Funding worth pound;13.1m announced
- Additional funding worth pound;13.1 million for FE student places, under a programme managed by Skills Development Scotland, has been announced by the Scottish government. It will support at least 5,800 students, with funding targeted at college regions where demand most significantly exceeds current provision. About three-quarters of the new places are for 16 to 19-year-olds and are focused on helping prepare students for the workplace.
Chinese language and culture boost
- A Scotland-wide centre for the promotion of Chinese language and culture is to be based at SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, at the University of Strathclyde, education secretary Michael Russell said this week. The Confucius Institute will initially work with 10 existing Confucius classroom hubs, plus an additional three announced this week for South Lanarkshire, Falkirk and the City of Edinburgh.
Step taken to expel hate crime
- Sectarian violence, arson, murder and imprisonment are featured in a new hard-hitting film created by North Lanarkshire secondary pupils to help expel hate crime from Scottish culture. The five-minute film, Them and Us, was launched this week by First Minister Alex Salmond (above) and the Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC. The film was written and produced by pupils from Bellshill Academy and Cardinal Newman High. The schools were selected for their ease of access to filming facilities at the Learning Centre, Bellshill, and not for any links to hate crime issues.
Youths to be helped into jobs
- The Prince’s Trust is to receive pound;750,000 of European Structural Funds to help 2,500 disadvantaged young people into jobs by building their confidence and increasing their motivation. The funding comes from pound;25 million of ESF that the government said last month would be focused on youth employment projects.
Council wins its judicial review
- The Western Isles Council has won a judicial review of a decision by the Scottish government to prevent it from closing Carloway and Shelibost primaries and the S1-2 provision at Shawbost and Lionel schools. Education secretary Michael Russell said the commission on the Delivery of Rural Education would have to consider the court judgement, which might delay the conclusion of its work.
