Minutes from SAAF meeting – 4th December 2015

Minutes from the SAAF meeting held on 4th December 2015 are attached as a Word document.

E-mails mentioned in the minutes are attached below:

1. E-mail from Anna Dawson at Skills Development Scotland

Hi Jane

Sorry I can’t be there tomorrow.

Here’s some recent highlights from SDS and I’ve included links so maybe best forwarding on.

I’ve requested an update from Lawrence and will forward on when I have it.

Skills For Growth  (See attached leaflet)

A people and skills diagnostic aligned to businesses growth aspirations.

For organisation with 5 – 250 employees.  Still places available and fully funded.  Feel free to contact me to discuss further.

Flexible Training Opportunities

still available funding as of 3/12/2015,

50% match funding for non statutory training £3000 maximum contribution (maximum of £1000 per employee).

Key eligibility criteria:

  • employee headcount is under 100
  • business is based in Scotland, and the participating employees are Scottish residents
  • a private sector, voluntary or community (not-for-profit) organisation
  • is privately run, and staff development costs are not funded by the Public Sector
  • also open to sole traders.

New look Our Skillsforce website 

Lots of new and useful content including HR and workforce development good practice guides, diagnostic tools and

as well as the usual  information on Modern Apprenticeships and funding for training and recruitment.

New content Headings:
Develop your Workforce
Funding and support
Engage with education
Attracting new talent
Helping you manage changeAlso see latest tourism skills update  – https://skillsdevelopmentscotland.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/4F1A4991FAF6F73C2540EF23F30FEDED

Anyone interested in finding out more about any of the above, I’d be happy to discuss.

Thanks

Anna

2. E-mail from Mike Strang

Hi Jane

Perhaps a bit late for discussion tomorrow but interesting reading and supportive of previous discussions in SAAF.

Conclusion and summary of recommendations

We found more research into outdoor learning than we were expecting. That said, there remain many unanswered questions – more than the finite research resources available can reliably answer – and therefore we suggest that the outdoor learning sector build more ‘infrastructure’ to make best use of those research resources and rapidly build an evidence base which will serve it well. Specifically, we recommend:

6. Types and volume of activity: Pulling together the various data sources on this to give the current picture, and creating a system to regularly capture data on the types and volumes of activity.

7. Improving practitioners’ theories of change: both enabling them to create them, and to use them.

8. Convening practitioners, researchers and others to prioritise research topics.

9. Managing the resulting sector-wide research agenda, through relationships with funders, and possibly creating partnerships between practitioners and researchers.

10. Ensuring that both interventions and research are described clearly, fully and publicly

Kind Regards

Mike

3. E-mail from Shaun Roberts at Glenmore Lodge

Hi Jane

A few update items from Glenmore Lodge/sportscotland:

1.       Glenmore Lodge is hosting a Women in Sport seminar 11th December to help inform its own strategic plan.  We have invited NGB’s along with some key speakers to be involved.

2.       Sportscotland have an internal ‘Outdoors and Adventure Sport’ meeting scheduled on 29th January 2016.  Chaired by myself this meeting will seek to find ways of mapping our current contribution which may in turn highlight some areas of need.

3.       Mountain Weather Service developments are moving forward.  Research reports now finalised, sportscotland positive about funding developments (budgets willing) and new positive partnership between sportscotland, Met Office and MWIS is taking shape.  Timeline for visible changes being Autumn 2016 (best guess).

4.       SAFOS (Snow and Avalanche Foundation of Scotland) hosted a seminar, October 24th/25th  in Edinburgh, titled ‘Are you getting the message?’  Seminar focussed on how to take the ‘Be Avalanche Aware’ leaflet to the next stage.  Information from the weekend is still being collated and we should anticipate future develops for winter 2016/17

Shaun

 

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