PHILANTHROPY is described in The Chambers Dictionary as "love of mankind esp.
as shown by contributing (money, time etc) to general welfare". In the case of Jim McColl, the chairman of Clyde Blowers, that feeling of humanitarian concern is being targeted on Scotland's disaffected young people.
Mr McColl yesterday announced the establishment of Newlands Junior College in Glasgow, which he believes will deliver a new form of education and training for youngsters aged 14 to 16 who are unsuited to the secondary school system. It represents a hugely significant move away from mainstream state education; each student will have an individualised timetable and will learn life skills such as motivation, leadership and personal development.
Mr McColl believes passionately that there is a cohort of young people unsuited to the academic style of education, and is putting both his money and his energy into providing an alternative. The jury is still out in some quarters as to whether his approach will be successful; but his vision may help many young realise their dreams, and fits the dictionary definition of philanthropy very well indeed.
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