A disagreement between Scottish local authorities and the country’s Qualifications Authority has become public with the councils announcing that they will seek another organisation to provide the service, even if that means going south of the border to find one. It follows the decision of the SQA to increase the examination entry fees they charge education authorities by a 35 per cent over the next two years. 

The public service union, UNISON, has welcomed the news that the government is to look at the effect of University top-up fees on entry to public service professions. A recent survey conducted by the union showed that more than two-thirds of current students would consider working in the public sector for a fixed period if their debts were paid off.The union has succeeded in persuading the Government to stop universities charging top-up tuition fees to nursing and other medical students. 

The Guide, which is produced by the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, explains what strategy is, how it works and how it differs in the public compared to the private sector. It was produced to help organisations think through what they want to achieve and how they will achieve it.