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Photo: Forth Valley College
The foundations of the complex and ambitious piece of work that is the College Infrastructure Investment Plan lie in the close collaboration between the SFC project team and college partners.
So, it was appropriate that we marked the beginning of the next phase of work with a workshop designed especially for the college estates specialists who have contributed so much to the proceeding phases.
The event was hosted by Colleges Scotland at its Stirling headquarters. Delegates from colleges across Scotland joined the SFC team to explore and discuss the next phase of activities. Also on the agenda was a progress report and feedback on the initial data collection exercise – Baseline 2024.
I was struck – but not surprised – by the way everyone engaged so openly and enthusiastically with the afternoon’s presentations and discussions. The team here at SFC especially appreciated the feedback we were able to record on colleges’ experiences and thoughts around the Baseline 2024 data collection. Baseline 2024 was such a new and ground-breaking exercise that there was a lot to learn from reflecting back on it. What we have learnt from the workshop and elsewhere will inform the way we run the data update exercise planned for next year.
One thing the update will address is the occurrence of certain disparities between individual colleges’ estates data across the sector that was revealed through Baseline 2024. With input and support from colleges, the work planned for 2026 will fill in data gaps – this will include key areas such as space utilisation.
We are realistic about the challenges still to be overcome before the full project is complete, but the Stirling event reminded us of the determination of colleges to create a national investment plan as a springboard to the campuses and campus estate practices of the future.
We are looking forward to the work ahead and are more than ever convinced that we are on a path to the successful completion of the College Infrastructure Investment Plan.
Cliff Barraclough, Assistant Director, Capital Projects and Programmes, 29 October 2025
