Campus Catalyst - Forth Valley College's ambitious approach to entrepreneurial futures – has been launched and is set to lead the way in entrepreneurial skills teaching and learning across the region.
The new project, which has recently been awarded £77,348 from the Scottish Government’s Entrepreneurial Education Fund, is led by FVC in collaboration with regional partners including Stirling Council, STEP, Code Base, Connect ED network and the University of Stirling.
It will develop and pilot a programme of entrepreneurial skills development in 2026, focused primarily towards FVC learners and staff, that includes colleagues and pupils from their existing 18 school partners, championing the importance of promoting an entrepreneurial mindset across the curriculum.
Planned events include: three Hackathons, two special three to four day Bootcamps, focussed CPD and Advisor sessions for staff, the Official Launch of online learning resources and toolkit for College and school practitioners (March 2026) and an Evaluation of project and plans for integration of learning from project into mainstream delivery (March 2026).
The activities will culminate in a conference which will share learning, showcase best practice, spark collaboration and set out a road map for entrepreneurial skills learning across the region.
The Campus Catalyst Project will use FVC’s existing meta-skills learning on Moodle as a platform to build upon, the project will develop (with the support of partners and external experts) a series of project based learning (PBL) ‘challenges’ across the College, where school partners will be invited to participate. These will be designed to enhance metaskills, strengthening the understanding and development of an entrepreneurial mindset.
These challenges will be inter-disciplinary across different departments and subject areas, and will explicitly target:
- problem solving
- analysing complex challenges, generating and testing solutions
- creativity and Innovation
- applying creative thinking to real world briefs
- leadership
- coordinating project teams, making strategic decisions
- communication
- delivering persuasive pitches, presentations and professional outputs
The Campus Catalyst project will also facilitate internal/external partnership working with an overall aim to “better prepare learners and staff for the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing economy”.
It will also highlight the importance of entrepreneurial thinking and how this can be practically applied both in learning and in the workplace, for example exploring new markets, testing new ideas, integration of artificial intelligence (AI), horizon scanning and the impact of net zero.
The College’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Kirsty Thomson-Gillespie will also be supporting and working on this project which complements a suite of entrepreneurial themed activity, funded through programmes such as the Scottish Education Exchange Programme (SEEP) and the UK Government Turing Scheme. These funded programmes will provide opportunities for FVC students and staff to explore best practice in key themes including entrepreneurial learning with partners in China, Iceland and Nepal. The learning from these projects will support on going curriculum and staff development – ensuring the College is at the forefront of driving innovative practice that will benefit students, staff and ultimately our employer partners.
FVC’s Vice Principal Business and Innovation Colin McMurray will be leading a team of colleagues to help drive the Campus Catalyst Project forward and these will include: Sarah Higgins, Vice Principal Learning and Student Experience, Helen Leslie, Director of Curriculum for the Department of Care, Sport, Business and Communities, Suzanne Galloway Learning Teaching and Quality Manager, Pauline Jackson Development and Fundraising Manager, Karyn King Operations Manager in the Department of Creative, Digital and Leisure Industries, Caroline Hogg, FVC’s Head of Apprenticeships in the Department of Apprenticeships, Skills and Commercial and Christopher Nisbet, Assistant Client Manager in the Department of Apprenticeships, Skills and Commercial.
Colin McMurray, said: “Everyone at the College is already feeling the momentum behind the Campus Catalyst Project, and rightly so. This programme is set to transform the way our students learn and the way our lecturers teach. Entrepreneurial skills are about far more than starting a business. They are about mindset, curiosity, creativity and resilience. These qualities shaped my own career and are therefore especially poignant as we embed them across the journeys of our students and staff. They are the bedrock of future success. There is a real sense of possibility building across the College and I am excited to see how this innovative programme flourishes in the months ahead.”
Mike Barclay, STEP Business Support Manager, said: “Campus Catalyst is exactly the kind of forward-thinking initiative our region needs. At STEP, we see every day how entrepreneurial confidence can change the direction of a young person’s future. This collaboration strengthens the support ecosystem across Forth Valley and gives learners the chance to build real-world skills, test ideas and understand what it means to innovate. We’re proud to play our part in helping equip the next generation with the mindset our economy will depend on.”
Ross Tuffee, Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Stirling and creator of The Connect-Ed Network, said: “Students who develop an entrepreneurial mindset whilst at college or school benefit from the experience whatever line of work they end up undertaking – self-employed or employed by someone else. Employers are looking for staff who are creative, collaborative, comfortable with risk and are forward looking - these are capabilities that we see in those that have spent time developing their entrepreneurial skills.”
