A flourishing partnership which allows college accountancy students in South Lanarkshire access to degree level education is celebrating its 10th ‘transformational’ year.

As part of its widening access strategy, South Lanarkshire College will once again deliver the University of the West of Scotland BAcc (Bachelor of Accounting) degree programme, which has been hugely successful since it began in 2011.

In the last 10 years more than 90 per cent of students who completed the course at SLC gained the BAcc qualification with many progressing to their Honours year at UWS.

The pathway gives students the opportunity to start their study at NC level and progress all the way to year three undergraduate degree level, all while remaining on the South Lanarkshire College campus.

College students – including Laura Lanni, David Cowie and Vaclav Buben – have been ‘stand-out’ performers on the course, gaining First Class honours degrees and winning the UWS Court Medal, awarded to the most outstanding student in the year, on several occasions. Mr Cowie and Mr Buben are now lecturers at the College.

Karen Cleary, Curriculum Manager at South Lanarkshire College explains: “Our students do extremely well on this course, and we are delighted to have David and Vaclav back, sharing their experiences.

“They have been through the same journey, and can relate very well to the current students.”

The course is proving an increasingly popular choice for prospective students in the region, due to location, and career potential, says Ms Cleary.

“It can be a daunting prospect for students, to travel into Glasgow or further afield to study, particularly if they have childcare or other caring commitments to take into account,” she adds.

“Being able to complete up to third year here with us in East Kilbride, and travel the short distance to Hamilton to finish their Honours year, makes all the difference to many learners.”

She adds: “It is fantastic to see more and more collaboration between colleges and universities as part of the widening access agenda, providing equal opportunities to learning for everyone.

“Many of our students are learning to learn again, after leaving school with few qualifications – in some cases, they have lost a little bit of the belief that they can do it. Our supportive environment, with smaller classes, helps them to rebuild that confidence. This has been a really fabulous partnership and of course, it can lead to excellent career prospects in a wide variety of jobs.”

Ms Cleary also paid tribute to the original UWS course leader, Steven Leonard, who retired recently.

“We worked together at the start of partnership programme, and his support and dedication to both the programme and the college, was incredible,” she explained.

“He got us all together, got everything in place, and worked hard over the years to ensure it continued. He was exemplary in making this programme a success.”

Aileen McKechnie, Principal of South Lanarkshire College said: “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with the University of the West of Scotland to deliver the BAcc Accounting degree programme.

“This degree partnership programme is transformational for students at South Lanarkshire College, as it provides direct articulation to year three of the BAcc Accounting degree and the option for students to carry out their honours year at UWS.

“Our partnership with UWS ensures that degree level qualifications are more accessible to South Lanarkshire College students and provides alternative pathways to support student success.”

One hundred and sixty six students have gained their BAcc award via the SLC/UWS partnership over the last 10 years.

Ms McKechnie added: “As a result of gaining this degree, the life chances and job opportunities for some of these students will be transformed.

“Here at South Lanarkshire College, we are fully committed to supporting all our students to succeed, in their studies and in their careers.”

The University of the West of Scotland, delivers career-focused teaching and world leading research and is widely renowned for its flexible, innovative approach to providing higher education for all.

Tutor David Leung from The University of the West of Scotland said: “Our mission is to make higher education accessible to everyone and a great way to achieve that is by supporting college students to progress onto degree programmes.

“We are delighted that this partnership will continue to enable the local community to have access to the high-quality degree provision delivered via South Lanarkshire College, with a resulting significant positive impact on the local economy.”

The next BAcc course start date will be August 2021.

This article appears as part of The Herald's The Future Of Education campaign, in association with South Lanarkshire College.

If you would like to become a partner in our Future of Education Series, contact Stephen McDevitt, Head of Digital and Branded Content campaign@heraldandtimes.co.uk