Glasgow Kelvin College is one of three FE colleges within the Glasgow Region and delivers learning opportunities in accordance with the regional Curriculum and Estates Review undertaken in 2015. The College currently operates from four campus buildings in Easterhouse, East End, Springburn, and West End. In addition, the College operates thirty-seven learning centres throughout Easterhouse, East End and North Glasgow, now known as the John Wheatley Learning Network,
which are supported by the College in partnership with a range of organisations and funded through Glasgow City Council and GHA (The Wheatley Group).
Glasgow Kelvin College has over 15,000 students and recruits from some of Scotland’s most challenged communities. Circa 50% of College enrolments are from students resident in the most deprived decile in Scotland with 65% from the most deprived quintile. It is, therefore, uniquely placed and striving to address the Scottish Government’s Widening Access agenda.
The College catchment area communities continue to experience high levels of deprivation, unemployment and ill-health, all factors which may impact on residents’ ability to access and retain learning opportunities. Low qualification levels and lack of skills contribute to catchment area residents’ ability to compete for sustainable, well-paid jobs.
Attainment levels at local schools, following a long period of slow improvement, now appear to be plateauing and there is no apparent trend with levels fluctuating. A national increase in school leavers accessing HE, with a concomitant reduction progressing to FE, disguises the fact that more school leavers are going to college than to university to study HE. The college/university breakdown of HE figures reveals that school leavers from some schools in the College catchment area are three times more likely to go on to college than to university to study HE level programmes. When these figures are added to those school leavers who are going on to study at FE level, it is clear that college is, by a very large margin, the most common positive destination for senior phase leavers. There is a recent overall increase in school leavers going directly into employment and for College Leaver Destination Results, although there is a slight reduction in the response rate, figures reveal that increasing numbers of students from the College are progressing to positive destinations in either employment or more advanced learning.
The College has built into its developmental planning the key priorities from the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board, Glasgow City Council, the Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Government. However, it remains aware of the challenges which lie ahead in the shape of the slump in the oil & gas industry, the potential, as yet unquantifiable, impact of Brexit and the restructuring of school governance in Scotland.
The college’s main source of funding is via Grant in aid distributed from the Scottish Funding Council as a result the main elements of Quality Management, outwith the various mechanisms and procedures related to various national awarding bodies and agencies, is the review and enhancement programmes carried out and monitored by Education Scotland (HMIe).
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