Forth Valley College collaboration with Edinburgh College moves to next step
Funding has been approved to move the collaboration between Forth Valley College and Edinburgh College to its next stage.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) granted funding which will allow Forth Valley College (FVC) and Edinburgh College to create a Business Case that would explore the potential for further collaboration between the two institutions.
The funding comes after both college Boards announced in June that they agreed to explore whether a greater collaboration could provide extra benefits for learners, staff, employers, and their respective communities.
No decisions have been made about future partnerships as of yet, and the Business Case will cover the evidence-gathering stage of the process.
Existing areas of collaboration between the institutions and any opportunities to build on these further will be examined in the Business Case. The work could consider areas such as sharing expertise and aligning activity in key growth sectors, while acknowledging each college’s distinct identity, strengths, and local roots.
Kenny MacInnes, principal of Forth Valley College, said: “This funding enables us to undertake the detailed work needed to understand properly both the opportunities and implications of closer collaboration with Edinburgh College. Our priority is to ensure that any potential future proposals are supported by robust evidence and demonstrate clear benefits for learners, staff, employers and the communities we serve.
“Please be assured, that no decisions have been made about what any future arrangements might look like. Staff and student engagement will be central to the process, and we are committed to being open and keeping our college community informed as the work develops.”
Tiffany Ritchie, director of finance at the SFC, said: “A willingness and ability to collaborate is one of the defining features of Scottish tertiary education.
“I’m delighted that as part of the Public Service Reform initiatives, we are supporting Forth Valley and Edinburgh Colleges to explore further areas for joint working and in a way that involves their entire college communities.”
The Business Case is expected to be completed in Spring 2027, when the Boards of both colleges will go over the findings and make a decision on whether both colleges will take further steps towards greater collaboration.