Photo: Queen Margaret University, University of Glasgow, University of the Highlands and Islands
The UK REF Team has announced the membership of the Research Diversity Advisory Panel and the People and Diversity Advisory Panel for the next research assessment exercise in 2029.
The Research Diversity Advisory Panel will ensure the exercise recognises diverse forms of research while the People and Diversity Advisory Panel will support the REF’s appreciation of diversity within researchers’ roles, careers and career stages. As their aims are strongly interlinked, the two panels will work closely together at certain times in the development of their work.
Scottish universities are represented on both panels. Professor Neil Chue Hong, Professor of Research Software Policy and Practice at the University of Edinburgh and Professor Debbie Tolson, Alzheimer Scotland Professor of Dementia at the University of the West of Scotland will both sit on the Research Diversity Advisory Panel. The People Diversity Advisory Panel will benefit from the membership of Professor Doris Ruth Eikhof. Professor Eikhof is Professor of Cultural Economy & Policy at the University of Glasgow.
Rebecca Fairbairn, REF Director, said: “Our new advisory panels will embed knowledge and expertise on the diversity of people, approaches to, and forms of research that are essential to the vitality of the UK’s research base.
“We are delighted to have been able to build panels full of people with the skills and experience needed to shape our criteria-setting and assessment processes from all four nations and from a variety of institutions.
More information, including the full list of members for both panels, is now available on the REF 2029 website.
Photos: University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, University of St. Andrews
The latest Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings feature three Scottish universities in the top 25 institutions in the UK.
All three have also achieved a top 200 ranking in the world. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 include more than 2,000 universities from across 115 countries and territories.
The University of Edinburgh stays as the 5th ranked university in the UK and has moved up one place into 29th in the world. The University of Glasgow remains 10th in the UK list and also stays 87th internationally, while the University of St Andrews is up from 25th in the UK to 24th and up from 193rd in the world listings to 185th.
The University of Oxford leads the THE World University Rankings 2024 for a ninth consecutive year.
Times Higher Education analysis of the data behind the results shows Chinese universities edging closer to the top 10 with Tsinghua University and Peking University at 12th and 13th respectively.
Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all join the top 200 list – highlighting the rise of emerging markets in higher education.
The full results and analysis of the rankings are available on the Times Higher Education website.
Photo: University of Edinburgh
The annual Converge Awards represent the pinnacle of Scottish academic innovation.
They celebrate how groundbreaking ideas and world-class university research come together in Scotland to tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges. This year’s finalists included projects around climate change, pollution and food security.
This year’s finalists competed across four challenge categories; Converge, Create Change, Net Zero and KickStart.
Solomon White of SEASAT from the University of Edinburgh won this year’s KickStart Challenge award and £10,000 with Jillian Gordon of Ovation Agriculture from SRUC runner up. The Create Change Challenge Award was won by Jawahir Al-Mauly of Ujamaa Spice from the University of Edinburgh and took home £30k. KEPSoft Collaborative from the University of Glasgow came runner up.
In the Net Zero Challenge category, Alexander Speakman of E.V.A Biosystems from the University of Edinburgh won with the SolarSub project from the University of Edinburgh runner up.
Finally the Converge Challenge Award was won by Monchil Vasilev of inProcess from the University of Strathclyde with their real-time welding inspection system using ultrasonic waves to detect defects, boosting productivity and reducing carbon. The runner up in the category was PCAD from Strathclyde University.
The event was attended by university principals, business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors. Amongst the speakers were Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Kate Forbes; and Professor Andrea Nelson, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Photo: Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI
Baseline 2024 will create the first ever strategic baseline for the entire college estate in Scotland and is a major piece of collaborative work between SFC and the college sector.
The results of Baseline 2024 will inform the development of the national College Infrastructure Investment Plan which will, in turn, provide the basis for prioritising future investment decisions.
Colleges across Scotland are currently contributing to the Baseline 2024 data collection exercise using specially designed software. The exercise is supported by SFC’s technical partner, AtkinsRéalis, and the deadline to submit information is 1 October.
Progress toward the successful completion of Baseline 2024 has been encouraging with 21 of Scotland’s 24 colleges already engaged in the process through workshop events, webinars and drop-in sessions. Nineteen colleges are currently at the data entry stage.
Speaking ahead of the October 1 deadline, Ursula Lodge, SFC’s Deputy Director for Institutional Sustainability and Capital, said:
“The development of a national college infrastructure investment plan is an incredibly complex and challenging piece of work, and its success depends entirely on collaboration, cooperation, and co-creation with our colleges.
“We are very grateful for all the effort colleges are putting into the Baseline 2024 exercise. Colleges should now use the remaining time to ensure their information and data contribute towards a full sector-wide understanding of the college estate. This will enable SFC to progress the Infrastructure Investment Plan.”
Two Scottish students have won coveted medallions for excellence at WorldSkills Lyon, an international competition for the recognition and promotion of the value of skills.
WorldSkills UK, a four nations partnership between education, industry and UK governments, uses the insight it gains from competitions such as WorldSkills Lyon to advance high quality training standards.
Over 1,500 young people from 69 countries competed over four days of tough competition in 62 different skills in an event watched by over 250,000 spectators.
Four Scottish competitors – Nathan Young, Finley Graham, Yasmin George and Danny McBean – were amongst the 31 young people competing for Team UK. Nathan and Finley were both awarded medallions for excellence.
Nathan Young, from East Kilbride received his training in Mechanical Engineering and Computer-Aided Design at New College Lanarkshire and the University of the West of Scotland. Finley Graham, whose training has been provided by the City of Glasgow College and Glasgow Caledonian University, comes from Airdrie and competed in the IT Network Systems Administration category.
Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:
“High quality skills development is crucial to growing the economy, and Team UK’s medal-winning performance in front of a global audience sends a strong message that the UK is a world-class place to invest, develop talent and create jobs.”
SFC’s Interim Chief Executive, Martin Boyle, and Director of Finance, Richard Maconachie, have joined Scottish Education Secretary, Jenny Gilruth and Minister for Higher and Further Education, Graeme Day, in a visit to the Dunfermline Learning Campus.
The new Dunfermline Learning Campus is an innovative, integrated and collaborative venture to relocate Fife College’s Dunfermline Campus, St Columba’s RC High School and Woodmill High School to a new purpose-built campus.
The visit follows a topping out ceremony in May when school pupils helped the Education Secretary lay a plinth to mark a major milestone in the construction of the new campus.
Speaking during the latest visit, Education Secretary, Jenny Gilruth, said:
“It is important that students are able to access opportunities to further education as easily and effectively as possible. It is also crucial that their learning environments are fit for the future and support Scotland’s net zero ambitions. That is why the Scottish Government is providing up to £154.5 million in capital investment to support Fife College’s vision for the Dunfermline Learning Campus.
“I have no doubt that these state-of-the-art facilities will be a huge asset for students in supporting the development of their skills, whilst playing an important role in supporting the economy of both the local area and more widely across Scotland.”
Martin Boyle, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“As Scotland’s tertiary education funding body, we’re committed to making it as easy as possible to navigate the pathways between school, college and university.
“The Dunfermline Learning Campus will be unique in its ability to support people as they develop their potential from secondary school onwards, and go on to contribute to society and the economy.
“As a modern, flexible and low carbon campus it will also be at the forefront of exciting changes around where and how we learn, and will become a fantastic asset to the Fife region.”
The Principal of Fife College, Jim Metcalfe, added:
“The college is proud to be the biggest public sector build with net zero aspirations. From working with industry leaders to train the next generation of green workforces, to the construction of its new campus, we’re future proofing learning for generations to come.”
Photo: Glasgow Clyde College
The Scottish Government launched its Review of the Regional Strategic Bodies within the Glasgow and Lanarkshire college regions consultation on 17 June 2024.
Interested parties are being asked to share their views on the Scottish Government’s proposals to reform the regional strategic bodies (RSBs) for the Glasgow and Lanarkshire multi-college regions.
Multi-college regions were established in 2014 as part of the national college regionalisation project. This was designed to reduce duplication, simplify pathways through education and better align colleges with regional economies. The project led to the creation of 13 college regions. Three of the regions, Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Highlands and Islands, contained more than one college and were designated multi college regions.
In May this year, Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans, announced in the Scottish Parliament, plans to consult on proposals to reform the regional strategic bodies for the Glasgow and Lanarkshire multi-college regions.
The Scottish Government has been clear that any future changes will strengthen oversight and accountability of the Glasgow and Lanarkshire colleges, while continuing to support regional coordination of curriculum planning and provision of streamlined learner pathways.
Full background details are available in the Scottish Government’s consultation paper which also contains information on how to respond. The consultation seeks views on the proposals by 20 September 2024.
Photo: Edinburgh Napier University
The post-16 education sector sustainability body, EAUC Scotland, has published its eagerly awaited Commuting Survey Guide.
The Guide is part of a comprehensive set of resources that also include a Microsoft Forms template and a commuting emissions calculator. The resources have been developed as part of EAUC Scotland’s ground-breaking Step-Change for Sustainability programme funded by the Scottish Funding Council.
The resources will be made freely available to colleges and universities throughout Scotland.
Matt Woodthorpe, Programme Manager at EAUC Scotland, said:
“We’re really excited to be launching these new resources. They’re the result of a lot of hard work by staff at EAUC Scotland and also by practitioners in colleges and universities who have made a fantastic contribution through their reviews and feedback.
“With the resources, colleges and universities in Scotland will be able to understand best practice, readily launch a commuting survey, and report their emissions to the Scottish Government much more easily, saving significant amounts of time”.
Martin Boyle, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), said:
“This is a great example of SFC funding practical and effective ways of supporting colleges and universities in their journey to net zero.
“I’m incredibly grateful to EAUC Scotland and to those within the sector who have worked so hard to produce these materials.”
More details are available on the EAUC Scotland website.
Photo: University of St. Andrews
Demand for places at Scottish universities from applicants living in Scotland has increased according to new figures from the current applications cycle.
Published today by the universities admissions service, UCAS, the figures show applications from Scottish residents to Scottish universities have increased by almost 2.5% compared with last year. Looking specifically at Scottish school leavers, UCAS reports that 20,810 have applied for a place at a Scottish university – up 4% from 2023.
There is also evidence in today’s figures of further progress towards fairer access to university. The proportion of applicants from Scotland’s 20% most deprived communities to UK universities continues to increase, with 17.4% of applicants in the current cycle coming from those areas. For 18 year olds in this group, the application rate rises to 20.7%
Beyond Scotland, there has been a fall in the number of applicants from the European Union with a decrease of 5.7% on last year. Non-EU figures appear to be plateauing with a decrease of 1.7%.
Commenting on the data, SFC’s Interim Chief Executive, Martin Boyle, said:
“It’s encouraging to see an increase in demand for a place at a Scottish university from Scottish applicants.
“It’s especially good to find evidence in today’s figures of young people in the most deprived areas of the country taking the first step towards the life-changing experiences universities can provide. We will continue to monitor the applications cycle as we move past results day next month and into the clearing phase.”
The full figures are available on the UCAS website.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is welcoming five new members to its board. The appointees will replace board members whose terms of office have recently come to an end.
The five new members are Professor Cara Aitchison, Dr Richard Armour, Linda Hanna, Kate Lander, and Alison Nicolson.
Professor Cara Aitchison was President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University between 2016 and 2024. Before that she was Head of Moray House School of Education at The University of Edinburgh.
Born and educated in Scotland, Cara graduated from the University of Edinburgh before gaining her postgraduate and teaching qualifications. She brings extensive experience of higher education management and has expertise in transformational leadership.
Dr Richard Armour is a graduate of Glasgow, Open and London universities. He has spent most of his career in higher education, initially in the UK but predominantly overseas, particularly in Hong Kong serving in faculty, administrative and leadership roles.
Latterly he was Secretary General of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. Richard has recently served as a council member of Research England.
Linda Hanna is an experienced leader and non-executive working across academia and the public and private sectors where she focused on innovation and major economic opportunities.
As a member of the Executive Team at Scottish Enterprise for 10 years, Linda worked nationally and internationally, helping accelerate strategic investment in different parts of Scotland. She has a keen interest in science, innovation, and skills.
Kate Lander’s career spans education and financial services. She initially qualified as an accountant, before becoming a chartered financial analyst. After leaving banking, Kate returned to education in a number of leadership roles, most recently as CEO of Ivy House.
Between 2017 and 2023 she served on the Board of the Office for Students and was also Chair of its Risk and Audit Committee.
Alison Nicolson is an experienced leader and qualified accountant. She has held a variety of senior roles within corporate and commercial banking. Alison has extensive experience in finance; strategic leadership; and transformational change within the financial services sector.
She has been on the boards of charities supporting people with disabilities and is currently a member of the Board of the Independent Living Fund.
Commenting on the new appointments, SFC’s Board Chair, Mike Cantlay, said:
“The next few years will be a period of addressing challenges and seizing opportunities as we work with the Scottish Government and our partners towards the reform of Scotland’s tertiary education; skills; and research and innovation landscape.
“It is important that our board has a diversity of backgrounds and experience, and that its members are passionate about transformation and achieving the very best social and economic outcomes for our investments.”
“The new board members announced today will bring strengths in all these areas and I very much look forward to working with them all.”
Photos (left to right): University of Aberdeen, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Glasgow
The UK REF team has today announced the universities that will participate in its People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pilot exercise. The announcement follows an online applications process that has been in progress since the middle of May.
The pilot exercise will focus on eight of REF 2029’s units of assessment, including computer science and informatics; history; and biological sciences. The panels will be comprised of academics, research professionals and others with appropriate expertise. Panel members will contribute to the development of PCE indicators and submission/assessment templates.
Although the initial plan was for 30 institutions to take part, the list has been extended to include a further 10 universities in order to widen the opportunities for participation and spread the burden of work. The list, which covers the whole of the UK, has been compiled with a view to providing a broad range of submission sizes, breadth of provision and experience of participation in previous REF exercises.
Four Scottish universities are included; Edinburgh Napier University, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the University of Dundee and the University of Glasgow.
There are further opportunities to engage with the development of PCE for REF 2029. The PCE indicators project has recently launched this survey which is open to all with an interest in the assessment of PCE in REF. In addition, next year, when the pilot assessment is underway, the PCE indicators project team will deliver engagement activities to gather input on the developing indicators from the wider sector.
The full list can be viewed on the REF 2029 website.
Photo: Robert Gordon University
The latest National Student Survey report is published today and shows an increase in the number of students at Scottish universities reporting overall satisfaction with their course.
The survey is one of the largest of its kind in the world and asks students across the whole of the UK questions on a wide range of issues including teaching and assessments, library resources and access to information about mental health support services.
Just under 346,000 UK final year students responded this year with 26,000 respondents coming from universities north of the border. Their answers help to provide useful information for future students as well as supporting universities in their work towards continuous improvement of the student experience.
The percentage of students at Scottish universities saying that, overall, they were satisfied with their course rose by 1% against the 2023 figure to 78%. However, this remains below pre-pandemic levels; the 2020 figure was 85%.
Scottish universities scored particularly highly in responses to the question: “How good are teaching staff at explaining things?” where 92% of respondents responded positively. They also scored strongly in questions about the contribution of library resources to learning (91 % responding positively) and the ease of accessing things like equipment, software and facilities (an 87% positive response).
The full results of the 2024 National Student survey are now available on the website of the Office for Students.
Photo: Edinburgh Napier University
The latest university performance figures show an increase of two percentage points in the proportion of graduates moving into full time employment after leaving a Scottish university.
According to data released today by HESA, the UK-wide agency for higher education statistics, 75% of graduates from Scotland’s universities in 2021-22 were in full or part time work 15 months after completing their course.
The proportion of Scottish university graduates moving into what the report calls ‘positive destinations’ (including voluntary employment and further study) is above the UK average at 90% compared with the UK figure of 89%.
The report also shows graduates from Scottish universities with slightly higher salaries than those from universities in other parts of the UK; their median earnings have risen by almost £2,000 compared with 2020-21. 77% of those leaving with a science related degree were working in roles described as ‘highly skilled’, the figure rises slightly to 78% for non-science graduates.
Meanwhile, the proportion of graduates leaving a Scottish university and entering work in Scotland remains at 84%.
More information on today’s Graduate Outcomes 2021-22 report can be found on the HESA website.
On 15th May at the Advanced Research Centre, SFC and the University of Glasgow co-hosted a celebration event ‘Ambition and Impact: International Development Research in Scotland’. The event brought together around 150 people including researchers, research professionals, governments and funding bodies to celebrate international development research in Scotland and facilitate knowledge sharing.
The day highlighted the huge range of international development successes such as planning tools for decision making for sand supply in Vietnam, to genomic and advanced reproductive technologies to address tropical dairy cattle genetic improvement challenges, to archaeological investigations of prehistoric ‘routes and roots’ on Rarotonga and Aitutaki Cook Islands and co-producing tourism development, education and research tools with archaeological heritage asses.
A playlist of the talks from the day are available on SFC’s YouTube channel:
Photo (left to right): Newbattle Abbey College, UHI Perth, Fife College, City of Glasgow College
The latest College Performance Indicators report from the Scottish Funding Council shows an increase in the percentage of students completing their course.
The report, published today, takes a sector-wide look at the performance of Scotland’s colleges in 2022-23 and illustrates trends over the past decade. Today’s figures show a 4.6pp increase in the completion rate for those studying on a further education course and a 3pp increase amongst those studying for a higher education qualification.
The report distinguishes between students who completed their course by achieving the qualification they wished to attain and those who followed their course of study to the end but left without achieving the qualification they were aiming for. In 2022-23, successful completion rates rose to 63.6% for further education and to 65.5% for higher education. In both cases, however, these remain lower than the pre-pandemic rates.
The report also found that male students were more likely than female students to successfully complete their further education programme while the opposite was true for higher education.
Full details of all the findings in today’s report are now available along with supporting documentation.
The Scottish Funding Council for Further and Higher Education has a rich source of sector data through regular data returns from the sectors we fund. We are committed to openness and transparency, and this is why we work hard to respond to ad-hoc requests from organisations and individuals.
Our small Data Team receives a high volume of data requests. To help us manage these requests effectively, we have introduced an improved approach to customer service. Our new ‘Data Request Form’ is a short and easy-to-use form which will ask you to tell us about your request, for example, how you intend to use the data provided. The information you provide will allow us to respond to requests effectively and efficiently.
We are committed to responding to data requests where possible and will sign-post you to alternative data sources when we can. Our Data Requests system is continuously monitored during standard working hours. Where we are able to provide the data you have asked for, our standard response time is 20 working days. Where we are unable to deliver on your request (for example, if we do not hold the data you have requested) then we will respond to you as soon as possible to let you know and, if appropriate, point you to an alternative source.
This new approach will enable our teams to continue to be responsive to data requests, while also working hard to deliver our longer-term ambitions to improve the way we share our data, for example, via dashboards on our website and through our publications.
We look forward to sharing further updates about our digital transformation programme as it progresses.
Four Scottish students are amongst the 31 young people preparing to compete for Team UK at WorldSkills Lyon 2024.
Known as the ‘skills Olympics’, the international event has included a UK team since 1953. This year’s team will be heading for glory in France just hours after the Olympic flame is dimmed in Paris.
The four Scottish competitors are Nathan Young, Finley Graham, Yasmin George and Danny McBean.
Nathan, from East Kilbride received his training in Mechanical Engineering and Computer-Aided Design at New College Lanarkshire and the University of the West of Scotland. Finley, whose training has been provided by the City of Glasgow College and Glasgow Caledonian University, comes from Airdrie and will compete in the IT Network Systems Administration category.
Glasgow’s Yasmin George was also trained at the City of Glasgow College and Glasgow Caledonian University. Her speciality is 3D Digital Game Art. Finally, Danny McBean who is competing in the Renewable Energy category is a former apprentice from Elgin whose training at UHI Moray led to a job at the Grants whisky distillery in Dufftown.
WorldSkills Lyon 2024 will host over 1,500 young people from 65 countries, who will compete in 62 different skill disciplines.
Team UK, which is sponsored by global learning company, Pearson, will be competing in disciplines including cyber security; renewable energy; digital construction; cooking; hairdressing; and painting and decorating. The event will take place from 10-15 September.
Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said:
“WorldSkills Lyon 2024 – think Olympic Games – where the prize is the world-class skills that UK employers are crying out for.
“The UK’s participation in the ‘skills Olympics’ will provide vital insights to ensure we can develop our apprenticeship and training programmes, to make them truly world-class.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of the exceptional young people in Team UK; they are fantastic role models. Together with Pearson, we will use their participation at WorldSkills to boost the prestige of technical and vocational education, inspiring many more young people to take up technical and vocational training across the UK to help drive investment, jobs and economic growth.”
Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“Being selected for Team UK at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 is a huge achievement and represents an incredible commitment from the young people who make it through to the team and also those who train them.
“It’s fantastic to see Scotland’s colleges and universities represented at the Worldskills event by these amazing young people. I wish Nathan, Finley, Yasmin, Danny and the whole of Team UK the very best of luck in September.”
Photos: University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, University of St. Andrews
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has today published indicative funding allocations for Scotland’s universities.
SFC has increased investment in university research and innovation and has allocated funds in a way that maintains the investment in teaching for Scottish students. As planned, today’s announcement also confirms the removal of 1,289 temporary places that were made available in 2020-21 to support additional learners through the Covid-19 period. These learners will be graduating at the end of this academic year. The removal of these places does not impact on opportunities for Scottish students because there are more funded places available now than before the Covid period, mainly due to EU students no longer being funded but the places remaining in the system and still being available for Scottish students.
However, this was a particularly challenging budget settlement for the university sector and there has been a reduction overall in the resource funding allocated, in line with the budget set by the Scottish Government.
Commenting on today’s announcement, SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt said:
“This has been a particularly challenging funding round. While we recognise that universities are operating in a difficult financial environment, managing a range of different pressures, the funding package we are announcing today will ensure that more opportunities are available for Scottish students than pre-Covid. We are also increasing investment in university research and innovation given its vital importance to new discoveries and making research useful for social and economic benefit.”
Full details of the allocations are available on SFC’s website.
Photos: Robert Gordon University and University of Aberdeen.
Today the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA) and partners are launching Energy Career Pathways, an interactive tool for prospective employees in the energy sector to identify the qualifications they would require for specific roles and where they can undertake qualifications in the North East of Scotland.
Energy Career Pathways is one of seven innovative pilot projects now in development in two Pathfinder regions in Scotland where SFC is working alongside key regional education and skills partners.
Supported with funding from SFC’s regional tertiary pathfinder, the aim of Energy Career Pathways is to help accelerate the pace of workforce development. Key partners recognised there were skills demands which would develop as a result of the energy transition.
The project demonstrates the advantages of regional collaboration as NESA brings together the region’s leading academic institutions and built on this to develop a unique energy transition skills pathway.
Community engagement was undertaken to support the Energy Career Pathways and data was gathered through surveys, interviews with third sector providers, youth group workshops and community group meetings.
Established in June 2021, the NESA is a collaborative initiative between the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University and North East Scotland College (referred to collectively as NESA institutions), supported by SFC, Skills Development Scotland and Energy Transition Zone Ltd. NESA works with businesses and training organisations with the aim to create a more flexible and resilient workforce for the energy sector.
For a full demonstration and an overview of NESA’s Energy Career Pathway, register now for their webinar demonstrating the tool on 23 April 2024.
Photos: UHI Perth, Forth Valley College, Dundee and Angus College
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has today published indicative funding allocations for Scotland’s colleges for Academic Year 2024-25.
Today’s announcement is set within the context of a particularly challenging budget settlement for further and higher education. SFC has worked closely with sector representatives to secure a flat cash core teaching budget, committing to invest £509m to support learners across Scotland’s 24 colleges. The announcement also provides colleges with details on their student support allocations, providing vital support for students to complete their studies, and on capital budgets, enabling colleges to maintain and invest in their estates and digital infrastructure.
Commenting on today’s announcement, SFC Chief Executive Karen Watt said:
“We make these early allocations so that colleges have planning assumptions to support them in their decision making. We know colleges face challenges from a constrained public sector funding environment and rising costs. Our indicative funding allocations will enable them to plan for the forthcoming academic year, providing vital opportunities for learners and playing a key role in delivering the skills Scotland needs.”
Full details of the allocations are available on SFC’s website.