City of Glasgow College’s twin site super campus – our Super College - has transformed Glasgow’s skyline and its importance as a centre for professional and skills education and training.
We represent a leading regeneration of Glasgow through our £228 million twin site development - City Campus on Cathedral Street with its immense industry scaled facilities and Riverside Campus; appropriately sited on the banks of the Clyde and one of only four maritime facilities in the UK which delivers Merchant Navy officer training to Chief Engineer and Master Mariner level.
When John Swinney, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, officially launched City campus in October last year, he described it as “a brilliant example of what vision, creativity and determination can achieve”. He also acknowledged the role of the Principal and Chief Executive, Paul Little, and his team in delivering this “jaw droppingly elegant facility”.
That moment was the result of a nine year journey that merged three colleges across 11 sites into a twin site super college – one which is singular not only in its design and super facilities but also in its transformative approach to what a college education in this century can achieve.
Principal Little firmly believes this is the century of college education:
“Our state of the art buildings are bringing about a new renaissance in tertiary education and the quality of teaching and learning on offer matches that. The appeal and effectiveness of City of Glasgow College is that it is a technical skills college for our times – not a polytechnic or university.”
He emphasises the crucial working relationship the college has forged with industry: a process that benefits both students and industry partners.
“Colleges have always worked very closely with industry, something that’s often been ignored or taken for granted or indeed, undervalued.
“What we’re trying to do is provide multiple pathways for our students into the world of work. Our focus is laser-like on the individual. It’s laser-like on their employability. It’s laser-like on their prosperity. It’s laser-like on providing life chances. It’s laser-like on improving their social mobility.”
As the largest college in Scotland, City of Glasgow College is a powerhouse of 2,000 technical and professional courses, designed for 40,000 students and delivering £47 million back into the Scottish economy each year. The huge asset it has become to its students, the city and beyond is clear.
“We’re changing lives and shaping futures,” says Principal Little. “And above all else, we let learning flourish.”