Additional investment in the College Sector in Scotland

“Colleges Scotland welcomes the announcement of additional investment to help offset the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the college sector.  This injection of financial support will be used to make some much-needed improvements in the sector’s estates and help to ensure students and staff are working in the best possible learning environments.

“The college sector was facing significant financial challenges even before the pandemic and these pressures are being exacerbated by its impacts with a calculated £12.3 million loss of income in the 2019-20 academic year and a forecast loss of £70 million in 2020-21 across the sector. We are working closely with the Scottish Government and its agencies to find positive solutions to these challenges and to maximise the sector’s role as a national asset in tackling this major crisis. 

“The college sector has an essential role in driving Scotland’s social and economic recovery through upskilling and reskilling the workforce, providing people with valuable employability skills, assisting specific economic sectors which have been badly affected by COVID-19, and by harnessing our local and regional partnerships to customise our support appropriately to reflect regional variations across the country.”