A change of careerWhy Monika Pawlak has reason to feel confident

Inspired to studyHow Jamie Bowen swapped drugs for youth work

Learning new skills Therapist Elisa Fisher gains hands-on experience

Foreword

Skills for Scotland is about taking learning to the people. The project was set up in response to the serious skills shortage across the nation’s workforce identified by the Scottish Government. Since

then, Skills for Scotland has proved what can be achieved by tapping into the expertise of Scotland’s universities and colleges, providing practical training opportunities to a very wide range of people. This publication demonstrates the value of this training by talking to a cross-section of people who have benefited, either as direct participants or as stakeholders. It should also act as a spur to the higher education sector, showing what can be achieved by being more proactive and reaching out to individuals and businesses. I believe there are many aspects of Skills for Scotland that provide a blueprint for how flexible, vocational learning can be developed in very positive ways – as these people’s stories demonstrate. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Eddie Craig, Board member of HEEFS and Head of Project Development at Edinburgh Napier University

Skills for Scotland Project Management team

Charlotte Norman

Anna Drobczynska

Rosemary Allford

0302

After turning his back on a life of crime and drugs six years ago, Jamie Bowen developed into a talented youth worker. Now he’s applied for a place on a degree course.

Contents

0302

04 Coaching ConversationsEwan Fraser, from Dunedin Canmore, explains why his managers are all attending a course on coaching and mentoring skills.

10 Initi-8Gavin Crosby, from City of Edinburgh Council, finds Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Credit Rating a valuable resource. He uses it to evaluate his Initi-8 work-based training for youths.

06 Confident CareersAfter arriving from Poland five years ago, Monika Pawlak wanted to develop her career in Edinburgh. This course proved a big help.

08 Health and WellbeingAfter a ‘lightbulb’ moment of realisation that she wanted a career in massage therapy, Elisa Fisher is benefiting from a course in Kinetic Chain Release.

14 Ask Stewarte-Business expert Stewart Bell shares some useful advice on search engine optimisation, social networking, website photography, and selling products online.

12 Youth Work degree

Coaching Conversations

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND

04

Who would have thought that Scotland’s biggest house-builder last year would

prove to be a housing association? While that may have been partly down to the economic troubles of the private construction sector, it’s also true that the Edinburgh-based Dunedin Canmore Group is a buoyant organisation that has thrived through an emphasis on putting people first. That’s why all managers at the Group have been taking part in a Coaching Conversations course at Edinburgh Napier University, funded by Skills for Scotland. One of the first on the course was Ewan Fraser, Dunedin Canmore’s Chief Executive. “Managers with good coaching skills encourage staff to tackle challenges themselves. Not only is that a great motivator, but the staff are often the

Management skills

ones with the best solution to the problem, and lots of good ideas for doing things better. We’re always looking at continuous improvement and this course is helping us to develop leadership abilities throughout Dunedin Canmore. We have a good relationship with Edinburgh Napier University and their business and mentoring skills are very useful to us. Every manager in the group is taking part, which is helping us to develop greater consistency in management styles. It’s a good way of broadening our horizons, sharing best practice and creating a sense of ownership. The more support that our staff gain from coaching, the better the return for the company and the better the reward that we can give back to the staff. It benefits everybody.”

It’s a good way of broadening our

horizons, sharing best practice and creating a sense of ownership

05

Management Skills

For Monika Pawlak, a course designed for Polish women living in Scotland provided a much-needed confidence boost

I saw myself from a different perspective

0706

“I studied at the University of Economics in Kraków, and moved to Scotland after graduation in search of some adventure! When I came over here, I took a job temping at GNER, then moved on to ABC Contract Services, a recruitment company. I wasn’t feeling too excited about the job, so when I heard about the Confident Careers course for Polish women, I decided to take part. During the evening, we spoke about our strengths and weaknesses, what we want to do, and how we see ourselves in the future. Many of the girls had the same story – they’re well-

educated, but their qualifications don’t translate well over here, or aren’t in demand, and so they don’t have much self-confidence. A few weeks after attending the class, I quit my job. I now work at Computer People, where I’m learning new things and have more responsibilities. The course enabled me to see myself from a different perspective. I realised that any doubts I have are in my head, and it helped me to change how I think about my future.”

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND Confident Careers

Th

anks to D

eli Polon

ia, Edin

bu

rgh

0706

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND Confident Careers

Working wonders

When Elisa Fisher heard that a course on Kinetic Chain Release (KCR) was going

to be made available through Skills for Scotland, she jumped at the chance. Having embraced a career in clinical aromatherapy, she saw KCR as a valuable treatment to add to her portfolio. Devised by Scotsman Hugh Gilbert, KCR is a new therapy providing relief for chronic pain. “I graduated in clinical aromatherapy at Edinburgh Napier University, set up my own business, and was given the opportunity to return and work in the graduate clinic. There was a real buzz about KCR among the tutors so I thought, if they are excited about it, I should be too. I’m always keen to explore new ideas and I wanted to see if KCR could

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND

0908

broaden my practice. It has done significantly, attracting a lot of new clients who have been amazed at the difference it has made to them. Not many people provide KCR yet. It’s about putting the body back in balance by loosening joints that have become stiff, particularly the ankle. In a sense it’s simple, but it works wonders.

I want to do the second part of the KCR course, which involves emotional release. It can, for instance, be a huge help to kids who have personal problems they find difficult to discuss. When I left school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I found aromatherapy. I had a ‘light bulb moment’, and now it’s led to KCR too. I’m so pleased to be developing these skills – and seeing my patients benefit from them.”

Health and Wellbeing

I’m so pleased to be developing

these skills – and seeing my patients benefit from them

0908

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND

Credit where credit’s due

1110

Initi-8

Credit where credit’s dueGavin Crosby, Youth Work Strategy Implementation Manager at City of Edinburgh Council, working on behalf of the Edinburgh Youth Work Consortium, has discovered the value of credit rating the diverse range of youth work skills

“Youth work is a diverse area, and long may that continue. However, that diversity also means a broad range of experience, training and qualifications within the workforce. It’s therefore important to have a strategy to develop that skills base. Our Initi-8 programme was created to provide access to work-based training. It’s aimed at youth workers who have not undergone formal training before, volunteers who want to become more adept in their work, and young people who

think they might want to become a youth worker. The programme has proven very popular, but it was difficult to quantify its learning outcomes in terms of SCQF credits. Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Credit Rating illuminated that for me. Through their credit rating reporter training, I learned to measure various youth work skills along the scale of Level 1 to 12. It’s very important to be able to measure competency in this way. Youth workers can sometimes lack confidence in their skills and this enables us to measure where we are, plan our professional development, and track progress. Crucially, it saves us time and energy, allowing us to focus on delivering meaningful outcomes for young people.”

This saves us time and energy,

allowing us to focus on meaningful outcomes for young people

1110

I want to make adifference

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND

1312

“I want to put something back into the community I grew up in. In my younger years, I was in and out of prison and struggling with addictions. When my girlfriend fell pregnant, I felt I needed to change my life. I enrolled in college and got a placement at Granton Youth Centre. Six years on, I’m a full-time youth worker. For the kids coming in here, I’ve been there, done it, and come out the other side. Now I want to make a difference. If I get a place on the Youth Work degree, it will help develop my practice and give me greater confidence. This funding is so important – I wouldn’t be able to get a degree without it. The great thing about the course is that it’s work-based, so it doesn’t take me away from the young people. Through my work here, I’ve become a positive person in the community. I have a daughter and two stepsons and I want to show them there are things beyond the goldfish bowl of their lives. I feel I’m setting an example every day.”

Ask Jamie Bowen, a youth worker at Granton Youth Centre, why he’s decided to apply for a place on Scotland’s first ever Youth Work degree*, and you get an unequivocal answer

Youth Work

1312

*This course is subject to approval

Ask StewartBased at Edinburgh Napier University, e-business expert Stewart Bell specialises in providing advice to SMEs. Here he answers four of the most frequent questions put to him

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND

1514

#1 SHOULD I USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROMOTE MY BUSINESS?It’s a social community first, a sales channel second. The key word here is ‘social’. These are communities and, if you use them to overtly sell products, the users will simply withdraw from receiving messages from you. You must offer more: perhaps opinions on products, hints and tips, ‘how to’ guides or even video clips. But be aware that this requires a regular commitment – and plan well in advance what you are going to say.

#2 WHAT IS SEARCH ENgINE OPTIMISATION (SEO)?The key to SEO is repeating search phrases. SEO helps people find your website more easily. Search engine software primarily reads text on your site and the more often it finds the words that people input into the search box, the higher up the rankings you will be. The trick is to second guess what your customers will search for and repeat these key phrases over and over. You also need to update the site on a regular basis.

#3 CAN I TAKE MY OWN PHOTOgRAPHS FOR MY WEBSITE?Websites are all about aspirations and the photography must reflect that. Websites are very much a visual experience and poorly taken photographs do nothing to promote your product or service. My suggestion is always to get professional shots for aspirational products or services – and make sure you get permission from the photographer to use the shots on a website as well as in print.

#4 SHOULD I SELL PRODUCTS ONLINE?People shop online for two reasons: to source hard-to-find items and to buy items more cheaply. You can lose mark-up by selling online, first of all to credit card companies; secondly to payment providers like WorldPay; and, thirdly, your bank may charge for electronic payments. The total for all three can be as high as 15%. So do your sums – and be wary about having different prices in a physical shop to an online shop.

e-Business

1514

Sound adviceStewart Bell and Alison Macgregor have written a publication called ‘Your e-Business Checklist’. If you would like a free copy, please email st.bell@napier.ac.uk

SKILLS FOR SCOTLAND

For furth

er inform

ation about th

e Skills fo

r Scotla

nd

project or th

e Centre fo

r Credit R

ating at E

dinburgh

Napier University, please contact R

osemary Allford

on 0131 455 3352 or e

-mail s

killsforscotla

nd@napier.ac.uk

Produced by

HTTP://SKILLSFORSCOTLAND.ORG