Autodesk and the Scottish Qualifications Authority

Autodesk has entered an agreement with the Scottish Qualifications Authority to collaborate on new digital and ICT curriculum and qualifications for schools and colleges in Scotland.

Autodesk has entered an agreement with the Scottish Qualifications Authority to collaborate on new digital and ICT curriculum and qualifications for schools and colleges in Scotland.

Autodesk will join global technology leaders such as Adobe, Microsoft and Oracle, together with the computing industry trade association CompTIA, in participating in SQA's ground breaking collaborative programme called the Digital media and ICT Vendor Alliance (DIVA).

The programme is already benefiting young people studying at schools and colleges who want to access the IT and creative industries, which are amongst the fastest growing areas of the UK economy.

Collaboration plans for the next phase include:.

- Mapping of vendor certifications and materials onto existing Higher National and National Certificate units in computing, multimedia and technology.

- Potential for development of new units where applicable.

- Development of new learner support materials from industry into all levels of ICT and digital media education.

- Professional development opportunities for Scottish teachers and lecturers to train in the latest technologies and courses.

- Development of learning pathways for new career opportunities in ICT and digital media industries, in line with the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF).

Tom Drake, SQA's interim Chief Executive, said: "Through the DIVA Project, working with global partners, we are making great progress in giving learners and teachers across Scotland access to curriculum materials and support, and delivering Scottish Qualifications that are relevant to industry and business".

As in the first round of the programme, Autodesk was selected following a detailed market survey commissioned by SQA in the autumn of 2005.

Details of the collaboration are set out below.

Autodesk.

Autodesk and SQA have signed a three year non-exclusive Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on Scottish education and training awards within the SCQF.

Collaboration will initially focus on Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Revit Building, Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya products which are already recognised in Scottish education for curriculum delivery and are widely used in the creative industries.

The agreement with SQA will cover:.

- Introduction and customisation of Autodesk learning materials into the Scottish curriculum.

- Collaboration on incorporating Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Revit Building, Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya into SQA qualifications.

Autodesk is currently reviewing the potential for donating electronic content to SQA for use within Scottish schools and colleges on a restricted licensing agreement.

Autodesk is also considering a professional development scheme that will help to encourage uptake of the new learning resources and awards.

The Autodesk online academic community (www.students.autodesk.com) already provides broad support for students and teaching staff and the potential to extend this facility to offer support for Scottish educational users is also part of the discussion.

One or more education partners will be selected through open tender process to act as champions in the school and college sectors for the SQA Autodesk collaboration programme.

"It is a privilege for Autodesk to be invited to join this exciting scheme," said Alistair Brook, Education Manager, Autodesk Education Solutions.

"We are immensely proud of the contribution that Autodesk solutions are already making in classrooms across Scotland and we look forward to extending this to help students to realise their potential in design and engineering with technology from the market leader.

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