Having benefited from City of Glasgow College’s state-of-the-art facilities, inspirational courses and professional connections, graduates are now preparing to take centre stage

Graduation ceremonies are taking place today for students at City of Glasgow College, Scotland’s pioneering centre of learning for technological and professional skills.

Those stepping up to the podium in the Royal Concert Hall have recently completed studies from across the College’s four Faculties, which are Creative Industries, Education & Humanities, Hospitality & Leisure, and Nautical & STEM.

With state-of-the-art facilities, excellence in teaching, and a challenge-led approach, City of Glasgow College has transformed the experience of education for students from all backgrounds.

Its inclusive, diverse, and supportive community is helping students achieve their career ambitions and gain skills that set them apart in the job market.

REAL WORLD READY GRADUATES
THE focus at City is on preparing students for the real world, and feedback from industry partners consistently praises the College’s graduates for being ‘work-ready.’

City takes a practical approach to learning and teaching, with industry-shaped courses, professional connections, and state-of-the-art facilities to ensure that graduates are equipped with the most in-demand skills and qualifications employers and universities want and need.

From working on live industry projects to experiencing commercial environments on campus, every possible step is taken to ensure that graduates are prepared for the industries they enter. 

A prime example is our long-standing partnership with Scottish Opera, which actively supports student work experience through a variety of engaging opportunities. These include monthly podcasts produced in our state-of-the-art studios, alongside work placements that involve capturing and archiving content from performances and events.

Students have recently contributed to major productions such as Don Pasquale and Albert Herring, as well as Scottish Opera’s extensive programme of education and community events.

This partnership is instrumental in shaping career pathways for our broadcasting and media students, offering hands-on experience in arts, culture, and performance settings, including the iconic Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and other prestigious venues.

By working alongside professionals in the industry, our students gain invaluable insights. 

INDUSTRY HEAVYWEIGHTS AND ALUMNI RETURN TO INSPIRE CITY GRADUATES
On graduation day, it is hugely rewarding for lecturing staff to see students collect their certificates, diplomas, and degrees and share in their success. 

It’s also inspiring to welcome Guest Speakers from across business and industry that have excelled in their fields so they can share words of motivation, wisdom, and encouragement with today’s graduates.

This year’s Creative Industries Graduation Guest of Honour, Tommy Gormley, will address graduates and share insights from his illustrious career. A Glasgow native, Tommy is an internationally acclaimed First Assistant Director, celebrated for his work on blockbuster films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Wonder Woman 1984, and the Mission: Impossible series.

Collaborating with legendary directors such as J.J. Abrams and Patty Jenkins, Tommy has played a pivotal role in bringing ambitious cinematic visions to life.

Recognised with the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Craft’ accolade at the 2014 British Academy Scotland Awards, Tommy is known for his expertise in managing large-scale action sequences, complex shoots, and extensive crews and it’s invaluable for our students to hear about what careers in the creative industries can offer.

We’re very proud to welcome back alumna Chloe Oswald to address our Hospitality & Leisure graduates. Since graduating from City of Glasgow College, Chloe – who studied Professional Patisserie – has gone from strength to strength.

After refining her skills for several years under the expert eye of the chefs in the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel, Chloe embarked on a successful journey to founding her own luxury chocolate brand, Chocolatia. 

Graduates from the Faculty of Education & Humanities will hear from Sandy Begbie, Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise, a widely respected leader whose career exemplifies innovation, resilience, and a commitment to developing talent. 

Hearing Sandy speak will be a unique opportunity for graduates to gain valuable perspectives on achieving success and creating impact in their chosen fields.

The Riverside Campus trains up to 40% of the UK Merchant Navy Cadets

WORLD CLASS FACILITIES
The College’s links with many different industry sectors are a key part of the successful outcomes achieved by a high number of students. So too are on-site facilities that include industry-standard TV and radio studios, creative design and photography suites, a sportscotland sports complex, 16 professional kitchens, and the first 360-degree shipping simulation suite in Scotland, capable of recreating anything from a Polar ice field to Pacific waves.

The latter is part of the Nautical and STEM faculty at the College’s Riverside Campus. City is proud of its reputation for delivering world-class education and training to engineers, seafarers, and construction professionals. 

The College hosted the International Maritime Hub at COP26, and its industry partners include the Scottish Maritime Cluster and the wider maritime sector, delivering apprenticeships for leading shipbuilders such as BAE Systems.

The Riverside campus is a Maritime Centre of Excellence, training some 40% of the UK Merchant Navy Cadets each year. College Principal Paul Little is a passionate advocate for the maritime sector and is strongly committed to its continuing success. As outgoing Chair of the UK

Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, he recently launched the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce report, A Step Change for UK Shipbuilding Skills, at International Shipping Week. This by-industry, for-industry report is a key step in delivering the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh and supporting the nation’s shipbuilders.

More than 95% of all the UK’s imports and exports are delivered by sea, making the maritime industry the third-largest revenue generator in the country. City of Glasgow College is one of the largest training centres in the UK for those working both at sea and shoreside.

For students at both Riverside Campus on Thistle Street, on the site of the old Nautical College, and City Campus on Cathedral Street, City of Glasgow College is a unique environment. The buildings themselves have been designed as sociable and accessible spaces conducive to study.

City Campus features a vast triple-height library, a business centre where students and alumni can establish their first enterprises, a roof garden with two viewing terraces, and Scholar’s fine dining restaurant, which is open to the public.

Meanwhile, Riverside Campus hosts the first women-only engineering and construction classes in Scotland. It has one of the most modern working ship’s engines in the country and is among just a handful of colleges in the UK capable of delivering training to Chief Engineer and Master Mariner levels.

The College also runs an extensive programme of conferences and seminars designed to address critical issues facing education, the environment, and the world of work.

www.cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk

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Global recognition for college’s lifesaving research

TODAY’S graduation takes place in the year that City of Glasgow College was formally presented with the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education for its research highlighting the dangers of oxygen depletion in enclosed spaces on-board ships.

This transformational research is having a global impact by saving hundreds of seafarers’ lives across the oceans.

This prize-winning work is also testament to the importance City places on partnership working and the vital role the College plays within industry.

Part of the UK’s Honours system, the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are the pinnacle of achievement in the tertiary education sector. Awarded every two years to colleges and universities who deliver work judged to show excellence, innovation, impact, and benefit for the institution itself, its people, and society generally in the wider world.

This recognition by the Awards Council of the Trust validates that the students collecting their qualifications today are now graduates of a truly World-Class, next generation tertiary institution.