Student and staff numbers at Scottish colleges plummet

The drop of 38 per cent comes at a time when the Scottish Government has prioritised full-time study leading to qualifications at the expense of shorter courses.

The figures from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) also reveal the extent of cuts to staffing levels in colleges.

The number of lecturers in the sector fell by 22 per cent between 2008/09 and 2012/13 from 6,464 to 5,044.

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union, said the concentration on full-time courses had limited options for many potential students.

He said: "While the Scottish Government's decision to focus on full-time course provision has some welcome benefits in terms of skills and employability, these figures also highlight the continuing decline of both student and staff numbers in our FE colleges.

"For many learners, particularly those returning to education after some time away, part-time provision is an essential step to restarting their personal learning journey.

"A significant decline in funding over several successive years has led to staff cuts and a loss of both student places and courses, limiting the options for people of all ages looking to re-enter education for personal or career development."

Gordon Maloney, president of student body NUS Scotland, also issued a warning over the long-term impact of the strategy.

He said: "While we recognise the focus on full-time courses to improve youth employment, it's clear that such a strategy runs the risk of excluding those who most need a place.

"With the economic downturn we've been through, it's important not just to focus on young people, but also those who are returning to education to re-train or upskill and ensuring flexibility for those with additional responsibilities, such as childcare, through part-time places. Such a dramatic drop in the overall headcount could mean that those students are the ones missing out."

Alison Johnstone, education spokeswoman for the Scottish Greens, said the SNP was failing too many students from poorer backgrounds while Scottish Labour's education spokesman Iain Gray said the student reduction was "simply not good enough".

He said: "Part-time courses are needed to help people looking to study while juggling family or work commitments, but there are clearly fewer places."

However, the Scottish Government said the SFC figures proved its strategy was "paying off".

As a result of the switch to full-time courses the average hours of learning per student has increased by four per cent to 392 and there are now 59,507 full time funded students aged 16 to 24 in colleges, up two per cent on last year and 17 per cent since 2006/07.

Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, said: "Our recent post-16 reforms were about maximising the impact of colleges by ensuring a sharp focus on helping young people into jobs and the skills our economy needs to grow.

"We can see now that vision beginning to pay dividends, with increases in full time students and a substantial increase in students successfully completing full-time courses.

"It is clear that the move to college courses that lead to a job was the right one both for our economy and for young people seeking the skills to get into employment, something which has also been reflected in recent youth employment levels."

Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, also described the figures as "very good news for colleges and students".

She said: "A high proportion of people studying in colleges start with no qualifications at all, so the rising level of those successfully completing their courses is most welcome.

"The figures underline the vital role of colleges in contributing to the strength of the Scottish economy. It also shows that colleges continue to punch above their weight and deliver, even in the midst of major reform and financial pressures."