New Campus Glasgow: Strategic Benefits Analysis
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Institute Subject
Institute 5: Service industries Food and hospitality
Tourism
Sport
Hairdressing, beauty and complementary
therapies
Institute 6: Child, social and health care,
health, additional support for learning
(part) Health
Child, social and health care
Social sciences
ASN
3.29 As a general rule, it becomes unviable for a college to offer a particular course once
enrolments fall below about 15-20 learners. There are some examples of specialist courses
that have been threatened by declining or low levels of enrolments (such as Food Technology
at Metropolitan for example). It follows that, with three colleges planning a combined offer, the
scope for developing increased specialisation is real. Indeed, for many of the stakeholders we
spoke to, the potential of NCG to act as a driver for some refocusing of provision in a way that
enables the colleges to augment their areas of expertise, is a key benefit of the new campus.
3.30 At this stage, it is not possible to estimate with any degree of accuracy how many
additional courses will become viable once curriculum planning is undertaken in a
collaborative way - the outcome will depend on the work of the respective cross-college
curriculum planning groups. However, it is clear that some scope does exist for increased
specialisation within a broader range of provision generally. This, combined with the
increased scope for flexibility within the new estate will enable the colleges to be far more
responsive to the demands on learners and employers alike.
Conclusions
3.31 The way that learning is delivered has changed markedly since the time that most of
the city-centre colleges were constructed. As highlighted in the report What next for
Scotland's Colleges, and the SFC's Spaces for Learning report, this new learning paradigm is
characterised by learning through reflection, conversation and doing. The new paradigm
requires different types of learning spaces - specifically those which encourage peer-to-peer
and group learning, which incorporate new learning technologies, and which provide for a
greater range of practical learning opportunities and exhibition space.
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Appendix 13: Economic Impact Report