History will be made in Fife when the Adam Smith and Carnegie colleges merge to form Fife College.
The new college has ambitions to become one of the leading training and educational institutions in Scotland as it takes the “best bits” from the previous colleges to form a new regional college.
Fife College, which also incorporates the transfer of some courses from Scotland’s Rural College, SRUC Elmwood Campus, Cupar, now has 10 campuses across Fife, aiming to make learning even more accessible than ever.
New principal Hugh Logan is excited about the future of the new college and the pivotal role it will play in training and education in Scotland which in turn will have a positive impact on the local and national economy.
Mr Logan said: “This is a historic day for Fife as our new college is born.
“The opportunities that lie ahead are endless and it is great for us all to be part of something that can have such a fundamental and positive effect on people’s lives and futures.
“Merging organisations of our size in such a short space of time has been a mammoth task, but I am delighted that so much has been achieved in the timescale.
“A great deal of planning and work has already been undertaken by staff in the three colleges to get us to this point and I would like to thank them for their ongoing commitment and focus.
“It is great to see our new college become a reality and this is very visible today as we look around our campuses at our new signage, learning materials and digitally on our new website and social media channels.
“As we celebrate our merger today we are aware that much has still to be done. Just like every other college in Scotland, we face a range of challenges ahead such as an ongoing decrease in funding.
“As a new regional college, however, we are much stronger and better placed to ensure we get the best deal for our learners.”
Stephen Magee, the new chairman for Fife College’s board of governors, is equally positive about the future of the new Fife College.
He said: “Recruitment of members to the new board of governors is currently being finalised to enable us to support staff in the new academic year and to ensure we build on existing strengths and create something new and exceptional for Fife which supports the needs of the Fife community, our partners and local industry.”
The new college has been created for Fife as a result of the Scottish Government’s regionalisation plans to improve how colleges are funded and structured and to widen opportunities.
In March the partnership board of Carnegie and Adam Smith colleges gave their formal approval of the merger proposal and their commitment to form a new college in Fife.
Following a consultation process involving students, staff, stakeholders and employers, the board agreed to recommend that, from vesting day, the new organisation should be known as Fife College, which was the name supported by the majority of respondents.
Fife College’s first principal, Hugh Logan, was previously principal of Motherwell College and has held a variety of posts in colleges as well as working in industry and secondary education.