John Wheatley College, North Glasgow College and Stow College to merge in higher education shake-up

THREE Glasgow colleges have become the latest to announce they are to merge as part of a radical shake-up of Scotland’s further education sector.

John Wheatley College, North Glasgow College and Stow College agreed to enter into “substantive merger discussions” yesterday, just 24 hours after three Fife institutions announced they are to join together.

Adam Smith, Carnegie and Elmwood colleges announced on Thursday that they are to merge.

The mergers come after education secretary Mike Russell said he wanted to see Scotland’s colleges re-arranged around regional groupings to reduce costs and course duplication.

Commenting on the Glasgow merger, Andy Woolley, chair of the board of management of John Wheatley College, said: “Our board have endorsed this joint approach to mergers and we are delighted to note similar endorsement from the boards of North Glasgow and Stow Colleges.

“We at John Wheatley College look forward to working with our partners with a view to creating a new, dynamic college which will deliver a high-quality learning experience for all the communities of north-east Glasgow and beyond.”