From the Chalkface

Published on Tuesday 18 November 2008 21:22

THE former director of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in Scotland has been appointed as a member of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council it was announced last week.

Alison Jarvis, a consultant in leadership, change and equality, will serve on the body for four years. Prior to her time at the CRE, she was the director of the Stonewall Scotland pressure group.

She will be joined on the council by existing members Peter Holmes and Alan Tripp who have both been re-appointed to the body.

&#149 THE workshops for schools run by Standard Life received special recognition at the recent Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) Innovators Awards in Edinburgh.

The "Step Up In Life" project offers teenagers, the unemployed and disadvantaged groups advice on job applications, interviews and the world of work. It received the Special Award for Investment in the Future at the ceremony, which was supported by The Scotsman.

Standard Life has run ad-hoc workshops for young people since 1996, and in 2005 formalised the programme with the help of local students.

&#149 FIONA Hyslop, the Cabinet secretary for education opened the new 10million Sanderson's Wynd Primary School in Tranent, East Lothian last Wednesday.

It was the first of four new schools to be opened across Scotland over just 12 days.

Stirling's Wallace High School was next, being visited by Ms Hyslop on Friday. She travelled to Blantyre yesterday to open Calderside Academy and will complete her tour on Monday when she opens the new Duloch Primary School on Dunfermline's Duloch Campus.

&#149 MORE than one in six Scottish school children could be affected by a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or autism, according to a study by the Mindroom charity.

The figure, which is over four times greater than the official government statistic, was compiled by surveying the heads of learning support of schools across the country.

&#149 THE 55million campus redevelopment of Jewel and Esk College was opened to students on Monday.

The "e:volve" project began in 2005 and has seen the refurbishment of the college's Edinburgh campus building and the construction of a new facility in Eskbank in Midlothian.

The new building contains an oil production platform simulator, engineering and construction equipment as well as purpose built plumbing and electrical teaching facilities.

&#149 WEST of Scotland University officially opened its 2.1million centre for engineering excellence in Hamilton last week.

The building includes a manufacturing workshop, motorsports workshop and plastic injection moulding facilities offering students on the university's engineering courses access to industry standard equipment.

&#149 FORMER pupils, one aged 99, joined current school children and staff at a ceremony to rename the west quad of George Watson's College last week.

The event, held as part of the Remembrance Day commemoration, saw the building renamed Archibald Place in honour of the school's former building near Lauriston Place.

Hamish Tait, 99, was one of many FPs at the ceremony who were boys at the Archibald Place school.

EVENTS

FUTURE Learning will be the subject of a talk by American author and lecturer Dr David Milliron at Hawick Community College next week.

Dr Milliron, who is the chief executive of Catalyse Learning International in North Carolina, is an expert on leadership development, future trends and learning strategies. He will speak at the college's Tower Mill auditorium on 26 November. For further information contact Claire Nairn at cnairn @borderscollege.ac.uk.