Chair's Address
Linda McTavish CBE, Chair of Higher National Key Partners’ Group and Principal of Anniesland College, opened the conference and delivered an uplifting and positive address.

Skills for Business Network - working in partnership
Aileen Ponton, Head of Policy, Scotland, Sector Skills Development Agency gave an overview of the Skill for Business Network and highlighted some current and future issues relating to work of, and with, Sector Skills Councils.

Partnership and efficient government: a college perspective
Eleanor Harris, Depute Principal, Cardonald College, Glasgow gave a first hand account on the benefits and challenges of the HN Modernisation Project from a college point of view.

Workshop 1 - The Skills Agenda - an integrated Approach
The focus of this workshop was to explore how the Skills for Business Network could assist and enhance the development of vocational qualifications and consider the influences of it and other agencies on qualification development.

Workshop 2 - Employability - making it work in Higher national Certificates and Diplomas
This workshop explored some of the ways in which colleges can make employability an integral part of the student experience.

Workshop 3 - e-Assessment
These workshops covered two aspects of e-Assessment. One gave an overview of the SOLAR Project, which was set up to develop and deliver online summative assessments. The other gave participants the opportunity to hear about the online delivery of Core Skills to enhance employability.

Workshop 4 - Professional Development Awards
This workshop provided an overview of Professional Development Awards (including those at SCQF level 9 and above) and gave participants the opportunity to discuss the development of these qualifications.

Workshop 5 - Graded Units - a practical approach to success
The aim of this workshop was to discuss ways in which Graded Units could be successfully implemented in colleges.

Workshop 6 - HN Profile and Promotion
The aim of this workshop was to review recent trends in the uptake of HNCs and HND and to discuss ways in which these qualifications could be promoted in future.

Workshop 7 - Enhancing HNs Through Assessment
This workshop was designed to provide delegates with the opportunity to discuss assessment approaches within HNC/Ds.

Workshop 8 - New Technology! New Approaches!
There were two workshops under the main theme of New Technology! New Approaches! The first – Technology-supported learning: an SQA approach – aimed to introduce colleagues to the range of HN resources now available to them. The second – Learner Impact – was a round table discussion designed to ascertain views of participants on the use of technology in assessment.