Scottish land-based colleges to merge
Three of Scotland’s four land-based colleges have agreed to pursue a full merger, subject to due diligence being carried out over the next few months.
In a joint statement the boards of SAC, Elmwood and Oatridge Colleges said they shared a vision for the delivery of skills, education and business support for Scotland’s land-based industries.
The country’s fourth College, Barony in Dumfries, is still considering its future options.
The focus for the merger is chiefly on integrating world class research at SAC into skills development in the land-based colleges and to offer students opportunities to progress more smoothly from certificate level course to degree or even PhD.
The announcement was welcomed by NFU Scotland which has been calling for a review of the provision of agricultural education in Scotland for some time.
The union has invited all the Colleges to attend their next Council meeting on 1 November to allow members to find out more about the proposal.