Latest news with #UniversityofStrathclyde
Scotsman
4 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Twin-credible as sisters shine with top marks
PA Both girls achieved top marks Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Exams results day is a bittersweet milestone for Maisie and Lexie Speirs. While the twins have excelled academically, their success means they are about to be separated for the first time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lexie - at the age of just 16 - is about to head to the University of Strathclyde to study product design engineering Maisie, however, is staying on for sixth year at Glasgow's King's Park High School where she'll study another glut of Highers and Advanced Highers. Maisie achieved top marks in Higher photography, sociology, English, maths and computing. Lexie bagged Higher maths, English, physics, politics and Advanced Higher graphics, having done her Higher graphics in fourth year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It sounds like a lot of work. 'It nearly killed me,' Lexie said, cheerfully. The teenager is one of many Glasgow pupils who travel to other centres to study subjects not offered by their own school. It meant a lot of juggling and explaining to her teachers her workload. She also persuaded her teacher to run an Advanced Higher for her. But both young women are club runners and spent a lot of long runs during study leave mentally rehearsing their subjects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On going off to university at such a young age, Lexie said: 'I'm going to have to at some point, and we're going to have to split up at some point, so I'll push myself. 'And Maisie has a back up plan for me.' Maisie chipped in: 'Sports is one of our big things so if she can't join a running club and she needs a team around her, she's going to do netball. 'But she's going to do great and I'm just excited for her.' Sixth year will prove a challenge for Maisie as her parents insist she must sit Higher maths but photography is her passion and one of the reasons she wanted to attend King's Park.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow students win top ICAS award for accountancy
Ethan McDonald from the University of Glasgow, Craig Differ from the University of Strathclyde, Millie Cooley from Glasgow Caledonian University, and Aaron Sweeny from the University of West of Scotland have each received the 2025 Charles Scott Prize from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS). The award is presented annually to one outstanding accountancy student from each Scottish university offering accountancy programmes. Read more: 'We had to take the emotion out of it' - Levy on sacking Postecoglou Gail Boag, executive director of learning at ICAS, said: "Ethan, Craig, Millie and Aaron are exceptional students whose achievements reflect Glasgow's continued strength in accountancy education. "We are proud to support and celebrate their success through the Charles Scott Prize." Selection criteria vary by institution and are applied locally by academic departments, but each winner has demonstrated outstanding academic performance and potential within their cohort. The Charles Scott Prize is part of ICAS' wider effort to support the next generation of Chartered Accountants, maintain high standards in accountancy education, and strengthen relationships with universities. In addition to professional recognition, each winner receives mentorship opportunities, exposure across ICAS platforms, and connections to a global community of Chartered Accountants. The award also includes a £150 cash prize. The Charles Scott Prize honours Charles Alexander Scott CA and was established by his wife as a lasting tribute to academic excellence and the future of the profession in Scotland. This year's winners represent all 12 Scottish universities offering accountancy programmes and will be promoted through ICAS' professional channels and given opportunities to engage with the wider Chartered Accountant community.
Daily Record
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Ayrshire youngster celebrates 'deeply personal' Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Grant McLellan shares the life-changing impact of the DofE, from discovering a passion for archery to teaching young people in the USA. Saltcoats man recently completed his Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award and celebrated his achievement at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Grant McLellan, 21, left His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh momentarily speechless, as he recounted how The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) has shaped his family across generations – from his parents meeting on expedition, to his own life-changing experiences through archery, volunteering, and international travel. The Duke, who is Patron of the DofE charity, met Grant at The Palace of Holyroodhouse on Friday, July 4, at a special celebration event which recognised his Gold Duke of Edinburgh's (DofE) Award achievement. Grant's story is deeply personal, his parents met on their own Silver DofE expedition in the Netherlands. Completing his Gold Award brought his journey full circle, making him the final member of his family to achieve it. The celebration recognised Grant, who like the 600 other young people in attendance, have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience to complete their Gold DofE in schools, community organisations and youth groups all over Scotland. Award holders and their proud guests had the chance to hear from famous Scottish faces, including Olympic athlete Eilish McColgan, singer and songwriter Nathan Evans and legendary Scottish actor James Cosmo. Grant said: "I wouldn't be alive without DofE as it was on their Silver expedition in the Netherlands where my mum and dad met. "My Gold Award enabled me to learn, coach, compete in archery as well as help run a club in a committee position to allow new archers to enjoy a sport that I have come to love." Grant, a student at the University of Strathclyde studying Aero-Mechanical Engineering, began his DofE journey at 14 to strengthen his CV. Inspired by his family, his parents and brother who are all Gold Award holders, he completed his Bronze and Silver Awards before pausing his Gold due to the pandemic. His passion for archery, discovered during his Bronze Award, became a defining part of his life. He competed across the UK, served on his university archery club committee, and even taught archery at a summer camp in the USA. His DofE expedition to Arran in 2021 was one of the first post-pandemic, and despite the rain and midges, "it felt like a return to normal." Grant, said: "I was 14 completing my Bronze Award to bolster my CV and follow in the steps of my mum, dad and big brother who are all Gold Award holders. "At this time, I began archery, shooting recurve as a novice as I wanted to begin a new skill that I had never tried before. I continued to shoot after completing my Bronze sections as I progressed from secondary school to the University of Strathclyde where I am completing my undergraduate degree in BEng Hons Aero-Mechanical Engineering. "Unfortunately, due to the pandemic in 2020, I decided to pause my Gold Award until I could fulfil my sections without social distancing as well as focusing on my studies. However, I continued to compete and shoot regularly as archery was my newfound passion that became a big part of my life. "As an experienced archer, I decided to take a step out my comfort zone and apply to work in a summer camp in the USA, where I was able to teach young people the rules and discipline of archery. It was during my Gold expedition in 2021, a fellow Award holder had recommended that I apply and spend a summer in the USA, and it was one of the best things I have ever done alongside my Gold Award. Throughout my last year of university, I got back in contact with my assessor and completed my Gold Award sections." During the Gold Award celebration in the gardens of The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Eilish McColgan shared the lessons she'd learnt from her own career and told attendees that the resilience of the DofE "stays with you" and "it's not just an Award; it's a lifelong reminder of what you're capable of." She said: "Keep building on what you've already achieved. Keep that community spirit alive; you never know when you'll need your people around you. Keep your focus inward, on what you can do. And most of all, keep believing in yourself." The DofE charity recently announced record-breaking participation numbers. In Scotland 33,816 young people actively took part in the DofE in 2024/25, 20,363 young people started their DofE, and participants contributed an incredible 351,156 hours of volunteering – with an estimated total value of £2.2 million. A Gold DofE Award is a major achievement – young people spend at least 12 months honing new skills and talents, planning and completing an expedition and residential, and volunteering for a cause they are passionate about. Helen Anderson, Director for Scotland, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, said: "It's a real honour and a privilege to be celebrating our amazing Gold Award holders in the gardens of The Palace of Holyroodhouse. I've seen thousands of smiling faces and proud family members looking on – and rightfully so, as these young people have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and self-belief to be here. A Gold DofE Award will equip them with lifelong skills – and it's wonderful to see our Award holders sharing their experiences, having fun, and discussing their plans for the future. "Last year, over 20,000 young people started their DofE in Scotland, showing just how much appetite there is for enrichment opportunities beyond formal education. Together with our volunteers, partners and supporters, we want to reach as many young people as possible – so that even more can take part in a life-changing DofE Award."
Scotsman
31-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
National insurance hike hammering Scottish businesses with more pain to come - Fraser of Allander Institute
'Economic policy and political uncertainty are uppermost in the minds of Scottish businesses' Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish businesses are showing 'tentative signs of recovery', but confidence remains fragile and the hike in national insurance payments is hitting hard, a key survey today suggests. The latest quarterly business monitor from the Fraser of Allander Institute points to improvements in the volume of new business activity, turnover, employment and capital investment. The closely-watched survey is based on the findings from 300 businesses across all 32 local authorities in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While the overall net balances remain in negative territory, companies polled reported a recovery after a tough start to the year during the first quarter. Business owners were hit with higher national insurance contributions (NICs) in April. The only category where the net balance deteriorated even further in the second quarter from the opening three months of the year was export activity, as businesses reported a sharp decline from what was seen as a weak starting point in the first quarter. The report also found that more than 60 per cent of businesses have adjusted their operations because of the rise in employer national insurance contributions (NICs), which kicked in from April, with many adapting to this through a combination of strategies, including cutting back on hiring or cancelling increases in their workforce, adding the extra costs on to prices, and reducing employee benefits and compensation packages. Nearly 40 per cent of those quizzed expect to make more adjustments down the road. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sanjam Suri, knowledge exchange fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute, which is based at the University of Strathclyde, said: 'The results in the second quarter marked a recovery of sorts after a very difficult first quarter. However, it's clear that overall business confidence remains challenged. 'The tentative signs of recovery have thus far failed to make a dent in the economic outlook for the rest of the year. While most businesses have adjusted to changes in NICs, nearly 40 per cent of firms plan on making more adjustments, suggesting that the full impact of these changes are yet to materialise.' Almost a quarter of businesses expect moderate to strong economic growth in the Scottish economy over the next 12-months. While this number has increased from the first quarter, nearly three quarters of businesses surveyed still expect growth to remain in the weak to very-weak territory. Broader inflationary trends continue to affect businesses with 75 per cent of companies expecting increased employee costs over the coming six months. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The institute said the relative recovery in the second quarter had 'thus far failed to crystallise into durable improvements in overall business sentiment', which continues to be affected by unpredictability around trade and tariffs. Josh Hampson, knowledge exchange assistant at the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: 'The ongoing uncertainty around trade continues to show up in the sharp decline in the export activity from what was already seen as a weak starting point in the first quarter of 2025.
Daily Record
21-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
New innovation centre could create 300 jobs in Renfrewshire
Plans have been announced to create a national hub for the development of advanced semiconductor packaging. More than 300 high-tech jobs could be created in Renfrewshire thanks to a promised £29 million investment in green technology. The money – put up by the UK Government as part of its investment in Glasgow City Region Innovation Zone projects – will accelerate semiconductor packaging innovation at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS). It will fund a national hub for the development of advanced semiconductor packaging – a component needed for the manufacturing of next generation technologies from AI to computing and photonics. In a first for Europe, the new facility – dubbed the National Advanced Semiconductor Packaging and Integration Centre (NASPIC) – will enable faster development of semiconductor devices, reducing packaging lead times from months to days. It will also reduce the UK's reliance on importing conductors from overseas. The new centre will form part of the University of Strathclyde's Advanced Net Zero Innovation Centre based at the NMIS site in Inchinnan. It is expected to create 300 new jobs and unlock an estimated £800m in additional revenue for UK and international businesses. Professor Matt Boyle, director of electrification at NMIS, said: 'We are building a world-class capability here in Renfrewshire, positioning the region at the forefront of advanced semiconductor development. 'Our ambition is to serve the global market for semiconductor packaging. As part of this, we also intend to develop skills programmes that will fuel the sector's expansion both locally and nationally. 'This latest funding boost underlines NMIS's commitment to becoming a world-leading centre for advanced manufacturing in these critical technologies. 'NASPIC will support companies looking to bring manufacturing in-house and reduce their reliance on overseas supply chains. There is no other facility in the UK that offers the level of support and access to technology we are planning. 'This new national resource will be key to enhancing the UK's position in a growing global market, nurturing businesses and enabling them to scale. 'This is a very exciting moment. Scotland has long been at the forefront of semiconductor innovation. 'Now, with fresh momentum and investment, we have the opportunity to put Scotland back on the global map for advanced packaging, underpinned by targeted skills development.' Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde and chair of the NMIS board, added: 'This is a strategically important capability for the UK, enhancing our competitiveness, strengthening supply chains, and opening up new opportunities in high-growth sectors such as AI, quantum, and photonics. 'Through NMIS and our close collaboration with government and industry, we are helping to build the skills, infrastructure, and expertise required to secure the UK's future as a global leader in advanced manufacturing.'
