnership with their school and local authority
partners to affect change in the structural barriers that prevent both boys and girls making
genuine choices.
11We will do it through…..
Culture change
• An improvement culture - where practice development, learning, sharing and
accountability are welcomed
• A transformation in culture in which the links between equality and quality are fully
recognised
• Alignment with broader equality and diversity efforts committed to through the Equality
Act and its Specific Duties for Scotland
Leadership and partnership
• Leadership at a national and institutional level with ambition for change - only engaged,
committed and consistent leadership across education at all levels will promote the
required change
• A strategy for partnership – only with aligned agendas that seek change from school to
employment and corresponding focused actions across all stakeholders in further and
higher education will progress be made
• Accountability – we will work in partnership with institutions to agree their aspirations
and ambitions and will hold them accountable for upholding their commitments
Our focus
For the first phase of the plan, our outcomes will be focused on three key parts of the learner
journey: getting in, staying in and moving on. For each of these stages, we will outline in terms of
gender imbalances:
• The key outcomes we wish to achieve
• The current situation
• The action we will take to support colleges and universities to achieve the outcomes; and
• How we will know we are making progress.
For universities
SFC analysis has indicated that the most extreme gender imbalances for undergraduate entrants
are in the following subjects: Subjects Allied to Medicine; Education; Computer Sciences;
Engineering; Technologies; European Languages, literature and related subjects; Social Studies;
and Architecture, Building and Planning. We propose this is where our focus will be. Further
analysis will determine specific imbalances within these broad subject areas which we need to
address, as well as differing patterns for higher levels of study.
12For Colleges
The Scottish Government, through DYW, has set out its ambitions for the Colleges in tackling
gender imbalances. The relevant KPI from DYW is to ‘increase by 5 percentage points the minority
gender share in each of the 10 largest and most imbalanced superclasses among 16-24 year olds
by 2021’. Table 1 (below) shows the first two years of data for this KPI.
Scotland 2012/13 2013/14
Minority Minority
Superclass Enrolments Enrolments
Gender share Gender share
Hair/Personal Care Services 8254 4% 8043 4%
ChildCare Services 3383 5% 3610 5%
IT: Computer Science/
1545
Programming/Systems 9% 1641 10%
Engineering/Technology (gen) 4054 9% 4197 12%
Mechanical Engineering 2610 7% 3037 7%
Vehicle Maintenance/Repair 2311 4% 2732 5%
Electrical Engineering 2806 4% 3373 4%
Construction (gen) 4708 4% 4863 4%
Build/Construction Operations 2425 3% 2104 6%
Building Services 1604 2% 1567 3%
The Government has gone on to reproduce these KPIs for regions. We propose that the KPIs are
shared at a regional level with negotiation about how each region will contribute. We hope such
an approach is aligned with our aim to work in partnership with the sector - ensuring alignment
with the sectoral KPIs for DYW but not undercutting the strategic and practical approaches to
tackling gender imbalances, for all ages, already being undertaken by the sector. This approach
should lead to an improving picture, owned by each region, which will ultimately impact on the
overarching KPIs.
Whilst there was good overlap between the 10 KPI superclasses and the largest and most
imbalanced subject areas across the regions, there were four exceptions in Newbattle, SMO,
SRUC and Borders, where there was limited or no overlap with the KPI superclasses. We will
discuss with these institutions how best to tackle subject imbalances. Furthermore, as the
Government’s KPIs are focused on 16-24 year olds, we will ask for regions to address imbalances
for those above 24 years old as well as particular issues of representation for part-time students.
Key outcomes
• Gender is mainstreamed throughout institutional policy and practice
• All institutions have targeted approaches to tackling underrepresentation at a subject
level
• No subject at entry level has an extreme gender imbalance (75: 25)
• There is no difference in recruitment patterns between male and female students
entering from deprived backgrounds and the wider student population
• There is no difference between male and female engagement and retention
13Consultation questions
(See page 10 for the two questions to be discussed at today’s event)
1. Of the work currently being undertaken by Scottish colleges and universities to address gender
imbalances at a student level:
a) What do you think is working well? Why do you think this?
b) What do you think is working less well? Why do you think this?
c) What could be done to improve this work?
d) What could be done to improve this work and what do you think the gaps are, and
how can these gaps can be filled – by the sectors, SFC and SDS?
2. Much of the work to tackle gender imbalances by the sectors requires close partnership
working with schools:
a) How can colleges and universities enhance their work with schools?
b) What are the current issues in working with schools?
c) What can SFC do to support this work?
3. The key outcomes and subject focus for the gender action plan are outlined in the consultation
document:
a) Do you think they are appropriate? Why/Why not?
b) What outcomes do you think are missing? Why do you think they are important?
4. What are the key activities colleges and universities should undertake to meet these
outcomes?
5. How can SFC best support the sectors to deliver these outcomes?
6. What level of change can we expect from both sectors in 10 years?
7. Is there any further evidence you would like to draw to our attention on what works to address
gender imbalances?
14Gender: Actions to Achieve Positive Change
Notes
15Scottish Funding Council
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Edinburgh
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