łÉČËżěĘÖ

Skip to main content
Loading…

Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

Filter your results Hide all filters

Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 18 August 2025
Select which types of business to include


Select level of detail in results

Displaying 2341 contributions

|

Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 11 January 2024

Willie Coffey

I will give a local example. A firm in Ayrshire came to me and said, “Your college doesn’t do any roofing courses.” I asked the principal about that, and she confirmed that the college does not provide any roofing courses—even though the firm needs them—because the demand has not been there. There were only a few inquiries about such courses over two years. That is bound to be a common story across Scotland—a company saying to a college, “Why don’t you do this?”

Can we get better at that? Can we regionalise provision, for example? Can we support employers by putting on the courses that they want? Would we have to ask them to pay? I do not think that we have ever done that. How do we get smarter in that area, where an employer says that they need skills but the college does not deliver them? How do we solve that?

Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 11 January 2024

Willie Coffey

The committee is probably more interested in the impact of the cuts. We are interested in how colleges’ behaviour has changed and what is happening with staffing, programmes, courses, skills and so on. There are always predictions at the start of the year about what proposed budget cuts would mean, but do they actually mean those things? Do those things happen, in your experience? What outturn is emerging, in your opinion?

Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 11 January 2024

Willie Coffey

It is good to hear that.

I want to ask about colleges’ ability to pursue non-Scottish Funding Council revenue streams. We all know that colleges used to benefit from European Union funding. Universities can pursue external associations with sponsor companies and so on in order to conduct research, for example. Are there any barriers that prevent colleges from reaching out to local or regional businesses or anyone else—even in Europe—to seek partnerships and working arrangements that will help them to fund the courses that we want to deliver?

Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 11 January 2024

Willie Coffey

Do they do it?

Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 11 January 2024

Willie Coffey

Thank you for that answer.

My final question is about the fact that, as you know, Ayrshire College is the only college in Scotland that continues to pay private finance initiative debts. It pays at a rate of £2 million a year and it has a year to go. Can you give me and colleagues in the college an assurance that there will be no impact on the college’s future budget settlement from those payments coming to an end?

Public Audit Committee

“Scotland’s colleges 2023”

Meeting date: 11 January 2024

Willie Coffey

I think that that is the best answer that I will get. Thanks very much for that, Karen.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2024-25

Meeting date: 9 January 2024

Willie Coffey

Are there any other views?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2024-25

Meeting date: 9 January 2024

Willie Coffey

You did not mention the 32 per cent, though.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2024-25

Meeting date: 9 January 2024

Willie Coffey

Jamie, do you have anything on public perception?

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2024-25

Meeting date: 9 January 2024

Willie Coffey

Many thanks for that.