‘Positive destinations’ for Scots college students have increased

The level of Scottish college students going on to “positive destinations” has increased.

Statistics from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) for the 2017-18 academic year have suggested the amount of leavers continuing on to further study or work rose by 0.8% compared to the 2016-17 year.

Of the 19,314 people who left colleges during that year, 9,519 continued into employment – a rise of 2.2% on the previous year.

A further 7,682 went to university, 39.8% of all leavers – a drop from 41.2% the previous year.

The number of “negative destinations” – meaning people who were unemployed or unavailable for work at the time of the study – fell by 0.8%.

A total of 1,305 college leavers reported being unemployed, representing 6.8% of the total number of leavers and a drop from 1,476 from the previous year.

However, the number of people reporting they were unavailable for work – through illness, retirement other extenuating circumstances – went up from 751 in 2016-17 to 808 the following year.

Further education minister Richard Lochhead said: “I welcome the fact that more of our college students are going into jobs, training or further study than ever before.

“I am particularly heartened at the high proportion of college leavers, especially those from the most deprived areas, going straight into employment.

“The results are clear evidence of the crucial contribution colleges make to inclusive economic growth by equipping people with the skills and training they need for the workplace, no matter their background or circumstances.”