International delegation visits Falkirk Campus

Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus was selected as the only college visit by an international delegation on a study visit to Scotland, to celebrate 25 years of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) recently.

Organised by the SCQF with support from the British Council and based out of Glasgow Caledonian University from Tuesday 26 - Thursday 28 May, the group included National Quality Framework or TVET authority leaders, Ministry of Education officials, Lifelong learning and skills agency leaders, Quality assurance bodies for Higher and Further Education, Workforce development and recognition specialists and Training council representatives from countries such as Vietnam, South Africa, Grenada, Indonesia, Antigua and Barbuda, Tanzania, Malaysia and Uganda.

On the morning of Wednesday 27 May, the group visited FVC partner employer Celtic Renewables in Grangemouth, before attending the College to hear from Ronnie Palin, Regional Skills Planning Lead at Skills Development Scotland. 

They were then formally welcomed to the Falkirk Campus by Principal and CEO Kenny MacInnes, before receiving a presentation and tour of the campus from Jamie Allan, FVC’s Global Partnership Manager. The group returned for further productive discussions with Mhairi Hay, FVC’s Director of Curriculum for the Department of STEM and Construction, and Caroline Hogg, the College’s Head of Apprenticeships.

The SCQF is recognised as one of the world’s most established national qualifications frameworks. It supports lifelong learning across schools, colleges, universities, community learning and the workplace. With more than 10,000 qualifications included, the framework offers a coherent and trusted approach that continues to influence policy and practice internationally.

The aim of the Study Visit was to:

• Hear from senior Scottish education leaders on how the SCQF supports lifelong learning and skills development.
• Join guided visits to employers and colleges in Scotland to see SCQF levels and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in action.
• Take part in spotlight sessions on RPL and transnational education and share experience with peers from around the world.
• Learn about Scotland’s approach to promoting a national qualifications framework (NQF), including marketing and stakeholder engagement examples that can be adapted for local contexts.
• Build valuable international connections with fellow NQF custodians and senior colleagues from across Scotland’s education ecosystem.

Kenny MacInnes, Principal of Forth Valley College, said: “We were delighted to welcome the international delegation on their study visit and honoured that they chose Forth Valley College as their only further education college trip on their schedule. They were impressed with what they discovered about the College when they were here and I am sure we will be building on these new relationships in the future."

Jamie Allan, FVC’s Global Partnership Manager, said: “It was a privilege for Forth Valley College to be selected as the showcase institution for the SCQF international study visit as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. This recognition reflects the strong and valued relationship built with the SCQF team recently.

“I would like to extend my thanks to Ronnie at SDS and Celtic Renewables, as well as Kenny, Caroline and Mhairi, for their support throughout the visit. In particular, I would like to recognise Laura Fraser for helping facilitate the tour and for showcasing the Skills Transition Centre, which demonstrated the scale of innovation and ambition that makes Forth Valley College a leading institution in skills and workforce development.

“The delegation had an excellent experience, and the feedback received has been overwhelmingly positive. One attendee from Grenada was so impressed by the visit that she wants her son to study with us. Encouragingly, a number of new opportunities and connections have already emerged from engaging with the group, and I look forward to developing these further once the delegation has returned home.”