New Campus Glasgow

Government Approves Historic 3 College Merger

The merger of Central College, Metropolitan College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies was today given approval to proceed by the Scottish Government. On September 1, the colleges will merge to become the City of Glasgow College, the first-ever merger of three colleges.

Paul Little, Principal Designate of City of Glasgow College, said; "We are delighted by the announcement that the Scottish Government has today approved the unique three way merger of Glasgow Metropolitan College, Central College, and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies to create the City of Glasgow College. This is great news for students, for staff, for the city of Glasgow and for Scotland.

“This approval will give us the clarity and momentum to move forward now as a merged college. This is a very exciting time, as we will be creating the single largest college in Scotland, which will bring with it enormous opportunities for staff, students and our partners.

“City of Glasgow College offers many educational benefits which will now be realised, including improved student choice in the centre of Glasgow, improved learning and support for the 40,000 learners who will pass through our doors and it will safeguard our more specialised courses. It will also create a powerhouse of skills development with some ten plus schools of national expertise to better serve our employers and communities in Glasgow, and Scotland as whole.

“Merger has indeed been a long time coming, and a huge amount of people have helped us to achieve this landmark milestone. I would like to thank each and everyone one of them for the support and contribution they have made to this little bit of history. The Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council have supported and encouraged us to take a visionary approach which will led to a step change in Scottish further education, and for that we’d like to thank them. We still have much work to do, and I am looking forward to hitting the ground running!”

The educational benefits for students were central to Ministers' final decision. A number of expectations have been attached to the consent, however, based on representations from a wide range of interested parties and due to the complexity and scale of the merger. The Scottish Funding Council will formally oversee the fulfilment of these expectations.

Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning Keith Brown said:

"Full consideration was given to the complexity of this proposal. We are a listening and open government, which is why we listened to the views of a broad range of interested parties including MSPs, the Scottish Funding Council and the trade unions.

"Ultimately, we agree with the Scottish Funding Council, whose role is to ensure efficient and effective delivery of further education, that the merger will deliver substantial benefits to students in Glasgow. That's why we have given the go-ahead to this historic move.

"We recognise that the college's trade unions would have liked faster progress on the harmonisation of pay and conditions. We have stressed certain expectations around the resolution of such issues, including commitment from the new college to quickly deliver the financial benefits it has projected and to offer greater assurance to staff and unions that there will be no compulsory redundancies. There should be greater engagement with the unions to resolve issues around harmonisation, as well as a positive approach to future partnerships with other colleges, including Stow College.

"While these issues are important and must be resolved in a timely and productive manner, they do not justify denying students of the significant benefits this merger will bring. The City of Glasgow College will be a significant economic boost to the city and will provide an outstanding learning experience for both students and staff."