LECTURERS and support staff from two Glasgow colleges are facing redundancy or relocation, a leaked report shows.
The warning comes in a wide- ranging strategy document on the future of further education in Glasgow until 2020. Under the plans, millions of pounds worth of course provision will be moved out of Glasgow Kelvin College and Glasgow Clyde College to City of Glasgow College.
The report, from the Glasgow Colleges Strategic Partnership (GCSP), which comprises senior management teams from the three institutions, said the transfer of about 64 teaching staff would be required as part of the shift in courses.
It goes on to say reductions in management and support staff would also be required to keep Glasgow Clyde and Glasgow Kelvin financially sustainable, adding that a £4 million voluntary severance scheme would be needed.
The GCSP document, which will go out to staff later this month for consultation, also sets out plans for the closure of the former Stow College building near the city centre.
The document says: "The proposals have significant financial and student activity implications for all three Glasgow colleges. Two of the colleges, Glasgow Clyde and Glasgow Kelvin, face a material net reduction in their funded activity and associated grant and fee income.
"It is expected both colleges facing a reduction in activity and funding will need to transfer and/or reduce staffing numbers to enable those institutions to remain financially sustainable."
The report says the changes would inevitably result in staff being asked to move between colleges and says it would be reasonable to enforce the change of location.
Efficiency savings would also need to be made with an impact on staff, it says, adding: "A voluntary severance scheme may be of assistance to help this process, especially for any staff resistant to a move in location.
"This may assist in delivering the efficiencies required and minimise any need for compulsory redundancies."
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), said the teaching union would fight redundancies.
He said: "Sadly, the regionalisation programme together with the ongoing decline in real-term funding for the further-education sector may inevitably lead colleges to look at means of rationalising provision and reducing operating costs.
"The EIS will, of course, pay particular attention to any aspects of the review that could potentially have an impact on the quality and quantity of provision as well as staffing levels.
"We will take action to seek to prevent our members from being made redundant."
The document seen by The Herald on the curriculum and estates proposals suggests Glasgow Kelvin College will have a funding reduction of £2.4m by 2020, with Glasgow Clyde College getting a cut of £1.7m.
As a result of the transfer of activity, City of Glasgow College would get an extra £4.9m, but would also be expected to deliver a substantial level of additional activity without extra Scottish Funding Council cash.
The moves follow a programme to rationalise the college sector initiated by Education Secretary Michael Russell, with mergers and a restructuring along regional lines.
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