From the chalkface

Published on Tuesday 14 October 2008 19:56

PEOPLE

THE new further education body Scotland’s Colleges has announced the appointment of a chief executive to lead it when it starts work on 1 December.

Chris Travis, who is currently chief executive of Enterprise North East Trust in Aberdeen, will lead the organisation that will be created by the merger of the Association of Scotland’s Colleges, the Scottish Further Education Unit, Scotland’s College International and Coleg (the College Open Learning Exchange Group).

NEWS

FIVE projects have been selected to benefit from more than 900,000 of funding from the Scottish Government’s international lifelong learning fund it was announced yesterday.

The largest slice – over 250,000 – will be given to Scotland’s Colleges International to support a project set up to promote business development in the college sector.

A scheme run by West of Scotland University to encourage more international exchanges will get 232,500, and the National Union of Students Scotland will receive over 195,000 to help the integration of foreign students into Scottish life.

The Glasgow Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services has been awarded 133,399 to run virtual careers fairs for global employers, and the Scottish Universities International Group will get 130,000 to run a press campaign for the sector in China and India.

The money will be provided over three years on a match funded basis.

&#149 THE Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson welcomed five youngsters from Edinburgh Academy at the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday after the primary six pupils won the Scottish European Educational Trust’s Euroquiz event earlier this year. Pupils Patrick Christie, Alasdair Gillies, Peter Jacobs, Saul Melvin-Farr and Adair Wood were joined by their teacher, Colin McCloghry, and one parent each on the overnight trip, during which they toured the parliament and attended a working group meeting.

AWARDS

&#149 A VACUUM cleaner that walks around the house sucking up dirt while its owner relaxes was the winning design in this year’s UK Intellectual Property Office “Cracking Ideas” competition.

Nathan Linwood, a primary five pupil at Lincluden Primary School in Dumfries was the winning designer and he won selection of prizes for his school including a laptop and board games.

&#149 BRIAN Lister, the principal and chief executive of Stevenson College in Edinburgh, travelled to London last week to receive an OBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The accolade was for Mr Lister’s services to further education following a 30-year career in the sector.

&149 FIVE Scottish schools are celebrating after being presented with an International School Award at a ceremony in London.

Organised by the British Council and hosted by the BBC newsreader George Alagiah, the awards recognised the schools’ international projects which included a mini UN session with pupils in Sweden.

St Thomas Primary School in Moray; Cauldeen Primary School in Inverness; Knox Academy in East Lothian; St George’s School in Edinburgh and Shawlands Academy and the International School in Glasgow were recognised.

EVENTS

JIM Mather, the Scottish energy minister, and Ken Keir, the managing director of Honda UK, will be among the speakers at an innovation showcase being held in Dundee on 18 November.

Run by the universities of Dundee and Abertay in conjunction with the crop research centre SCRI, the event will welcome representatives from business, research and government and aims to explain how the institutions’ expertise can be utilised.

Further information can be found at www.innovationportal.co.uk or by telephoning 01382 226 856.