Education and Development Subgroup
Empowering Lifelong Learning and Career Progression.
The Education and Development Subgroup is one of four implementation subgroups, driving delivery of the NMT Recommended Actions at pace. The focus is on developing modern, future-proof education pathways, widening participation, reviewing and improving current education provision and strengthening the system's capacity, capability and flexibility.
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Overview of the NMT Education and Development Subgroup
Education and Development Recommended Actions
The Education and Development Subgroup leads work to modernise and expand Scotland’s nursing and midwifery education pathways, improving access, strengthening progression routes, and ensuring learners at all stages can develop the skills needed for a sustainable future workforce.
It sets clear priorities and SMART goals to drive delivery, working collaboratively with policy, education and workforce partners to address gaps, develop innovative learning models, and enhance capacity across the system. Recent activity includes reviewing existing provision, identifying future learning requirements, and progressing work that broadens accessible, flexible pathways into nursing and midwifery.
The Education and Development Subgroup, co-chaired by Susan Dawkes and Jaki Lambert, will concentrate on the development and implementation of transformative solutions, which focus on career opportunities across all four pillars of practice, and the diversification of education and training pathways for the nursing and midwifery professions in Scotland.
Their role is to oversee delivery, offer direction and ultimately enable implementation of transformative, future-proofed solutions to address the following Recommended Actions.
“The recommended actions give us a bold and future‑focused framework to strengthen education, widen participation, and create clear, supportive progression routes for all learners. As we move into the implementation phase, our priority is to work closely with the workforce, ensuring their input helps guide how these changes take shape. Together, we can create an education system that is resilient, forward‑looking, and equipped to meet the needs of Scotland’s communities for years to come.” Susan Dawes (Co-Chair)
“Implementing these recommended actions is a vital step toward creating education pathways that truly reflect the realities and aspirations of our nursing and midwifery professions. Our ambition is not only to modernise and expand access to learning, but to do so in collaboration with the workforce—ensuring their voices shape the changes that will support them throughout their careers and create the skill mix required for Scotland. This is our opportunity to build an education environment that strengthens, supports, and champions every member of each essential profession.” Jaki Lambert (Co-Chair)
➡️ Find out more information about the Education and Development Subgroup Co-Chairs.
Education and Development Recommended Actions
Below you'll find an overview of the NMT Recommended Actions being progressed by the Education and Development Subgroup.
Number | Recommended Actions - Education and Development Subgroup |
|---|---|
6 | The Scottish Government will explore with relevant partners and stakeholders, including regulators, the benefits and challenges of introducing regulation and standardised education in Scotland for nursing support worker roles. This will include considering all the available evidence regarding substitution, deployment, scope of role, increasing widening participation and suitable education programs that can enable progression to the registered nurse role. |
7 | NHS Education for Scotland (NES) with relevant stakeholders will review the education of maternity care assistants with the aim of understanding the potential benefits and challenges of standardised education, aligned with the level 2-4 Maternity & Neonatal Education & Development framework to increase widening participation and suitable education programmes that can enable progression to earn and you learn models for midwifery education. |
8 | The Scottish Government with relevant partners and stakeholders will commission a comprehensive review of practice learning to:
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9 | The Scottish Government will work with relevant partners and key stakeholders such as Higher Education Institutions, NHS Boards, Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and others to develop alternative sustainable pre-registration degree education delivery and funding models that will lead to NMC approved programmes for nursing and midwifery that are structured in a more contemporary and progressive way.
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10 | NES and employers will embed the refreshed NMAHP career framework as a tool to enable a structured approach to staff learning and development, including career planning conversations, across all four pillars. |
11 | Employers will ensure leadership, finance, educational programmes, and processes are in place and visible to support all nursing and midwifery learners, levels 2-9, to access relevant education provision to develop their individual career aspirations. |
12 | NES with relevant partners will address where there are gaps in education provision. |
13 | In collaboration with the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Research Advisory Group, and with cognisance to their recent work, agree the development of a structured approach to integrated clinical, academic and research appointments with clearer career pathways and job descriptions including clinical academic roles. This work should consider all drivers, include funding mechanisms, to bridge the gap in HEI/Board salaries and to enable expansion of opportunities for staff to be supported to develop at MSc level and beyond. |
14 | The Scottish Government will conduct a mapping exercise of the current digital landscape and will act on the findings to come up with areas for improvement around the opportunities for nursing and midwifery staff to be involved in digital transformation. |
Subgroup Membership
Membership of the Education and Development Subgroup includes representation from the below stakeholders:
Area Nursing and Midwifery Committees
Further Education Institutes
Higher Education Institutes
Highlights
The Education and Development Subgroup is driving forward the implementation of the recommended actions that will ensure that every midwife and nurse will be supported to develop and learn throughout their career. This means getting the right people around the table that can drive or implement the changes needed so that our professions are valued as learning professions across care, education, evidence, and research. We are committed to take people with us as we develop and implement the changes that will achieve the changes outlined in the recommended actions.
The group has focused in meetings on identifying the baseline measures and the measures of success that will be used against each Recommended Action to clearly demonstrate their effective delivery. Progress on the delivery of the Recommended Actions is taking place at the same time, with some actions being more advanced than others.
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