Deputy First Minister John Swinney launches completed £228m super college

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, headed a delegation of high-profile figures from education and politics who ushered in a new era in Scottish tertiary education by launching City of Glasgow College’s new £228m super college in the heart of Glasgow.

Mr Swinney was among hundreds of guests from all around the world who were welcomed by City of Glasgow College Principal and Chief Executive, Paul Little, to a Gala Evening event at the college’s new City Campus on Thursday 27 October.

Mr Swinney and Principal Little joined guests in savouring the sights and smells of a live international cook-off competition between talented student chefs from the host college and its transatlantic partner Anne Arundel Community College. Further entertainment was delivered by college staff and students who, as polished musicians, were declared winners of a City’s Got Talent contest. All guests were served food and drink prepared by the college’s award-winning hospitality department and experienced an International Village that showcased its global reach in terms of partner organisations and businesses as well as students.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney, said:

“The new City of Glasgow College building is a brilliant example of what vision, creativity and determination can achieve and I would like to offer my congratulations and thanks to Principal Little and the strong team that has supported him to deliver this fantastic facility.

“We recognise the significant economic and social contribution that the new campus will make, which is why I am proud this Government has supported the funding of this state-of-the-art £228m supercampus through our Non-Profit Distributing programme. Across both of its new campuses, City of Glasgow College will support an impressive number of students with skills in a hugely diverse range of professions and these new facilities will make all the difference to their learning experience.”

City of Glasgow College Principal and Chief Executive, Paul Little, was proud to welcome around 500 guests to the landmark occasion. He said:

“This is truly an amazing supercampus to rival the very best, anywhere in the world. City of Glasgow College has worked extremely hard since our successful pioneering merger six years ago to redefine an exciting new era of college education, and this state-of-the-art campus is testament to that. Both of our college sites, City Campus and Riverside Campus, have been meticulously designed and futureproofed for at least the next half-century to accommodate the personalised learning styles of some 40,000 students and 1300 staff annually.

“When you find your passion and your purpose you achieve great things. Ours is to Let Learning Flourish and I’m delighted that our extremely talented staff and students took centre stage tonight for what we have achieved collectively is not just for Glasgow but for Scotland, the UK and beyond.”

The ten-storey learning facility forms part of a twin-site supercampus that also features the award-winning Riverside Campus on the banks of the River Clyde. The two sites have been designed to accommodate up to 40,000 students and 1300 staff annually. Home to one of the largest international student bodies in Scottish further education, City of Glasgow College welcomes more than 1000 international students from around 130 different countries each year.

Riverside Campus has won a remarkable seven architectural awards since it opened to students in August 2015. It is currently shortlisted for the British Construction Industry Awards in caterings: Building Project of the Year; Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award; Health, Safety & Wellbeing 2016; Building Magazine Project of the Year.