banff and buchan college

Working in Partnership

On Thursday 27 October 2011 Aberdeen College and Banff & Buchan College of Further Education signed a Federation agreement. The purpose of the North-East Scotland Colleges Regional Federation Agreement is to allow the two colleges to plan & deliver a fully-coordinated programme of further education opportunities across the North-east.

While the two colleges will remain as separate institutions with their own Boards of Management and management teams, the colleges will work together to:
• co-ordinate the offer of further education in the North-East to avoid any unnecessary duplication
• improve access to educational opportunities across the North-east
• increase the progression routes from school to college-based study
• work with the two local universities to maximise opportunities for articulation into degree programmes
• seek opportunities to share services, premises, course development and course delivery in order to maximise the efficiency of the use of resources in the North-East.

Each of the colleges has its own specialist facilities and provision, and the close working of the two colleges will ensure that the impact of these is maximised.

Both colleges have close relationships with both Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen, and this new closer relationship between the two colleges will strengthen the university partnerships.

According to figures published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), over 25% of school leavers in the North-East progress into a further education programme, and almost all of them go to either Aberdeen College or Banff & Buchan College.
The two colleges also provide Higher Education opportunities in the form of HNC and HND qualifications. According to SDS 39% of North-East school leaver progress to Higher Education – and of those about 25% do so in one of the two colleges – and many of them then progress to the third year of a degree programme in a local university.

Taken together the two colleges provide opportunities for about 35% of all school leavers in the North-east as well as attracting applications from adults of all ages.

Although the two colleges will remain separate entities, taken together they will become the largest provider of further education in Scotland.

Paul Sherrington, Principal, Banff & Buchan says, “Both colleges have well established roots in their local communities and are committed to the success and prosperity of the region. We believe that closer partnership working and building on existing good relationships is essential in order to plan, deliver and improve the services we offer.”

Alan Findlay, Chair of Banff & Buchan Board of Management says, “By working together it guarantees we can maximise the opportunity for all our students and learners to locally access courses and support services to meet their individual learning needs.  It also ensures that we can continue to build a sustainable further and higher education service in the North east.”

Rob Wallen, Principal, Aberdeen College says, “Further Education is critically important. The figures from Skills Development Scotland demonstrate how important further education colleges are to the life and economy of the North-East. That is a huge responsibility and we are determined to provide the best service that we can. We look forward to working with our colleagues in Banff & Buchan College to ensure that the maximum number of people are able to benefit from what these two colleges can offer.”

Ken Milroy, Chair of Aberdeen College Board of Management says, “Aberdeen College is delighted that the Scottish Government is actively encouraging the regional partnership approach that is being developed in the North-East of Scotland. We look forward to further developing our relationship with Banff & Buchan College over the coming years to ensure high-quality learning opportunities are available for local communities despite the very difficult financial circumstances for colleges.”