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Wendy Alexander Announces £500,000 To Boost Higher Education In Rural South West
11/12/2000
Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Wendy Alexander today announced £500,000 of new funding to widen access to Higher Education in rural South West Scotland.
The money, to be allocated by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, will help to address problems traditionally faced by small remote communities in accessing Higher Education. It will be used to support collaborative projects aimed at widening access and providing continuing professional development.
Projects such as the Crichton University Campus can play a vital role in stimulating the regional economy by helping to support technological development and attracting knowledge-intensive businesses.
The Universities of Glasgow and Paisley are working together on this initiative to develop collaborative provision for the South West. They are doing so in partnership with the Open University, Bell College and local colleges of further education.
Ms Alexander said:
"This new funding will create an excellent opportunity for the development of Higher Education in the South West of Scotland.
"We are keen to support initiatives that give the people of the South West an opportunity to achieve their ambitions in education and professional development.
"The Scottish Executive is creating an additional 2,800 Higher Education places over the lifetime of this Parliament. We are determined to break down barriers to Higher Education whether they be financial or geographic so that, in every part of Scotland, people have the skills to benefit from opportunities created by a booming knowledge based economy.
I am delighted to hear about the forward looking approach adopted by the partners in Crichton Campus. This is bringing real benefit to the people of the South West. It is this kind of initiative that could benefit from the new money."
BACKGROUND
1. The Scottish Executive is making £0.5 million available for the development of collaborative provision to widen access to higher education, and encourage continuing professional development, in rural south west Scotland. Allocation of this funding will be made by Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC).
2. The population of the rural South West has long suffered from problems in accessing higher education. Until recently, sub degree higher education was provided in the area by Dumfries and Galloway and Barony Colleges, and higher education by the Open University. These institutions have come together with the Universities of Glasgow and Paisley and Bell College of Technology to offer higher education from a shared site at the former Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries.
News Release: SE3190/2000
11 Dec 2000