Digital CLD Award Achievement

Lead Scotland is among the first in Scotland to be recognised under a new digital award scheme for community learning and development organisations.

The Digital CLD Awards seek to recognise the ways that CLD (Community Learning and Development) services and organisations promote effective use of digital technologies to enhance learning and engagement opportunities in youth work, adult learning, and community development programmes. It is delivered through a collaboration between education bodies and industry partners.

The pilot is being funded by Scottish Government’s Community Learning and Development policy team and is focused on strengthening organisations’ skills across key areas, helping them to build their own, and their learners’, digital skills, digital literacies and strong digital wellbeing.

Seven organisations across youth work, adult learning, and community development programmes in Scotland have been taking part in the pilot which is the first initiative of its kind in the sector.

Lead Scotland is one of the first CLD organisations in Scotland to receive the award which recognises and celebrates high-quality digital services and learning practices that are supporting the growth of digitally talented young people and adults.

To achieve Digital CLD Award status, Lead Scotland had to demonstrate its clear vision and strong leadership in transforming its engagement and learning opportunities through effective use of digital technologies. Evidence of digital approaches that raise the quality of learning, improve community involvement, and promote better inclusion were also assessed.

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training said: “I offer my congratulations to all organisations who have achieved the Digital CLD Award. This is an important digital achievement for them and will make a real difference in helping to build the digitally literate, inclusive and talented young people, adults and communities of the future.”

Emma Whitelock, CEO of Lead Scotland, said, “Lead Scotland is delighted to be one of the first CLD organisations in Scotland to receive the Digital CLD Award. I’m incredibly proud of the staff and volunteer team who work with learners across Scotland, supporting people to realise technology as a force for good. I encourage other CLD organisations to take up the opportunity to undertake this Award. It offers the opportunity to give yourselves a good MOT in relation to digital and there are great sources of support on hand to learn and improve”.

Alan Armstrong from Digital CLD Awards Scotland said: “I am delighted that Lead Scotland has enjoyed and benefited from its involvement in piloting the Digital CLD Awards. Digital technologies are playing an increasingly significant role in all our lives and work. This Award recognises and highlights the digital improvements that Lead Scotland is making to the ways staff, learners and stakeholders can engage, learn and develop further, together. Congratulations to all involved.

Lead Scotland’s involvement in the pilot programme has helped Digital CLD Awards Scotland to co-create an Award framework that will encourage and celebrate greater digital inclusion in CLD organisations of all sizes, benefit learners and promote social justice.”

About Digital CLD Awards Pilot Programme

The development of the Digital CLD Awards programme is being led by the Digital Schools Awards, an organisation which was established to encourage a whole-school approach to the use of digital technology in the classroom. It brings expertise from education and industry and is backed by multinational technology companies including HP and AMD, as well as Education Scotland.

For the first time it is set to engage with organisations throughout the community. The intention is to create a strong legacy of digital skills in the CLD sector by promoting and celebrating improvements in high-quality digital services and learning experiences, and supporting the growth of digitally talented young people and adults.

The award is based around four key principles and designed to be:

• Policy-led and reflective for organisations and individuals.
• Inclusive, with an emphasis on inclusion and co-creation through the voice of learners so that digitally mature organisations can celebrate their achievements, and digitally developing organisations can use the framework as a road map for improvement.
• Encourage and support improvement by acting as a road map for organisations at all stages of their digital development.
• Sustainable through the support of a wide range of sectoral partners.

The programme is being shaped by a Development Group of specialist partners, including CLD Managers Scotland (CLDMS), CLD Standards Council, Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS), Education Scotland, Lead Scotland, Learning Link Scotland, Scotland’s Learning Partnership, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), Youthlink and Youth Scotland.