Funding boost for colleges ‘desperately needed’ as student numbers plummet by almost 10,000 in a decade

Fears raised over long-term ‘decline’ of vital further education sector

SNP ministers have been warned that Scotland’s colleges face a spiral of decline as new figures show full-time student numbers have plummeted by almost 10,000 compared to a decade ago.

Fresh concerns about the future of the further education sector have been raised in the wake of “brutal cuts” and a series of “extremely disappointing” trends.

Newly-published data shows the number of full-time students has fallen from more than 52,000 a decade ago to fewer than 43,000 last year.

Rally at the Scottish Parliament over college cuts

Drop-out rates also soared last year, amid an ongoing impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis.

Scottish Conservative further education spokeswoman Pam Gosal said urgent action was required.

"Scotland’s colleges desperately need a funding boost and a multi-year settlement to prevent their continued decline,” she said

"For the sake of anyone looking to study at our colleges, ministers must ensure our college estate is thriving, so they can recruit more students and ensure resources are in place to help retain them on courses."

Colleges were left reeling in May after the Scottish Government performed a “completely inexplicable” U-turn on a promised £26m budget uplift in order to help fund a pay deal for teachers.

The move left the sector facing a fresh real-terms spending squeeze amid rising pay costs, energy bills and inflation.

The pressures have resulted in dozens of jobs being put at risk at the likes of the City of Glasgow College and Dundee and Angus College.

Industrial action is also under way by college staff seeking a better pay settlement amid rocketing inflation, with members of the EIS-Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-Fela) refusing to enter student marks into recording systems and working to rule.

Sher Khalid-Ali, a 31-year-old mother studying social sciences at New College Lanarkshire, supports the industrial action being undertaken by staff.

She formed the Student Action group with four others in May to try to inform students about the situation and ask them to write to principals and politicians.

"We all have university offers, but because of the industrial action the results have not been inputted, which means effectively until it’s resolved we’re not going to uni,” she said.

"It’s so, so, so frustrating because we’ve worked very hard.”

Ms Khalid-Ali had also witnessed the fall in student numbers during her time at college.

"Our class was merged with another class because the recruitment numbers were down. Even throughout the year the numbers have been dropping and dropping,” she said.

"The colleges know that their numbers are dropping but they seem to be cutting services that students need, which ultimately goes on to add fuel to the fire of the drop in student recruitment.

"The root of the problem seems to be the chronic underfunding of the whole sector but the government is just not doing anything about it.”

Statistics published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) show there were 42,923 full-time students in further education last year.

Although this was 70 more enrolments than in 2020/21, it was fewer than in every other year since at least 2008/09, and more than 9,500 fewer than a decade ago, when there were 52,436 enrolments.

College completion rates among full-time further education students were at 59 per cent last year, which is 6.2 percentage points lower than in 2018/19, before the pandemic, when the completion rate was 65.2 per cent.

And 29.3 per cent of full-time further education students withdrew from their course last year, the highest proportion in at least 13 years, compared to a drop-out rate of 24.7 per cent in 2018/19.

Ms Gosal said: “It is extremely disappointing to see such a sharp reduction in the number of students enrolling in college courses, as well as the number ultimately completing courses.

“These new figures once again highlight how the SNP have neglected Scotland’s further education sector during their 16 years in power.

“Their brutal cuts have forced our colleges to make drastic reductions and their concerns have fallen on deaf ears with successive SNP education ministers.”

Despite the drop in full-time students, the number on part-time programmes increased last year by 7.2 per cent, or 6,506, from the previous year.

A spokesperson for the SFC said: “The figures in our latest college report for the academic year ending in July 2022 clearly show the continuing effects of the pandemic on colleges and their students.

"In the same period, we also see these being compounded by the start of the cost-of-living crisis and, at the same time, a more buoyant labour market made the choice of paid work an attractive option for those who may otherwise have considered a college course.

"Once again colleges coped with extremely challenging circumstances and showed exceptional determination to support their learners.”

Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, highlighted how the Withers Review, which called last week for major reform of the way skills are developed and delivered in Scotland, stressed the importance of colleges.

"Colleges need investment so that students receive the world-class education and training which they deserve, and which benefits everyone – the individual, their community, employers, and the economy overall,” she said.

"Colleges Scotland has already warned of a looming skills emergency if there isn’t the right investment for colleges, and this is critical around building the workforce to tackle the climate emergency and to support health and social care.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The buoyant labour market and the beginning of the cost-of-living crisis led to some learners leaving colleges to take jobs, with colleges also suggesting that issues with mental health and wellbeing, disruption caused by Covid-19 as well as childcare and caring responsibilities, all resulted in higher levels of withdrawals in 2021/22.”

“Attainment is a complex area with many contributing factors, and for those on part-time courses, successful completion rates were substantially higher than for full-time learners.”