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The Part-Time Forum
Higher-level skills in the workforce:
Making part-time learning work for Scotland
 Monday 12th January 2009, 10:15-16:00
Radisson SAS Hotel, Glasgow
Keynote speaker: Fiona Hyslop MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
Chaired by: Ruth Wishart
Journalist and Broadcaster
The new energy behind skills development in Scotland provides a real opportunity to harness and realise the full potential of part-time learning as a central strand in securing Scotland’s economic competitiveness.
Part-time learning can offer people of all ages, backgrounds and geographical locations the opportunity – and crucially, the flexibility - to develop their skills without loss of income, and avoiding time out of work or away from their caring or domestic responsibilities.
With nearly three quarters of the workforce of 2020 already in place, creating the conditions that encourage and support considerably more of the working age population to upskill and reskill on an ongoing basis will be essential to Scotland’s economic success.
The challenges involved in making this a reality are considerable. Successful achievement of Scotland’s skills goals will need solutions which address issues around employer engagement, changing demography, rurality, uneven access to and participation in learning, and more. It will also require a culture shift in the way we view, promote and invest in part-time learning.
As Scotland’s skills strategy and skills agencies are developed, and as the future role of Scotland’s universities is debated, there has never been a better time to ensure that part-time learning is recognised as central to Scotland’s plans to become a high-skill economy.
This Part-Time Forum conference brings together expert opinion from across the policy, education and skills arenas to debate and explore solutions to the main challenges to making part-time learning work for Scotland.
About The Part-Time Forum
Organised by University of the West of Scotland and The Open University in Scotland, The Part-Time Forum is an annual conference which provides a platform for discussion of the key issues related to part-time learning.
Over the past five years Part-Time Forum events have grown to become a highly-regarded focal point for debating and progressing policy related to part-time students and providers.
As the largest providers of part-time higher education in Scotland, The Open University in Scotland and University of the West of Scotland bring to the Part-Time Forum their experience of the issues facing part-time students and the institutions that support them.
University of the West of Scotland currently has over 9,700 part-time students, just over half of its student population. The University played a pioneering role in the launch of credit bearing taught modular part-time study in Scotland and since 1990 has helped thousands of part-time students achieve their personal and career development goals.
The Open University has 14,000 part-time students living in virtually every community across Scotland. Three quarters of The Open University’s students are working while they study. Flexible, part-time learning with the OU supports them to enhance their employability and equip themselves for Scotland’s changing job market.
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