LATEST NEWS
Six-Figure Grant Secured For Skills Project
// Wednesday 06 January 2010
ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY and ABERDEEN COLLEGE have secured £255,000 in a competitive process led by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to improve skills utilisation.
The project will contribute to a wider programme which is seeking to understand how to achieve higher productivity in the workplace by using the high skills levels of the Scottish workforce more effectively.
The Aberdeen project will focus on the oil and gas sector, beginning with a research phase to provide a deeper understanding of the nature of the challenge. This research will then be used to inform a number of pilot projects, involving local companies, which will subsequently be evaluated.
A number of key industry partners have agreed to actively participate in the programme, including Cogent and SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies), OPITO - The Oil and Gas Academy, the Offshore Contractors' Association (OCA), and Skills Development Scotland. Engaging with these established networks and acknowledged expertise will help to ensure that the outcomes of the project will add value to businesses in the sector.
Shona Cormack, Vice-Principal and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Experience and External Relations) at ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY, outlined the importance of the project: "ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY is delighted to have been awarded this funding which will enable us to contribute even more strongly to the success of the regional economy. We want to add more value to organisations in Aberdeen City and Shire, and this project is one way in which we can do that. ABERDEEN COLLEGE and ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY have a long history of working in collaboration with industry, particularly the oil and gas sector, to develop and deliver high quality, relevant, professional learning. We welcome this opportunity to develop a joint approach to a significant challenge for the Scottish economy."
Principal Rob Wallen of ABERDEEN COLLEGE said, "We welcome the opportunity for ABERDEEN COLLEGE, Scotland's biggest College, to work with ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY to strengthen the local skills base and make a positive contribution to the Scottish economy as a whole."
Tom Smith, Chairman of Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (ACSEF), added, "ACSEF recognises that our ability to deliver our vision and targets over the next 25 years will be heavily dependant upon how successful we are at harnessing and leveraging our skills and talent in the North-East. This collaboration is very much welcomed as an exciting development by two of our key institutions and we look forward to seeing the fruits of their endeavours."
