Telford joins merger talks to create city ‘super college’

A THIRD Edinburgh institution has entered into merger talks that could see the creation of the country’s latest “super college”.

Telford College will join Stevenson and Jewel & Esk in the merger discussions after previously declining to take part.

It comes after education secretary Mike Russell said the Scottish Government needed to “force the pace” on college mergers to help cut costs.

Jim Donaldson, chairman of the board of management at Telford College, said: “All three Edinburgh colleges work collaboratively already, but we consider that the best way now to develop skills and learning opportunities – particularly for the city’s school-leavers and young people – is to work together to create a single, merged college for Edinburgh.

“The changes proposed for post-16 education in Scotland are undoubtedly challenging. Fortunately, Edinburgh’s Telford College has skilled and committed staff and high quality facilities and will work collaboratively to improve the life chances of all young people in Edinburgh, and help the Scottish Government maximise the return on its investment in post-16 education,” he added.

The Scottish Government wants colleges to merge around regional hubs and has also talked of closer collaboration between universities. Last week, the universities of Dundee and Abertay, as well as Dundee College, agreed to work more closely together, although they managed to avoid a controversial merger.

Commenting on the Edinburgh colleges, Mr Russell said: “This is tremendous news. A merger between Telford, Jewel and Esk and Stevenson Colleges will unquestionably deliver benefits for students and staff, as well as Edinburgh’s economy and that of the surrounding area.

“It represents a terrific example of colleges seeing the advantages the regional approach offers and I applaud all the partners involved for their far-sighted thinking.”