SECTION 1
Executive Summary
1.1 Background
This document, together with the
Appendices, sets out the formal proposal
by Central College Glasgow, Glasgow
College of Nautical Studies and Glasgow
Metropolitan College to merge
with ef ect from 1 August 2010.
We wish to create a World Class College
as part of a prestigious "Learning Quarter"
which will help take forward the further
economic regeneration of Glasgow.
With its twin-site Campus (on Cathedral
Street adjacent to the Merchant City
and at Thistle Street on the banks of the
River Clyde), this project will create a
cosmopolitan and integrated learning
district right in the heart of Scotland's
largest most dynamic city.
Our rationale for the merger takes
account of national priorities:
The Scottish Government's priority for
"Colleges as highly ef ective, world
class organisations; with high quality
buildings, facilities and equipment
contributing to enhancing the
experience for learners".
The Scottish Funding Council's priority
for Colleges to look at "Collaboration
and co-location in order to ensure an
ef ective and ei cient solution… to
provide the most ef ective learning
environment for the 21st century.
Our options appraisal and the positive
benei ts of the merger that formed
Glasgow Metropolitan College encourage
the partners of this merger to seek
Ministerial approval to establish a
strong vibrant College in the centre of
Glasgow. The scale of the new College
should bring considerable benei ts to its
stakeholders.
1.2 Proposal to Merge
This proposal, is supported by the Boards
of all three Colleges and a signii cant
majority of those who responded to our
consultation document.
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As outlined in the 'Road Map to Create
the New (Super) College for Glasgow'
(the "road map"), the proposed model
for the merger is a 'fusion' model which
combines elements from the 'host' and
the 'phoenix' models which have been
used before in Scotland. This combines
the practical ei ciency of the host model
with the sense of a new beginning which
the phoenix model of ers.
To test this proposal a full Options
Appraisal was conducted which i rst of
all identii ed the key drivers for merger
which were critical to the success of
the new College. These drivers were
clustered under two headings:
Academic drivers;
Socio/Economic drivers.
We then reviewed the dif erent models
for merger, identifying the ones which
might be acceptable, and those which
were not. The acceptable models, and
the status quo, were then tested against
the key business drivers, and from this
we identii ed that the fusion model was
the model most likely to enable our key
business drivers to be achieved.
1.3 Educational Rationale and
Academic Benei ts
Bringing our skills and provision together
in one college will bring important
benei ts to our students and to partners
both here in the city of Glasgow
and beyond. One important benei t
lies in simplifying the landscape for
prospective students by providing a
broad comprehensive curriculum in on
college. This will immediately improve
access to the progression pathways open
to individual students and will generate
fresh combinations of subject disciplines
that better meet and anticipate the
changing requirements of the economy
in our technology-enabled society.
Bringing provision together into, wellpromoted
'Centres of Excellence' will
contribute to raising aspiration and
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increasing the skills and qualii cation base
for Glasgow. It will also secure access to
specialist subject areas that would not be
available in a smaller college.
Through our preparation for merger we
are already beginning to experience
benei ts from the enthusiasm, l air and
creativity that is released by bringing staf
and students from dif erent disciplines
together to exchange practice in
learning and teaching strategies and
formal merger will support this process
to deliver sector-leading results. We
have set out challenging but achievable
performance indicators to help us
measure our progress in achieving this.
(See section 9.7).
As part of the Glasgow Learning Quarter,
we will provide an important focal point
for vocational learning, set on a par with
traditional routes into degree provision.
We will make a distinctive contribution
to the learning landscape as a conduit
between vocational, employmentfocussed
learning and articulation to
advanced level study both in the college
and in our university neighbours.
We believe this will help sustain
and improve participation rates for
ourselves and others.
Our student community will be one
of the most diverse with around 17%
of learners coming from minority
backgrounds and 2 in 5 coming from
the most deprived postcodes. This
rich mixture of backgrounds and
experience will ensure an inclusive, open
environment that facilitates progression
and achievement for those for whom
education and training can have a lifechanging
and transformational impact.
By bringing together provision from
Access level to degree-equivalent, our
portfolio emphasises that education
ensures opportunity for all.
CITY OF GLASGOW COLLEGE / MERGER PROPOSAL DOCUMENT
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