The meeting, on 25 February, covered a wide range of issues, such as funding and employability, and has produced action points for both the Scottish Government and NUS Scotland.
Student support
NUS Scotland discussed the student support consultation and reiterated its point that the additional £30 million on offer for student support next year, while welcome, is not sufficient to bring student support funding in line with the poverty threshold.
The issue of childcare funding was also raised and the Cabinet Secretary was asked for feedback on NUS Scotland's proposal for a centralised system of means-tested childcare support for students in colleges and universities. The Cabinet Secretary stated that she wants to ensure equality of access and has committed to exploring this option further with us. NUS Scotland and the Scottish Government have agreed to meet shortly to discuss this issue in more depth.
Graduate jobs
The impact of the economic downturn on graduate jobs, student numbers entering further and higher education, and meeting current and future skills fluctuations was also discussed. The Cabinet Secretary shared NUS Scotland's concerns about the increased pressure on students and graduates to be able to meet the needs of employers, and has agreed to include considerations on employability in the Scottish Cabinet Economic Recovery Plan.
Finally, the issue of widening access was raised and the Cabinet Secretary was asked for her views on the direction this work is taking. NUS Scotland proposed that the widening access agenda needs to be revisited in a 'back to basics' discussion where it looks at what it wants to achieve as a nation and how it goes about getting there. The Secretary accepted this as a valid issue and looks forward to opening up dialogue further at the Learning for All Conference on 25 March.
Keeping the conversation going
This, the first of NUS Scotland's Strategic Dialogue Meetings with Fiona Hyslop, has been very successful. NUS Scotland discussed issues that are of significant importance to students, given the current economic climate, and agreed to take forward action points on national policy to improve the lives of students and graduates. The next meeting takes place on 9 September 2009.