The Partnerships for Change (PfC) project put student engagement at the heart of the regionalisation process, supporting the development of strong, autonomous regional students’ associations.
The two and a half year project, which was commissioned by the Scottish Funding Council (jointly managed by NUS Scotland and sparqs) came to an end in Autumn 2014, marked by a second national conference on 14th August 2014, College Students’ Associations: Realising Our Potential. While the PfC project has ended, the support from sparqs and NUS Scotland continues, as outlined on our Supporting the development of college students' associations webpage.
During the period of regionalisation, students’ associations and student officers, with the support of their staff and Partnerships for Change, achieved some amazing successes.
A summary of the story of college students’ associations, and the successes they have achieved, may be found in the College Students’ Associations: Celebratory Video. Even more detail about what students’ associations have been up to this year can be found in the Students’ Association Showcase.
When the PfC project came to a close, we were delighted with the decision that national support for students’ association development did not end there. At the FE Strategic Forum on 20th August 2014, Michael Russell MSP, the then Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, announced that NUS Scotland and sparqs would receive £300,000 over the following two years from the Scottish Funding Council to support the delivery of the Framework for developing strong and effective college students’ associations. Subsequently, continued funding has been secured for a further period, funding support from sparqs and NUS Scotland until January 2019.
The Framework for the Development of Strong and Effective College Students' Associations in Scotland, published in June 2015, is housed on a dedicated SA Framework website, which contains supporting documentation, including a Self-Evaluation and Development Planning Tool, useful links and information around the continued support offered by NUS Scotland and sparqs.
You can navigate through the Partnerships for Change pages via the links below. For more information about PfC and the work carried out across Scotland's college sector, please contact Eve Lewis, Director of sparqs, who managed the project.
Click here to go to the webpage around sparqs' current support to develop college students' associations.