Comment on SFC’s College Leaver Destinations Report

Commenting on the Scottish Funding Council’s College Leaver Destinations 2019-20 report published Tuesday, 26 October 2021, Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland, said:

“Last year was particularly challenging for everyone because of the pandemic – college students, staff and college leaders worked incredibly hard to ensure that courses could finish and that even at the most disrupted point of the pandemic education and support continued. 

“Despite the huge impact Covid-19 caused for students studying during 2019/20, I am pleased colleges were able to minimise the impact to still deliver good outcomes – the vast majority of students were able to successfully complete their courses and move on to positive destinations. 

“The lack of employment opportunities, especially for students leaving college during the summer and autumn of 2020, meant more students choosing to stay on at college to achieve further qualifications, and strong links between colleges and universities helped more students than usual move on to study at university.  

“Colleges will be vital as we emerge from the pandemic and will continue to train, retrain, upskill and reskill people for the careers that will be needed in the months and years to come.”