The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
College boss fears jobs could be lost in bid to plug £1.5m budget gap
The principal of Dundee and Angus College says he fears having to make more cuts as he battles with a £1.5 million budget black hole.
Simon Hewitt told The Courier the recent spending review by the Scottish Government means he has had no choice but to find savings.
The college – with campuses in Dundee and Arbroath – is consulting on proposals to end horticultural, land-based and estates skills courses.
It is likely to result in job losses, something Mr Hewitt said now looks unavoidable as the college tries to make ends meet.
Staffing accounts for more than 80% of college spending, and Mr Hewitt claimed he is unable to cut other budgets any further.
He also warned that cuts this year may not be the last, unless new funding comes from Holyrood.
He said: “Everything is on a single-year funding cycle, and we’re effectively surviving year to year not knowing how much money we will get.
“We’ve received a £1.5m funding cut and we’ve had to put some radical things in place to allow us to react to that.”
Mr Hewitt has also pointed to activity targets that the college must meet, claiming the Scottish Government can claw back funds if their targets are not hit.
He said: “Like a lot of colleges on the back of the pandemic, a lot of our activity targets haven’t been met.
“We’re sitting at the end of May not knowing whether we’ll have funding, up to £1m, clawed back.
“When you put that all together, it’s an absolute shambles in all honesty.”
Mr Hewitt said the funding model in Scotland means colleges receive about £4,000 per student compared to £6,000 per head for schools and £8,000 for universities.
He added: “There’s a whole perfect storm brewing for colleges. One of the things that really frustrates us is the funding per student.
“There’s a real question about how the sector is funded. I would say the funding system is pretty broken.”
Students who contacted The Courier say they oppose cuts to land-based courses.
One horticulture student – who asked to remain anonymous – said the course is important in the face of climate change and challenges facing the foodgrowing industries.
They said: “We have the Eden Project arriving in 2026, should we not have the resources in giving locals the tuition and knowledge in a means of gaining a job there?”
If the cuts go ahead, the nearest place offering a similar course will be Cupar.
Mr Hewitt said courses would not be cut in an ideal world, but has also highlighted other challenges, such as rising bills for the college.
He said: “If you look at what’s going on in the region, we should be investing in skills and growing as a college, not declining.
“Just like every single household we’re facing rising bills, our gas bill has gone up 154% and our insurance has gone up by 37%.
“(Staffing) is the only way we will make that saving of £1.5m.”
Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish Government’s higher and further education minister, said: “We will continue to invest nearly £2 billion per year in Scotland’s colleges and universities over the spending period, enabling them to continue to deliver high-quality education and training.
“We will continue to work closely with colleges, along with the Scottish Funding Council, on how best to support the sector going forward.”