The body that represents Scotland’s colleges will be reformed and re-launched before the start of the next academic year, Scotland’s Colleges has announced.
The organisation will separate its service delivery and advocacy functions, which will be undertaken by two new and separate boards, and will adopt a new name, Colleges Scotland, bringing it into line with the branding of higher education representative body, Universities Scotland.
The changes come in the wake of a review by the Electoral Commission’s Scotland representative, John McCormick into the structure of Scotland’s Colleges, commissioned by its member institutions.
McCormick’s review recommended creating two separate boards and changing the organisation’s branding, as well as incorporating the Chairs’ Congress and Principals’ Convention into the new Scotland’s Colleges structure.
Announcing the reforms, Scotland’s Colleges chief executive John Henderson said: “We commissioned this review because we wanted to ensure Scotland’s Colleges, as the sector’s advocate and delivery partner, is as efficient and effective as possible. We recognised some inherent anomalies in the organisation’s governance structure and sought independent advice on how to improve it.
“John McCormick has done an excellent job in capturing the views of our members and staff and his recommendations have provided a strong basis for us to move forward.
“We have already begun implementing change in consultation with our member colleges, which are firmly behind us.”
At the recent Scotland’s Colleges annual conference, Cabinet Secretary Michael Russell told delegates he would welcome the emergence of a reformed representative body for the further education sector that could “speak with one voice”.
The reorganisation will be completed by August, the statement from Scotland’s Colleges said.
Paris Gourtsoyannis
Paris joined Holyrood in September 2011, and became education correspondent in May 2012. Born in Canada into a Greek family, and raised in Belgium, he came to Scotland in 2005 to study at the University of Edinburgh, where he was involved with award-winning student publication The Journal. Before working at Holyrood, Paris contributed to the Edinburgh Evening News, the Guardian and Guardian Local, and interned at think-tank Demos. His beat takes in all areas of Scotland's education and skills sector, including early years, adult learning, and employability...
Scotland's Furtyher Education is being raped by the SNP to keep University Fees free by robbing the F.E Budget and reducing Scotland's College's by a third by forced mergers.
Job losses are still to be realised but to kick off with we have 200 at risk at the merging of Telford/Jewel & Esk & Stervenson.
Further cuts are heading the F.E Sector's way over the next three years and the SNP can't use the old chestnut "it was they big bad boys in Westminister that did it" It is their (SNP) budget and their call, Mike Russell can run but he can't hide.