College £16m targets jobless rise

The cash could help meet demand for college places

Details of a funding package designed to help colleges cope with increased demand for places in the wake of the recession have been unveiled.

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) was given an extra £16.1m by the Scottish Government to meet demand for places.

It said it had targeted 23 colleges in 14 local authority areas where youth unemployment was highest.

The colleges will receive £7.7m this year and £8.4m in 2010-11.

The money could fund about 3,100 full-time places.

The Glasgow City Council area will get the most extra cash - just under £1.5m - in the coming year, followed by North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.

'Good alternative'

Motherwell College will receive the largest single award, with an allocation of £975,000.

Adam Smith College in Fife, Forth Valley College and James Watt College in Greenock will all receive more than £500,000.

SFC chief executive Mark Batho said: "Many young people may have previously preferred to go straight into work from school, but at a time when career opportunities are not as plentiful, education is a good alternative to unemployment.

"The extra college places we are funding will give them the opportunity to learn new skills and gain knowledge that will help them get into work more quickly. They will also contribute to growing Scotland's skills levels for the future."

In addition to money for extra places, colleges will also get £12m to spend on buildings and equipment in 2009-10.

The extra funding comes on top of the £572m the SFC has already allocated to colleges for the 2009-10 academic year.