WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHOOLS
Developing the Young Workforce
Throughout 2014-15, the College worked with local
authorities and schools to deliver on the main themes
set out in the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)
youth employment strategy. We created a dedicated
DYW manager and team to facilitate this.
In October 2014, we opened the Skills Centre of
Excellence at Irvine Royal Academy to support a new
model of delivery for enhanced vocational pathways
for school students. In its first year, the majority of
students at the centre were aged 16-18, and we put in
place arrangements for a pilot Engineering Foundation
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AYRSHIRE COLLEGE / QUALITY REPORT 2014/15
Apprenticeship to be offered at the centre from
September 2015 (11 senior phase pupils are currently
participating in this).
Focus on STEM
The College hosted a wide range of activities for primary
and secondary school pupils to stimulate interest in
STEM. These included workshops specifically targeted at
encouraging girls into STEM, which included an event in
June 2015 for 40 second year schoolgirls in East Ayrshire
focused on science, engineering and construction, an
aerospace workshop in December 2014 for 32 second
year schoolgirls in South Ayrshire and computer coding
clubs, some of which were for girls only.