Tag: further education

£61m boost for Scottish colleges

Student support, including funding for childcare, will be increased through additional financial support for the college sector from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council have set out how the £61 million of additional funding added to college budgets for 2013-15 will be spent.

Focusing on improving attainment, the additional investment over the next academic year (2013-14) includes:

  •  £1.9 million for additional student support through bursaries and childcare
  • £2.1 million targeted for some college regions to meet increased demand
  • £6.6 million for an additional learner places, including for women returning to study and part time places
  • £4 million to aid the successful integration of newly merging colleges.

MichaelRussell

Education Secretary Michael Russell (pictured above) said: “Earlier this year the Scottish Government showed its commitment to Scotland’s colleges by adding £61 million to the sector’s budget compared to what was originally announced for the spending review period. Since then, we have been discussing with college representatives and NUS Scotland how to allocate this funding to improve attainment so that more students gain and complete their qualifications, while moving towards a system of large, efficient regional colleges that offers courses responsive to local economic need.

“I am very pleased to be able to map out how we can further support the sector and its students. Increased student bursaries will mean more money in the pockets of our hard pressed students in times of economic difficulty. While full time courses for younger people remain a priority, there will be more learning opportunities for older and part time students, including women returning to study.

“Further funding will also help colleges with increasing demand and help institutions work closely together on a regional basis. This is a substantial investment in a sector with enormous economic importance to Scotland, and I am looking forward to working with the entire sector to ensure colleges continue to deliver for learners.”

New Edinburgh College seeks talent for Board

Influential and inspirational individuals are being invited to help the new Edinburgh College play a key role in defining the future of further education in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Edinburgh College, the product of a merger of Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and Stevenson College Edinburgh, is looking to attract the best talent possible to join its Board of Management.

The College,a £60m business and the biggest FE college in Scotland, will accommodate more than 35,000 students – the biggest student body in Edinburgh – when it opens on October 1.

Ian McKay, Chair (Elect) of Edinburgh College, said Board members will contribute to the leadership and control of the new College, driving forward improved learning opportunities that will benefit Edinburgh and Lothians specifically, and Scotland, in general.

He said: “The new Edinburgh College is set on a course to change the face of further education in Edinburgh and the Lothians. We want to deliver better opportunities and outcomes for learners, which will support economic growth both locally and nationally by providing industry with the right people for real jobs. We know Edinburgh and the Lothians boasts some of Scotland’s most skilled and talented people – captains of industry, innovators, community champions and such like. How great it would be, therefore, to have some of this incredible talent pool join us as we start this exciting journey with Edinburgh College.”

The new College welcomes applicants from all walks of life and is particularly keen to hear from candidates with skills and expertise in: community and educational leadership, industry and commerce, finance, marketing, international education and IT.

Edinburgh College will consist of four main campuses employing more than 1,500 staff; Granton (formerly Edinburgh’s Telford College), Sighthill (formerly Stevenson College Edinburgh) and Milton Road and Midlothian (both formerly Jewel & Esk College).

The selection  process for Board members is being launched this week with a view to  appointments being made within the next 6-8 weeks.

Requests for further information and applications should be made to amanda.hood@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.

Colleges come together to showcase Best of the Fest

 Over 4,000 people attended a series of events, designed to showcase student talent and success, as part of Edinburgh’s biggest student led festival. The Edinburgh Colleges Festival brought together the collective student talent present at Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and Stevenson College Edinburgh ahead of the proposed merger set to take place later this year.

Proving they can work together to offer the very best in student focused further education across a variety of sectors, the event featured the work and performances of over 1,000 students from all three colleges.

Showcasing sporting, arts and design, music, performing arts and hospitality achievements as well as many others, the festival programme featured an impressive 43 events over six weeks.

Brian Lister, Interim Principal for Edinburgh College, said: “This year’s festival has been a huge success, not only in terms of its size and scale, but the fact that it demonstrates the potential of the Edinburgh College, for offering one of the biggest and best further education facilities. The merger of the three colleges has the interest of the students at its heart and so it made sense that we brought together the collective talent of the combined student body for the Festival.”

He continued: “I attended several of the events myself and it was a great pleasure to see the hard work and talent of all the students involved. There are definitely a few future stars out there and we wish every single student the very best of luck in their future careers. We look forward to building upon the success of this year’s vent in years to come and not only make next year’s event even bigger and better, but ensure that the positive and collective hard work of all three colleges is taken forward under the Edinburgh College brand.”

Feedback about the festival from an online survey was extremely positive and revealed that 100% of people would like to see an Edinburgh Colleges Festival in 2013 – 34% of these being members of the local communities surrounding the colleges.

Highlights of the festival included a Celebration of Achievement event at Jewel & Esk College, which recognised and celebrated the talent of its FE students, as well as the ‘Exposed’ photography exhibition, featuring work from Stevenson’s final year photography students which was attended by over 300 people.

A final highlight was the Gala Launch dinner hosted by hospitality and catering students at Edinburgh’s Telford College, with music and performances by students from across the three colleges. The event was also attended by Mike Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

The new Edinburgh College will be formed later this year when Telford, Jewel & Esk and Stevenson Colleges merge. The merger will bring together around 35,000 students across four main campuses.