Delivering for Scotland: the third round of outcome agreements

This 2014 report marks the third round of outcome agreements in a little over eighteen months. The previous two have focused firmly on the future; what is to be delivered. Now that a little time has passed, this one gives us an opportunity to have first glance back and have a look at the early signs of impact.

As with the first two rounds of outcome agreements, the outcomes have focused on widening access and opportunity, employability and innovation.

All measures for widening access have improved. This includes the number of entrants from SIMD20/40 neighbourhoods at university, the number of students articulating from college, and the number of students that start university from schools that traditionally have had low levels of participation in higher education.

The proportion of graduates in positive destinations within six months of leaving university has held steady at last year’s high level of 93 per cent. Scotland continues to outperform the rest of the UK on this measure.

Universities have increased the income they earn from research and commercialisation activity. Income serves as a proxy for measuring activity levels.  Looking ahead, the focus is on the outcome of the research Excellence Framework; the results of which are due out in December 2014.