A timely lesson in how to grow the economy

Co-authored by the Principals of Edinburgh and City of Glasgow Colleges, the report highlights the positive impact the sector has on Scotland’s 265,000 learners, its productive collaborations with business, and its significant contribution to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Paul Little, Principal and Chief Executive of City of Glasgow College, contends that more can be achieved: “Our report’s recommendations make clear that a refreshed approach will see colleges provide an even greater contribution to business growth, especially among Scotland’s small and medium-sized enterprises, family and micro-businesses.

“With the Coronavirus pandemic, we find ourselves in the grip of an unprecedented global crisis. There is also the continuing uncertainty of a post-Brexit environment. Both will have inevitable economic and social repercussions, with businesses of all sizes needing people who have the right technical, professional and meta-skills. I firmly believe it is vital that colleges develop symbiotic relationships with employers to ensure sustained, high-quality and focused business support to boost productivity. 

“Scotland’s colleges represent a huge national asset, boosting our economy by £3.5 billion annually. Yet their economic impact is not widely understood, nor recognised, despite significant government investment. We can and must do more, and this has to include colleges playing a new and explicit role in business support, alongside lifetime learning.

“And this must be done alongside delivering cutting-edge technological education which allows colleges to enhance their role as anchors for their communities, helping people of all ages and from all backgrounds access lifetime learning.” 
This, argues Principal Little, will allow learners of all ages to skill, re-skill and up-skill at any point in their most likely multiple careers. “Lifetime learning must be enshrined and available to all of us - and colleges stand ready to make that a reality.”  

The scale and influence of Scotland’s 26 colleges illustrates their pivotal role in supporting economic growth. The introduction in 2014 of a regional system of colleges created an efficient and focused sector, better able to respond to labour market demand, while remaining anchored in the communities served by the individual colleges. The Cumberford-Little report distinguishes how Scotland’s colleges thrive within a connected system, not a hierarchy. With the right policy environment too, their contribution to growth could be considerably enhanced. 
Funding for the college sector – and the tertiary system – remains key to its future success. The Scottish Government’s draft budget 2020-21 allocated colleges a welcome 3.6% real-term revenue resource rise, the sector’s largest increase in over ten years.  

“This is absolutely a step in the right direction,” agrees Principal Little. “But colleges continue to face significant medium and long-term financial challenges, including a shortfall in capital investment which needs to be quickly addressed.”

 “We need to maximise the social and economic benefits by operating more closely with schools and universities in a better-connected tertiary system. We thrive in a system, rather than a hierarchy, so anchoring colleges in a collaborative system of pre- and post-16 learning would be entirely consistent with the Government’s desire for a more coherent learner journey,” he explained.

The report proposes a refreshed purpose for colleges. One that has an unambiguous focus on supporting productivity improvement in businesses and, through that, inclusive growth. Performance, funding, accreditation, and quality assurance methods need to be aligned, and there should be a move away from input-based student number targets which don’t fit the current macro-economic environment. 

“Universities are clearly defined in the public eye, but we felt it necessary to go back to basics to distinguish what a modern 21st century college is really for,” added Principal Little. “We firmly believe that the support of business is our cornerstone, with our role in supporting new entrants to, and the existing workforce in, all of Scotland’s priority business sectors crucial. 

“Colleges can do so much more to support the Government’s innovation agenda, where innovation is a ‘pipeline’ in which both colleges and universities play distinct but complementary roles. As the world of work and skills changes rapidly, and in ever challenging ways, it is essential that our colleges have the flexibility to adapt and grow the needs of industry.”

The report makes plain the existing strengths and huge potential of a sector which has an increasingly powerful impact on the Scottish economy as a whole.

It identifies many critical factors and contains compelling recommendations which, once implemented, will strengthen the positive impact colleges have on Scotland’s learners, communities, and economy. It also highlights an unashamed ambition for the college sector and its goal to ensure future generations of students continue to be equipped with the skills required for an ever changing world.

Paul Little concludes: “Co-authoring this report has left me as proud as ever of our sector and the incredible role it plays in developing and shaping people’s lives, and Scotland’s future. It has reinforced my own belief that a holistic, coherent, and tertiary response is vital if Scotland is to make a step change in delivering its national priorities. 

And as the sector contributes to the national and civic resilience effort in response to the (COVID-19) pandemic, it is more vital than ever that colleges continue their important role as anchors in their communities, staying connected albeit while socially distant.”

Read the full Cumberford-Little report by clicking here

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