CITY OF GLASGOW COLLEGE / MERGER PROPOSAL DOCUMENT
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SECTION 2
Context for Merger
The merger of three successful
specialist Colleges within
Scotland's commercial, business
and industrial centre presents
a unique opportunity to
strengthen the role and scope
of the college sector locally,
nationally and internationally.
The primary drivers for this merger are
academic and economic. We recognise
the signii cant academic benei ts and
opportunity for economic regeneration
that this proposed merger presents
for the city. We seek to create for
Glasgow in particular, and Scotland in
general, integrated curriculum centres
of excellence, of world class standing.
We also intend to make a signii cant
contribution to the economic and skills
development (at technician, associate,
professional and higher levels) of the City
Centre and Riverside as well as acting as
a catalyst for the creation of a dynamic
Learning Quarter within the City.
The Scottish Government's Skills Strategy
as set out in 'Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong
Skills Strategy' presents education
providers with a 'call to action'. Specii cally
it requires Scotland's Colleges:
1To deliver core, employability and
vocational skills and training to meet
national, regional and local needs;
To consider themselves as part of one
system geared towards helping people
develop the skills they need, where
articulation, integration and working
with other providers are the norm;
To develop strong partnerships and
communication links to ensure that
information about an individual's
support needs, learning styles and
achievements are shared;
To provide high quality, relevant,
learning opportunities that have
value in the workplace;
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To work through the
Scotland's Colleges to:
Ensure that in teaching
individuals they provide them
with essential skills;
Ensure positive destinations for
individuals where the learning that
those individuals have undertaken
will be ef ectively used;
Work closely with business to
develop courses that will address
skills gaps and individual aspirations
and foster knowledge transfer;
To make ef ective use of labour
market information, advice and
guidance;
To work with Learndirect Scotland
to register all publicly funded
learning courses on the National
Learning Opportunities Database.
In responding to this 'call to action', the
Scottish Government requires colleges
to focus on 'cohesive structures' which
are simplii ed with respect to access,
which use a common vocabulary, which
value vocational learning on a par with
academic achievement and to work
as a key player within a continuum of
provision. The merger of educational
providers to provide depth and breadth
of provision within an environment which
is well resourced, supported by high
quality, qualii ed and well-motivated
staf where individualised learning as a
priority is clearly aligned to these aims.
Equally signii cantly, the proposed
merger is closely aligned to the SFC
Corporate Plan. In particular this planned
renewal and rationalisation of further
education in Glasgow dovetails with the
SFC's statutory responsibility to continue
to provide coherent high quality Further
and Higher Education in times of i nancial
constraint whilst contributing in turn to
the economic recovery.
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The merged College within the City of
Glasgow will espouse the values and
objectives encompassed in the 5 strategic
themes set out in SFC's Corporate Plan:
Governance & Leadership;
Quality & Enhancement;
Global Engagement;
Sustainable Development;
Equality & Diversity.
In developing this merger proposal, the
Colleges have paid close attention to
the Scottish Government's priorities and
policy frameworks. Our strategies pay
cognisance to the Cabinet Secretary's
'Letter of Ministerial Guidance to the SFC
for 2009-12'. Alongside those key aspects
of the Scottish Skills Strategy our Boards
have recognised the many other policy
drivers within the educational landscape
which include:
The Curriculum for Excellence framework;
The Scottish Government's Review
of Scotland's Colleges and associated
Promoting Excellence response;
New Horizons & the planned extension
of this methodology to the FE
environment;
More Choices, More Chances; 16+
Learning Choices; Commonwealth
Apprenticeship Initiative;
Progress in Adult Literacy and
Numeracy in Scotland 2008/2009
Report: September 2009;
The Objectives, National Outcomes,
Indicators and Targets of the SG
Economic Strategy and National
Performance Framework;
Improved focus on 'Employability and
Skills'; 'Widening Access & Progression',
'Knowledge Transfer and Innovation'
: Partnership & Collaboration; and
the strategies focused on Science &
Technology, and ESOL to name but two.
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1Extract from 'Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy'