New Campus Glasgow: Strategic Benefits Analysis
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1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 GEN, working in collaboration with Walter Patterson, was commissioned in December
2008 to assess the strategic benefits of New Campus Glasgow. This is a Draft Final report of
the study findings.
1.2 At the outset of this research, it was envisaged that the four city centre colleges
(Glasgow Metropolitan College, Central College Glasgow, Glasgow College of Nautical
Studies and Stow College) would be part of the New Campus Glasgow ambition. Our work
was thus predicated on this assumption. However, in the period between submission of draft
and final reports, Stow College withdrew from the NCG proposals. This final report has been
amended to reflect this and all our language reflects the three college position.
New Campus Glasgow ambition
1.3 The three Glasgow city-centre colleges (Glasgow Metropolitan College, Central
College Glasgow, and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies) have ambitious plans to relocate
to a new city centre campus. The campus will consist of two sites:
• City campus: the main site, located behind George Square on Cathedral St, in the
grounds of the current Central and Metropolitan Colleges.
• Riverside Campus: on the River Clyde at Thistle St, currently home to the College
of Nautical Studies.
1.4 The three city-centre colleges will occupy the new campus on the basis of an
'enthusiastic co-location' - not merging, but working together much more closely in shared
services, curriculum design, and improving the quality and range of the offer to learners and
employers.
1.5 Construction of the new campus will begin in 2011, and take six years to complete.
The scale of the new campus will be unparalleled in the FE sector in Scotland and indeed the
UK - on completion, the campus will be home to some 50,000 students and 2,000 staff.
1.6 The new campus is driven in part by a need to address the ageing and inflexible
estate that the colleges are currently operating in. But the ambition of the colleges makes it
clear that the proposals are about much more than addressing a crumbling capital estate.
1.7 More than this, the new campus will be a 'greater than the sum of the parts' solution.
It is about creating a modern, flexible, and dynamic venue for learning - one that is better
placed to inspire learners from all communities and backgrounds; one that can respond to the
needs of contemporary learning styles and practices; one that can play a key role in the
ongoing physical and social renaissance of the city centre; and one that will help drive the
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Appendix 13: Economic Impact Report