A new centre dedicated to helping education professionals plan and enhance their careers will be officially opened today (November 14) at the University of Aberdeen.
Directors of Education, council education development officers and head teachers will be among those attending today's opening of the Professional Learning and Development (PLD) Centre at the School of Education.
Also being launched is the School's new Leadership Pathways initiative – a programme aimed at developing and supporting the educational leaders of the future.
Leila Holm, Director of the PLD centre, said: "This programme, run as part of the services our new PLD centre will offer, has been devised in response to the need expressed by local councils for leadership succession planning.
"There is already a shortage in the North of applicants for senior management positions in schools and in particular for headships.
"This newly devised programme, which has developed out of a strong partnership between the School of Education, University of Aberdeen and local councils in the North, is seen as the way forward to ensure high quality training."
Participants will blend University courses with study within their own local authority. It is an opportunity to gain an MSc and to demonstrate competence against a range of professional standards, including the Standard for Headship.
The PLD Centre's wider aim is to provide continuous professional development (CPD) information and opportunities, as well as guidance regarding choices and qualifications.
Courses are provided in a number of key areas, including:
Leadership and Management; Mentoring and Coaching; Adult Learning and Further Education; Curative Education; Early Childhood Studies; Music; Counselling; and Inclusion.
For more on the Professional Learning and Development Centre visit: