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Local Events in Skye & Lochalsh
Sustainable Rural Development and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Courses
01/02/2010
Location
Online Study (part of Lews Castle College)
Venue
On-Line (part of Lews Castle College)
Category
TRAINING
Description
Sustainable Rural Development
The first online Honours degree from the emerging University of the Highlands & Islands was based and is delivered from Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
The BSc (Hons) Sustainable Rural Development has been designed by an academic team in consultation with the community, industry and local authorities to meet the needs of rural and island communities now and in the future.
In the past two years the degree programme has received professional accreditation from the Institute of Economic Development and is the only undergraduate UHI degree with full professional accreditation. Michael Smith, the Programme Leader stated “this dimension provides our graduates with a ‘fastrack’ opportunity to secure promoted employment in the rural sector. Not only do they get a highly relevant degree in their area of interest but they get the opportunity to gain full professional membership of the institute after a very short period of related employment. This makes our graduates highly employable.”
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) awards
An additional development has occurred in response to the growing demand from rural areas for short courses in particular areas of interest to the rural sector, the programme team has in the last year produced UHI’s first validated Continuing Professional Development (CPD) awards. Roddy Murray, the Studies Advisor stated “these give people working in rural areas an opportunity to update their skills and qualifications with relevant certificated short courses relevant to those whose remit is to develop rural areas in some capacity or other. Up until now few professionals working to develop rural areas have actually had qualifications relevant to their post. Our short courses can help such paid professionals and those seeking work in the rural development sector to upgrade their qualifications without having to reduce their working hours.”
Sustainability and Transferable Skills
With its multi-discipline approach to rural and island sustainability issues combined with built-in transferable skills this programme is very much geared towards developing graduates and practitioners who have a wide grasp of the key issues that face rural and island communities today. Adaptation to climate change is not an option, it is essential, according to the Stern report in the UK. Implementing sustainability in the rural and island context is therefore a necessity to and a priority for governments across Europe. Therefore learning about sustainability and options for adopting its principles at the local community level is an area of growth as public efforts continue to raise awareness amongst both young and old.
Adaption to climate change and implementing sustainability in the rural context provide the common guiding rationale for this programme of study.
Online Studies & Residential Trips
This course is delivered online within a virtual learning environment (VLE), with course materials augmented by live weekly tutorials, discussion board debates and seminars from external contributors as appropriate. Thanks to the flexibility of the course, students are able to study online and manage their work/ family commitments. Evening tutorials are offered and the online learning environment enables the course to be progressed from home or your nearest learning centre.
All online students are also asked to come on a weekend residential each term to meet up with key practitioners, groups and Trusts in the sector and so hear about best practice across the region first hand. Such trips are optional but are well attended, as weekends tend to be easiest for escaping from work and having willing baby sitters. Recent weekend visits have included Grantown on Spey, Dunoon, Achmelvich, Stornoway and Kinlochleven. Future planned weekend residential trips include Ardnamurchan and Brussels.
How to study and where to find us
Each term includes 12 weeks of interactive online study. This course can be studied from home across the UK or from your nearest learning centre with a broadband connection. Entrance onto the degree requires three highers for school leavers, or appropriate work and life experience skills for adult returners. Individual Learning Accounts, (ILA) can be used to part fund course costs. Entrance onto the CPD Short Course Awards requires a prior degree qualification.
Contact
Roddy Murray
Phone
01851 770 469
Email
roddy.murray@lews.uhi.ac.uk
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This Section is provided as a service to the voluntary sector and does not represent an endorsement or recommendation of specific events or members of SLCVO.
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