Making Learning Work in STEM and Construction

‘Making Learning Work’ is the ethos behind everything that Forth Valley College – which became Scotland’s first ever regional college in 2005 – does and that’s espcecially true when talking about student engagement and new technology.

With three state-of-the-art campuses across the central belt, in Alloa (opened 2011), Stirling (2012) and Falkirk (2020), Forth Valley College is a leading provider of further and higher education offering a wide range of courses and training opportunites.

They welcome approx 14,000 students per academic session with 94% of learners progressing to further studies or employment upon completion of their course.

Prospective students who are interested in studying a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and Construction course, at the state-of-the-art new Falkirk Campus, will be pleased to know the College is one of Scotland’s leading STEM colleges and strategically linked to the Grangemouth petro-chemical strip with numerous strong industry partnerships.

Their dynamic provision ranges from access to degree level and includes full-time and part-time courses,evening classes, flexible and on line learning, vocational qualifications, Graduate, Modern and Foundation Apprenticeships, school partnership links and business training courses.  

They have threeteaching departments including:STEM and Construction; Care, Sport, Business and Communities; and Creative, Digital and Leisure Industries.

The award winning college works closely with a wide range of partners to ensure they are delivering opportunities which meet the needs of learners, schools, employers, local industry and national skill agendas. 

Dr Mhairi Hay, FVC’s Director of Curriculum for STEM and Construction, said: “Our School Partnership courses are there to enhance, improve and develop on what senior school pupils are learning at secondary – and we already work closely with all 18 secondary schools in the Forth Valley area, so we are well experienced in this field.

“Another advantage is that we are one of Scotland’s best colleges, leading the way in STEM subject areas and boasting industry experts across all our teaching departments.

“Engaging the school pupils especially, is a real win, win situation as it gives them a taste of what to expect in further or higher education, and takes the anxiety away from them when they eventually leave school and make their next step in education. It also encourages more independence, responsibility and maturity and allows them to experience a whole range of leisure activities and social networks.”

At FVC, 5/6^th year pupils can sign up to study a Higher National Certificate (HNC) over two years. The new HNCis theApplied Biological Science course, which is at the same level as an Advanced Higher and on completion can lead on to some HND (Higher National Diploma) courses, or even directly into year two of some degree courses at university.

FVC also offer 10 Foundation Apprenticeships at SCQF Level 6 normally for those pupils in S5 and S6, including Civil Engineering, Construction, Engineering,and Scientific Technologies. Successful completion of most FAs gives a guaranteed place on aHNC at the college, or a head start with a Modern Apprenticeship. The qualifications are also accepted by most Scottish universities as equivalent to a Higher.

A new National Progression Award (NPA) is available in Construction Craft and Technician and the Skills For Work (SFW) Engineering Skills programme is another option for school pupils to consider at FVC.

The College even reaches out to provide innovative STEM learning workshops in primary schools across Forth Valley, Fife, West Lothian, and Edinburgh.

The interactive sessions include ‘STEM Pick N Mix’ (nursery to P7) and the innovative ‘The Famous Four Save the Planet’ (P5 to P7), which tells the story of the ‘Famous Four’ characters who save the planet through STEM experiments and activities. Schools can also hire one of eight STEM Boxes to carry out their own workshops in class.

“Our chemical process and instrumentation engineering students use AI to simulate working on distillation rigs and equipment, our innovative Welding Traineeship students use virtual reality welding kit and we have similar learning methods for our Construction students.”

Dr Hay, went on: “As you can see student engagement at a school level in STEM and Construction, is very important to us and vital to how we are ‘Making Learning Work’ as early as possible.

“However, it is through new sustainable technology that we also manage to engage our students to aim for the highest standards possible. Our College as a whole has led the way in the further education sector through virtual learning, even before the pandemic forced us all online. As such our STEM and Construction students especially, are learning their skills using the latest technology available which is incorporated into our curriculum.

“Our chemical process and instrumentation engineering students use AI to simulate working on distillation rigs and equipment, our innovative Welding Traineeship students use virtual reality welding kit and we have similar learning methods for our Construction students.

“This all means we don’t need to order in too much metal or wood for practical learning or assessments, and this helps with our sustainability and working towards our net zero targets – which are very important to us as a college.

“Practical work is still very important for our students to participate in, but we work hard on not just making something for the sake of it here at Forth Valley College. So we would rather our students and staff embarked upon as many live practical projects as possible, whether this be through local community metal art installations for welding, fixing local cemetery gates, using our 3D printers to help make PPE visors during the pandemic, or our carpentry students making garden gates for the wider staff… we really are Making Learning Work!”