Chamber and committees

Staffing matters are the responsibility of individual colleges and, whilst it is for the institutions themselves to make decisions on future staffing levels, I urge them to be sensitive to such negotiations during the coronavirus pandemic. Decisions on staffing may be based on the financial health of the institution or on the need to implement changes to the delivery of teaching and learning to reflect the changing needs of the local economy and industry skills demands.

We are aware that some colleges have continued to pursue voluntary severance schemes at this point in time and the Scottish Funding Council continues to work closely with the sector to ensure any actions taken are compliant with the Scottish Public Finance Manual and the Scottish Funding Council's Financial Memorandum. However, I am also conscious of the fact that several colleges have paused their voluntary severance scheme and I welcome this development.

As part of their restructuring, Forth Valley college recently undertook a consultation process which impacted on 67 members of staff, around 10% of the College’s workforce. The consultation concluded at the end of March, and due to the uptake of the Voluntary Severance Scheme, FVC have confirmed that there will be no redundancies.

However, some existing staff will transfer to the new Instructor Assessor posts. Those who do transfer will have salary conservation for four years and their current pension provider will remain the same.

Colleges are required to plan and manage their activities to remain sustainable and financially viable. It is for them to determine and respond to the economic needs of their region; ensuring resources are allocated to subject areas which meet the needs of learners and the economy. The Scottish Funding Council also works closely with the colleges to monitor their financial health and ensure all correct action is taken.