Extra funds welcomed by colleges

Published on Saturday 11 July 2009 11:49

COLLEGE bosses have welcomed a multi-million funding boost.

The Scottish Funding Council is handing out an extra 7.7m to colleges across Scotland for the coming academic year to help ease the pressures of extra demand for student places, as well as for buildings and equipment.

Stevenson and West Lothian colleges were each allocated 320,755, while Jewel and Esk will receive an additional 74,703.

Mhairi Laughlin, principal of West Lothian College, said: "We have seen a significant increase in demand for places at the college and this funding will help meet this demand.

"We are currently planning new programmes to meet the educational needs of young adults in West Lothian, and to ensure that we emerge from this recession with a highly-skilled workforce ready to take forward economic growth and regeneration."

Peter Malcolm, depute principal at Jewel and Esk, said: "The hard work remains to be done in terms of ensuring that funding is allocated appropriately, where it can be of most benefit."