A CONTROVERSIAL policy which led to a dramatic fall in the number of college students has been ditched.
The Scottish Government has told colleges they are no longer expected to focus on full-time courses for younger students at the expense of older, part-time learners.
Since 2010 when colleges were told to prioritise full-time qualifications for 16 to 24-year-olds overall student numbers declined by 123,000 from 350,00 to 227,000.
Ministers argued the strategy was the best way to address youth unemployment following the global financial crisis.
However, critics pointed out that part-time courses were just as valuable particularly for women with childcare responsibilities and older learners trying to get back into the jobs market.
New guidance to the sector from Shirley-Anne Sommerville, the Further Education Minister, has now reversed the policy.
Her letter to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) states: “I want to take this opportunity to restate that colleges are not required to prioritise full-time provision for 16-24s, but rather should be responsive to the current needs of learners and the economy.
“This must include access to opportunities for part-time learners, learners over the age of 24 and those returning to learning for upskilling and reskilling.”
Opposition politicians seized on the letter accusing the Scottish Government of a significant climbdown.
Liz Smith, education spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservative Party, said: “This is a significant U-turn no doubt brought about by the latest analysis of the major problems caused by the existing policy.
“For months, ministers have faced very strong criticism that the policy has been inflexible, involving a serious loss of part-time places, often for students who are furthest removed from the labour market.
“The rigid commitment to full-time courses was often unresponsive to the needs of local economies and it created difficulties for those students who were trying to balance a college course with other work and family commitments.”
Iain Gray, education spokesman for the Scottish Labour Party, also went onto the attack.
He said: “This is a brazen U-turn buried in the middle of a ministerial letter.
“What makes it so shameful is that colleges have turned themselves upside down to meet SNP minister’s demands that they focus on full-time courses leading to employment.
Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said the policy had impacted on older learners and women.
She said: “We firmly believe colleges should be open and available to all learners regardless of age or background.
“It is encouraging that the latest guidance is recognising the important role that colleges play in providing opportunities for older and part-time learners to get back into the labour market.”
Luke Humberstone, president of student body NUS Scotland, called on colleges to act quickly to address the decline in part-time places.
He added: “Part time students and adult learners are disproportionality likely to be women, disabled students, and those who might be unable to give up work to access education.
“These groups are too often the furthest from accessing the fantastic opportunities that education can unlock.”
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland union added: “We have consistently raised concerns over the impact of prioritising full-time provision.
“It appears as though the Scottish Government is now re-emphasising the importance of a range of provision to ensure that as many people as possible can access a model of further education that suits their individual needs.”
John Kemp, interim chief executive of the SFC, said the new guidance confirmed the Scottish Government’s strategic priorities for 2018/19.
He added: “We will soon be issuing our outcome agreement guidance for all colleges to help them demonstrate their contribution to these priorities and to show the impact of public investment in further and higher education.”
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