Although Richard Lochhead may only have been appointed as Scotland’s minister for further education, higher education and science in August, he is anything but a newcomer to government, and that is immediately obvious. Having served as rural affairs, food and environment secretary from 2007 to 2016, he is keen to set out his stall with regard to his new remit.

“I want to be a high-profile, vocal minister for further and higher education and science, and to ensure that all of my colleagues in government and the wider country recognise the importance of our sectors and the amazing role they play in equipping the country for the future,” he tells Tes.

“I am known for getting out and about and meeting people, and I will continue in that vein. I won’t be afraid of making changes where I think they are required to improve the sector’s resilience and effectiveness, but I am bowled over by the talent I have come across in terms of both students and staff. There is a lot to celebrate.”

Having stepped back from government in 2016, Lochhead was appointed to his current post in August by first minister Nicola Sturgeon, following weeks of speculation after the position was vacant when former FE lecturer Gillian Martin was unable to take up that role after derogatory comments she made about transgender people and disabled people were unearthed in a 2007 blog post.

Lochhead brings more to the role than a safe pair of hands, however, boasting direct experience of the FE sector - something that is notoriously rare in government. “Since I took on this job, I have been reflecting on my own learner journey,” he says. “When I left school, all my friends went straight to university and I guess I didn’t have the confidence back then to do that. I went and did my HNC and I really enjoyed that.”

Following his time at Glasgow Central College of Commerce (now City of Glasgow College), his plan was to train as an accountant while working as a trainee for the South of Scotland Electricity Board. “The idea at that point was to train as an accountant and make my way into the higher echelons of business - but that wasn’t actually for me. I wanted the opportunity of more education, I wanted to go to university - and so I went to Stirling.

“I used my college qualification to add to my Highers to get into university - and looking at some of the issues I am dealing with now, that is obviously a big agenda.”

‘Dynamic and innovative’

The FE sector has changed since Lochhead’s time as a student, he says. “Colleges have upped their game,” he explains, adding the sector is “much more dynamic and innovative to what I remember”.

The first couple of months in post have been a learning curve for him, he admits: “I have been in government before and I have dealt with all kinds of further and higher education institutions - clearly you know it is a very important sector. But now I am in this post, you actually realise that it is massive.

“Not only is it massively important, but also in its size, in terms of the institutions and their students and the big role they play in their communities, as well as in the country’s future. That is what has really bowled me over. It is also a very diverse sector, and these days, there are some blurred lines between college and university - and indeed employers.”

Making sure the learner journey is smooth will be one of his priorities, he stresses. “Colleges and university have a lot in common, but they are distinctive and should retain that distinction in some ways - but at the same time, break down barriers. We want to have that diversity, but what is important is that young people feel comfortable and confident in whatever direction they want to go down.

“And if they want to do something different or turn a corner, we need the whole system to be flexible and seamless. It is horses for courses, really. As young people go through their education journey, we don’t want duplication, we don’t want waste, we want that efficient use of resources and students’ education experience. There is work underway there.”

Adult learners

The discussion should not be limited to the experience of 16- to 24-year-olds - particularly with Brexit approaching, says Lochhead: “Looking at the demographics of our countries and potential skills shortages in the coming years, particularly with potentially hard Brexit, we need people of all ages to feel they can acquire the skills they need for the workplace.

“That begs the question of beyond age 24 and the role of colleges and further and higher education - I am interested in looking at that in more detail. There is no reason we shouldn’t be urging people in their thirties, forties and fifties to retrain and learn skills, especially if it is in the national interest.”

He is acutely aware of the impact Brexit, particularly a hard Brexit, could have on colleges and universities in Scotland. “Brexit is a huge challenge. I don’t want EU nationals to feel unwelcome on Scottish campuses, and we have to make sure we still participate in EU funding programmes. It is said we wouldn’t have the University of the Highlands and Islands if it wasn’t for structural and regional funding from Europe, and that is 13 colleges across that institution alone.”

The demands of a post-Brexit economy could also affect the choices available to young people, says Lochhead. “If there is a skills shortage and employers are more likely to take young people directly from schools, what will that mean for colleges?”

‘A period of stability’

Following years of regionalisation and the unrest created by disputes between staff and college management as national bargaining returned to the sector, the FE minister hopes there are quieter waters ahead. “The college sector has been through some turbulent times in recent years and we are now in a period, hopefully, of much more stability. If we look at the satisfaction rate for students, that is very positive, and if we look at the number of college leavers who are going into positive destinations, it seems we are in a good place at the moment.

“But that does, of course, serve to highlight that we have to be able to cope with the challenges we face, [like] Brexit and all that means, and the fact we live in an economy that is fast-changing.”

Following the return of national bargaining to Scottish FE, pay and conditions for support and teaching staff have been the focus of much of the attention on the sector, with strike action across the country. And while only last week, members of the support staff trade unions - Unison, Unite and GMB - voted to accept a two-and-a-half-year pay and conditions of service offer, teaching staff, represented by EIS-FELA, rejected a final three-year pay deal offer by college management, calling for a more significant cost-of-living increase.

“It is very good news we have had a breakthrough with the negotiations for support staff, and we congratulate all parties concerned there. Clearly, we await progress with the lecturers’ pay negotiations and I hope that we can have a satisfactory resolution to that in the near future,” Lochhead says.

Cost of harmonisation

Lochhead continues: “We have been through the harmonisation [process], which next year will lead to an extra demand of £50 million in the budget, which the Scottish government will take through the process in due course, and that has led to a substantial increase in salary for many lecturers across Scotland’s colleges.”

He will not be drawn on whether the Scottish government will foot the bill for the extra cost colleges will be facing from national bargaining: “There is a budget coming up and we know what the costs are. I am just trying to illustrate there is a substantial figure that is involved in implementing the harmonisation deal and in terms of cost of living, that is up to employers and unions to sort out as quickly as possible.”

“I think we clearly want the unions and employers to sit down and have a rational discussion and recognise the financial times in which we live, as well as the fact that the harmonisation that has taken place has led to substantially increased investments in pay and conditions for lecturers.”

CV: Richard Lochhead

Education:

• 1974-81: Carolside Primary, East Renfrewshie
• 1981-86: Williamson High School, Glasgow
• 1987: Glasgow Central College of Commerce, HNC business studies
• 1994: Graduated from Stirling University, BA (Hons) political studies

Work:

• 1987-89: Clerical trainee, South of Scotland Electricity Board, Glasgow
• 1994-98: Office manager, constituency office of Alex Salmond, MP for Banff and Buchan
• 1998-99: Development officer, Dundee City Council
• 1999: Elected to the Scottish Parliament via the North East regional list
• 2006: elected to represent Moray in the Scottish Parliament