34 Cardonald College, Glasgow supports the merger of the three city centre colleges and encourages
them to make progress to avoid any further unnecessary reputational damage to the sector, anxiety for
staf and to secure better facilities for Glasgow's students. It is unhelpful, however, to have Stow College
remain outwith the proposed merger and we would seek the assurance of the shadow Board that this
will be resolved.
Cardonald College, Glasgow believes the consultation document does not provide a sound rationale
nor justii cation for merger, however, it also recognises the political necessity to ensure progress on
capital estates in the city centre and, therefore, supports the development of a new campus although
cannot see justii cation given for the proposed value of £300 million. We would expect to be fully
involved in curriculum discussions around how best to work collaboratively, promote good practice
and to ensure best value.
35 The model of education provision in Scotland has traditionally been rigidly structured with limited
l exibility. Colleges have recently been at the forefront of l exible delivery and we believe the creation
of New College Glasgow will allow a sui cient economy of scale to enable even greater l exibility in
education provision.
To meet the needs of modern Scotland, courses must be structured to meet the needs and availability
of learners. Ef ort should be made to maximise the l exibility of provision allowing opportunities for
people from all walks of life to gain new skills.
SCDI believes that certain sectors of the economy will be especially important for sustainable economic
growth. These include renewables, tourism and retail. We would expect New College Glasgow to be
a signii cant player in delivering the skills for growth in these sectors, such as in STEM and sales and
marketing.
SCDI looks forward to working with New College Glasgow as it becomes a reality.
36 I am very much in favour of this plan, in genral, as long as care is taken on quality, historic provision of
course and some common sense in terms of what is achievable. There are a few comments such as
these on "immersive education" which seem palbably 'aspirational' rather than realistic. Aside from that
- best of luck.
37 This response, which supports the merger in principle, was endorsed by the Langside College Board of
Management on 15 December 2009.
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Appendix 10: Consultation Results