DOLLAR ACADEMY has announced they have collaborated with the University of Stirling to establish a clear understanding of acceptable qualifications from their new Futures Institute.

The school signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement with the university, enabling both establishments to work on a joint approach to exploring accreditation of new qualifications from the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy (FIDA).

The FIDA will enable young people to generate creative responses to sustainable development challenges before progressing to further education.

Stirling University has pledged its support in helping Dollar guarantee that a FIDA qualification is held in similar regard to other school qualifications in terms of further education entry requirements.

This will allow pupils to go down an alternative pathway towards college university from the standard SQA route.

Ian Munro, rector of Dollar Academy and founder of FIDA, said: “We’re delighted to have the support of the University of Stirling in ensuring our FIDA qualifications can enable direct entry to higher education.

“At the same time, the collaboration will provide learners with access to a wider range of resources – including experts at the University – which will further broaden their learning experiences as well as provide valuable insight into different career pathways.

“We also look forward to working with the University and Scotland’s International Environment Centre to turn the ideas generated by youngsters through FIDA courses into real-world products and services.”

FIDA was launched in May 2021, placing Dollar Academy at the forefront of educational innovation in Scotland.

To date, the course has given 900 young people across the country the opportunity to learn in a different way, in line with the UN sustainable development goals.

John Rogers, executive director of research, innovation, and business engagement at the University of Stirling, said: “The University of Stirling has an unshakeable belief in the power of ideas to inspire the next generation.

“Our MoU with FIDA is an important milestone opportunity to support the school to further develop this groundbreaking educational platform, allowing all schoolchildren in Scotland to explore ideas and challenge established ways of thinking.

“This ambitious collaboration will empower futures generates to face the challenges presented by a changing world, and respond with creative and sustainable solutions, supporting them and the communities around them to realise their full potential.”

To find out more about FIDA and its courses, visit fida.world.