No assessment of falling college student numbers, warns Audit Scotland

Edinburgh College - credit Jisc

No proper assessment into the impact of falling numbers of students studying at Scotland’s colleges has been made, according to public spending watchdog Audit Scotland.

Overall student numbers have dropped 41 per cent in the last eight years, with most of them being part time students and those over 25.

This has been due to a policy which prioritises ‘full-time student places that lead to employment’.

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In a report into how the FE sector has dealt with widespread reform including the merger of many colleges into regional public bodies, Audit Scotland said government and agencies needed to better understand the needs of students.

Auditor General Caroline Gardner said: “The Scottish Government, SFC and colleges need to work together to improve their understanding of the demand for courses across the country and create long-term plans for how they will commit finances and staff to meet future need.”

The report also said the sector had more financial stability but financial pressures on colleges remain.

Vonnie Sandlan, president of National Union of Students in Scotland, said: “It’s good to see full-time college places being maintained, and increasing, recognising the valuable role full-time education can play in improving youth employment or access to higher education.

“However, that focus on full-time provision does pose a very real risk of excluding those students who most deserve a college place but simply aren’t able to study full-time.

“The figures in this report show a worrying trend, with the number of women students, those with caring responsibilities, and adult learners feeling the brunt of the decline in part time courses.”

Earlier this week the Scottish Funding Council hailed the merger process a success in their own report, claiming it saves the sector £52m a year.