College Development Network (CDN)

Founder Member:

Sector
Education – colleges, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and the wider tertiary sector in Scotland.

Core Products / Services
CDN is the national development and enhancement agency for Scotland’s colleges, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

We empower, connect and drive change, strengthening people and practice through professional learning, learning & teaching development, leadership and governance development, quality enhancement, networks and insight.

Victoria Underwood

Director of Operations & Strategic Planning

Vicky is Director of Operations and Strategic Planning at CDN, where she leads strategy and delivery to drive change and transformation across Scotland’s colleges and the wider tertiary sector.
She also serves on the board of The Promise Scotland, a cause she is deeply passionate about alongside her work in the college sector.

Before joining CDN, Vicky spent seven years at Edinburgh College as Interim Head of International and International Business Manager. She has extensive experience leading major international partnership projects in countries including Egypt, South Africa, India, and across Central and South America.

CDN is the national development and enhancement agency for Scotland’s colleges, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). Our purpose is to be the trusted partner for colleges: leading enhancement, empowering people and driving change that strengthens the wider tertiary sector.

Our Strategy 2026–2030, Every College, Every Step of the Way, focuses on three priority areas:
• Quality of learning and teaching
• The learning environment and professional services
• Leadership and governance

Our work includes supporting Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF) and flagship programmes such as The Changing Learner and Futures Lab.

Part of this work includes supporting colleges in Scotland to expand their internationalisation and exporting potential. The CDN supported Colleges International Working Group delivered in partnership with British Council Scotland and Colleges Scotland is a key driver for supporting international growth, and CDN’s Insights Team has also provided international case studies highlighting success in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) practice, and research on Scottish colleges’ international ambitions.

Collaboration is key to CDN – we are currently working in partnership with British Council Scotland to encourage and support Scotland’s colleges to enter international markets and grow their international activity through collaborative partnership working nationally and right across the UK.

CDN works with colleges across the priority areas of our Strategy 2026–2030, offering:

Professional learning – programmes and events tailored to Scotland’s college workforce that focuses on developing the capability of staff across colleges to improve learning & teaching and the student experience.
Leadership and governance development – building capability at all levels, from aspiring managers to executive teams and board members.
Quality enhancement – helping institutions across tertiary to embed Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF), and co-management of Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) with QAA Scotland.
Insight and research – evidence, case studies and horizon scanning that inform decision-making and help scale national and international practice that works.
Networks and collaboration – strategic networks, communities of practice and sector events that connect practitioners, leaders and partners to share learning and tackle shared challenges.
The Changing Learner – an evidence-led programme, supporting colleges to respond to learners’ evolving needs and improve retention, attainment and progression. It covers four pillars: trauma-informed practice, positive behaviours, culture and community, and staff wellbeing and safeguarding.
Futures Lab – workshops and online sessions that build the creativity, confidence and agency colleges need to navigate uncertainty and turn ideas into action.
Showcasing success – national awards and campaigns that recognise impact and share learning across the sector.