Mandy Exley and Brian Lister: Set a new course for colleges

EDINBURGH is justifiably proud of its colleges. They perform a vital role in getting individuals back to work, and training the skilled people needed to drive forward the regional and national economy.

Plans to create a new college for the Edinburgh city region offer a tremendous opportunity to move on to a higher level - to build a real economic powerhouse in south-east Scotland, one that can genuinely compete with the best in the UK.

As individual colleges, Jewel & Esk and Stevenson deliver excellent education and training. Together, they can build on their individual strengths and create a bigger, stronger and better institution for the city region. This is about a journey from good to great. Both colleges are really good in their own right but together, they can deliver great results.

Between them, Jewel & Esk and Stevenson have around 1000 staff and 20,000 students. They contribute more than 100 million to the city region's economy and the new college would be the second biggest in Scotland and in the UK top 20, based on a turnover approaching 50m.

These numbers are important but the new college is about much more than that - it is about delivering the very best education and training to students. The aim is to at least maintain existing numbers at around 20,000 - and to widen the reach of the new college across the Lothians, improving its penetration in areas such as rural East Lothian.

The two colleges complement each other exceptionally well; in many areas of the curriculum their respective strengths match up ideally. For example, in supporting the tourism industry - worth in excess of 4 billion to the Scottish economy - Stevenson delivers an excellent curriculum within travel and tourism, while Jewel & Esk excels at hospitality and international food events.

The large curriculum offered by the new college would also make it easier for students to move between appropriate courses and find the path into work or training that best suits them.

Colleges play a significant role in helping individuals find that path, whether it starts with a basic literacy and numeracy course, with higher education, or with something in between. It is a surprise to many people to find that colleges in Scotland deliver almost 25 per cent of the country's higher education. The new Edinburgh city region college would put a strong focus in this area, delivering Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma qualifications and degrees in appropriate vocational areas, to help serve the needs of the regional and national economy.

The new college will deliver the skilled people needed in those key economic sectors where Scotland can enjoy a genuine competitive advantage. It would be especially strong in energy, in tourism and hospitality, in creative industries and across financial and business services, and seek to increase its reach into the other two key sectors, life sciences and food and drink.

This is a positive proposal based on growth, opportunity and economic development. It is about creating a new college with a strong voice, a college which can play its part in securing improved prosperity for those who live and work in the Edinburgh city region.

The new college would ensure the Edinburgh city region - already the economic heart of Scotland - can build on that position of strength. It would produce the skilled, trained people needed to foster economic growth - and its increased size and reach means it could do this even more effectively than the individual colleges.

It is extremely important that everyone feels part of the new college. A detailed consultation process will listen to staff and students and everyone else with an interest in the colleges. We believe this is an exciting plan with enormous benefits - but we want to take everyone along with us.

This is a proposal designed to improve the education and training offered by the two colleges and to better serve both students and the needs of the city region's economy in these challenging times.

In common with other colleges across Scotland, Jewel & Esk and Stevenson have faced up to government funding cuts of more than ten per cent. Tough decisions have had to be taken and we recognise that significant challenges are likely to continue in the current public spending climate.

The new college would have a stronger voice, in Scotland and across the UK, and would be better placed to tackle these financial challenges. All colleges are looking to increase the income they raise - by carrying out training for specific businesses, by bringing international students to Edinburgh and by exporting knowledge and expertise around the world.

Jewel & Esk and Stevenson are already strong in these areas - Jewel & Esk works closely with the Oil and Gas Academy, Opito, to provide specific training and skills for the offshore industry, while Stevenson has a long and successful track record of attracting international students and building global partnerships. The new college offers an opportunity to develop these specialisms; the scale of the new institution means it will be much better placed to win contracts with business and industry and to build global partnerships.

Both colleges have been recognised for their forward thinking and innovation and this would continue inside a stronger and larger institution. Centres of excellence would be enhanced and developed in the new college.

We are also confident that the new college will in itself be a centre of excellence. We are confident that it can build on the existing strengths of Jewel & Esk and Stevenson by providing skilled people who can drive the economy forward. We are confident it will compete with the best in Britain and that it will be a college we can all be proud of.

Mandy Exley is principal of Jewel & Esk College and Brian Lister is principal of Stevenson College Edinburgh

Jewel and Esk College

Campus: Milton Road East, Edinburgh, and Dalkeith, Midlothian

Students: Up to 7000 full and part time

Specialist subject areas include: Service industries, engineering and construction, creative industries

Founded: Its origins were founded in 1903, as Leith Nautical College. Jewel and Esk Valley College was created in 1987 from the merger of Leith Nautical College and Esk Valley College

&149 Notable students: Gina and Sylvia Rae of Edinburgh band The Lanterns; Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai

SCE

Campus: Sighthill, Edinburgh

Students: Up to 18,000 part time and full time

Specialist subject areas include: Business, administration and languages, creative arts, health and social care, science, sport and engineering

Founded: 1970 and was named after famous Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson

Notable students: Singer Susan Boyle