College Development Network

What College Development Network does

College Development Network (CDN) is a Scotland-based, non-profit improvement agency and registered charity (SC021876) designated to serve the country's further education college sector. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Stirling, the organisation provides professional development, leadership training, governance support, evidence-based teaching programmes, and quality enhancement services to all 26+ colleges across Scotland. Its core delivery platform is CDN LearnOnline, a Moodle-based learning management system hosting courses across learning & teaching, leadership & management, wellbeing and inclusion, governance, and quality enhancement categories. Complementing the LMS are accreditation-bearing programmes (CMI Emerging Leadership, CMI Strategic Leadership, Executive Leadership Series), bespoke executive coaching, and the Elevate LT programme delivered in partnership with TeachingHOW2s.

CDN operates a hybrid revenue model combining direct public sector funding from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) with fee-based professional development programmes priced at £250-£2,000 per participant and bespoke delivery contracts (£3,500 for group coaching). The organisation co-delivers STEP (Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme) with QAA Scotland under SFC funding, publishes the CAIRN Journal for practitioner-led research, and runs the annual College Awards now in its 27th year. Distribution is sector-led rather than commercial: CDN engages through Strategic Networks, Communities of Practice, partnership with Colleges Scotland, and direct relationships with college principals and governance bodies. The employer list reveals a 15-20 person core team structured across Executive Leadership, Delivery & Engagement, Insight Planning & Impact, Marketing & Impact, and Finance & Corporate Services divisions.

Name

College Development Network

Legal name

College Development Network

Website

https://cdn.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

College Development Network is the designated improvement agency for Scotland's colleges, delivering professional development, leadership training, and quality enhancement programmes via its Moodle-based CDN LearnOnline platform and in-person networks, serving all 26+ Scottish colleges under Scottish Funding Council backing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Professional Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Vocational education services
• Leadership development programmes
• Professional learning training
• College sector improvement
• Tertiary education enhancement

Headquarters

HQ city

Stirling

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Development Programme Fees: CDN generates revenue through fees charged for leadership and professional development programmes including Executive Leadership Series (£2,000 per candidate), Coaching Skills for Managers (£250 per participant, £285 external), CMI Strategic Leadership (£675 college staff, £785 external), CMI Emerging Leadership (£575 college staff, £675 external), and Bespoke Executive Coaching (£900 for 3 sessions, £1,500 for 5 sessions).
2. Scottish Government / Public Sector Funding: CDN operates as an improvement agency for Scotland's colleges, funded in part by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). STEP is specifically funded by the Scottish Funding Council and delivered by CDN and QAA Scotland. Core operational funding appears to come from government/public sector sources supporting the college sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

College Development Network is the improvement agency for Scotland's colleges, delivering professional development, leadership programmes, and quality enhancement services to the college sector. It operates the CDN LearnOnline Moodle-based learning management system, runs CMI-accredited leadership programmes (Executive Leadership Series, Strategic Leadership, Emerging Leadership, Coaching Skills for Managers), delivers bespoke executive coaching via Know You More, hosts the Elevate LT evidence-based teaching programme with TeachingHOW2s, and convenes Strategic Networks, Communities of Practice, and the annual College Awards across Scotland's college sector.

Product overview

College Development Network operates as a professional development and enhancement agency for Scotland's colleges, offering a portfolio of programmes and services. The core offering includes CDN LearnOnline (a Moodle-based LMS for online courses), leadership and management programmes (Executive Leadership Series, CMI Emerging Leadership, CMI Strategic Leadership, Coaching Skills for Managers), bespoke executive coaching partnerships, professional learning programmes (Elevate LT, Teaching in Colleges Today), and quality enhancement resources (TSET, STEP). The network also publishes the CAIRN Journal and delivers the annual College Awards. These offerings work together to support staff development, leadership growth, quality improvement, and knowledge sharing across Scotland's college sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CDN LearnOnline: Online learning platform providing courses and professional development for college staff
• CDN College Awards
• STEP (Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme)
• CAIRN Journal
• Elevate LT Programme
• Executive Leadership Series

Products and services

• CDN LearnOnline An online learning management system (LMS) powered by Moodle, providing courses across Learning & Teaching, Leadership & Management, Wellbeing & Inclusion, Governance, Insights & Innovations, and Tertiary Quality Resources for college staff across Scotland.
• Executive Leadership Series A high-impact leadership development programme for current and aspiring senior leaders in education, comprising ten full-day in-person workshops priced at £2,000 per candidate.
• CMI Strategic Leadership Programme A blended learning programme for senior managers and aspiring leaders based on CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership, with 11 online workshops and 60 guided learning hours; priced at £675 for college staff and £785 for external participants.
• CMI Emerging Leadership Programme A blended learning course for practising or aspiring managers and leaders based on CMI Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership, with 11 online workshops over 6 months; priced at £575 for college staff and £675 for external participants.
• Coaching Skills for Managers Programme A two-day face-to-face programme designed to equip managers with effective coaching strategies for leadership and team development; priced at £250 per participant for college staff and £285 for external participants, with bespoke delivery at £3,500 for up to 15 participants.
• Bespoke Executive Coaching On-demand, bespoke executive coaching offered in partnership with Know You More (KYM), available for senior college staff with options for 3 or 5 one-hour sessions, including pro bono coaching for up to five young people from Student Associations.
• Elevate LT Programme A practical, evidence-based professional learning programme developed in partnership with TeachingHOW2s, designed to strengthen learning and teaching practice across Scotland's college sector using AI-supported resources and transformative approaches.
• Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP) Scotland's national enhancement programme for tertiary education, delivered by CDN and QAA Scotland, funded by the Scottish Funding Council, focusing on Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys (2024-2028).
• CAIRN Journal The Colleges Action Inquiry Research Network Journal, hosted by CDN, serving as a platform for practitioner-led scholarship and research within Scotland's college sector, publishing research articles, reflective pieces, and descriptive narratives.
• Tertiary Self-Evaluation Toolkit (TSET) A toolkit designed to support and guide quality processes and self-evaluation across the Tertiary Sector, hosted on CDN LearnOnline.

Quantifiable outcome

• 195 submissions from colleges across Scotland for CDN College Awards 2026
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TeachingHOW2scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2026TeachingHOW2s is a strategic partner for the Elevate LT (Enhancing Learning and Teaching) programme. Developed in partnership, the programme provides evidence-based professional learning supporting staff to embed transformative approaches and evidence-based teaching techniques, enhanced through innovative digital tools including AI-supported resources. TeachingHOW2s provides the digital platform and methodology for the programme, which is in its second year (2026-27) following a successful pilot.
• Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Healthcare Network, led by CDN, engages with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) to explore the impact of digital transformation in healthcare education. This collaboration supports the network's focus on aligning education with real-world healthcare needs and workforce development.
• Pinsent Masons (Law Firm)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Pinsent Masons partners with CDN and Colleges Scotland to deliver the Preparing for Parliamentary Committees masterclass, supporting senior leaders and board members in engaging effectively with government and parliamentary processes. This expert-led session forms part of CDN's Masterclass series.
• Colleges ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CDN partners with Colleges Scotland on multiple initiatives including: (1) Creating Safer Colleges toolkit — a practical resource to strengthen college responses to gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment; (2) Masterclass series for senior leaders and board members covering strategic risk management, governance, and political engagement; (3) Preparing for Parliamentary Committees masterclass delivered in partnership with Pinsent Masons.
• Arrivo ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025CDN partnered with Arrivo Consulting to conduct 10 online focus groups with staff from across Scotland's college sector (19 May to 5 June 2025) to understand the impact of CDN's events, courses, and programmes since 2022. The findings were compiled into an Insights Report measuring CDN's impact on the sector.
• QAA Scotland (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024QAA Scotland is a core strategic partner in delivering STEP (Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme), the national enhancement programme for Scotland's colleges and universities. STEP is sector-owned, funded by the Scottish Funding Council, and jointly delivered by CDN and QAA Scotland. The current cycle (2024-2028) focuses on Supporting Diverse Learner Journeys.
• Scottish Funding Council (SFC)coreOthers · 1 January 2024The Scottish Funding Council is the primary public funder for STEP (Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Programme). STEP is Scotland's national enhancement programme for tertiary education, designed to drive lasting improvement across colleges and universities through collaboration and innovation.
• Know You MorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Know You More (KYM) is a social enterprise providing high-level digital executive coaching. CDN has partnered with KYM to offer Bespoke Executive Coaching to senior college staff. The partnership enables senior leaders to benefit from on-demand, bespoke executive coaching from wherever they are in Scotland, with the unique element that leaders can nominate up to 5 young people from their college's Student Association to receive 3 one-hour coaching sessions pro bono.
• Nuffield FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CDN is a partner in the Nuffield Foundation project exploring school-college partnerships for 14-18 learners in Scotland. This partnership project investigates pathways and transitions for young people between school and college education.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Education Scotland: Scottish Government education body supporting improvement across Scottish education including colleges. Comparable as a public-sector body funding and shaping sector improvement in Scotland, with overlapping concerns on curriculum, leadership and teaching quality. Functions partly as a public-sector complement to CDN's improvement-agency role.
• Jisc: UK not-for-profit providing digital solutions, infrastructure and content services to further and higher education. Comparable in operating CDN LearnOnline on Moodle and providing digital learning, data and content infrastructure to colleges — a broader incumbent in the EdTech space that overlaps with CDN's LMS distribution channel.

Direct peers

• Advance HE: UK-wide member-led higher-education improvement body delivering leadership programmes (e.g., Aurora), CPD, accreditation (PSF, NTF) and sector research. Comparable to CDN as a UK further/higher-education professional development provider with similar programme mix (leadership, teaching, governance) and content platforms.
• Association of Colleges (AoC): England's membership body for FE colleges, representing colleges nationally and providing leadership, training and policy support. Most direct structural parallel to CDN/Colleges Scotland in a different UK jurisdiction, with comparable remit on sector representation, leadership development, and CPD.
• Education and Training Foundation (ETF): England's further-education and training sector workforce development body. Directly comparable to CDN's role for Scotland's colleges: ETF provides CPD, leadership programmes, governance training and sector improvement support to FE staff and leaders across England, mirroring CDN's mandate, programme mix (leadership, teaching, governance) and improvement-agency positioning.
• Colleges Scotland: The membership body representing Scotland's colleges. Comparable as a sister organisation operating in the same Scottish college sector with overlapping remit on policy, advocacy and sector development. CDN partners with Colleges Scotland on the Creating Safer Colleges toolkit, Masterclass series and Parliamentary Committees work, making it both peer and collaborator.
• Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP): UK membership body for independent training providers and FE colleges, focused on workforce development, apprenticeship delivery and sector improvement. Comparable as a sector body offering CPD, leadership support and policy engagement in the same further-education/training market as CDN.
• Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA): UK's quality body for higher education, with QAA Scotland running enhancement activity in Scotland. Co-delivers STEP with CDN and operates in adjacent improvement and accreditation territory; comparable in mandate (quality enhancement, sector standards) and as a partner/competitor for institutional improvement services.

Others

• Skills Development Scotland (SDS): Scotland's national skills body, funding and shaping skills policy including college-aligned training. Adjacent to CDN because both serve the college sector's improvement agenda in Scotland, though SDS is a skills-policy funder rather than a professional development provider. Useful ecosystem peer.
• Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA): Scotland's national awarding body, title sponsor of CDN's College Awards 2025. Operates in the same Scottish college sector but on qualifications rather than professional development; functionally adjacent and a key sector stakeholder that signals the credibility of CDN's improvement role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-development-network
• Facebookfacebook.com/collegedevelopmentnetwork
• Xx.com/ColDevNet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about College Development Network