Report Highlights Success Of Highland And Islands Colleges

12th March 2018

A new report has revealed that 70.3% of full-time students successfully completed their studies at Highlands and Islands colleges in the 2016 to 2017 academic year. This is higher than the national average figure which shows that 65.3% of students passed further education courses at Scottish colleges in the period.

The statistics were published in the Scottish Funding Council's college performance indicators report last month. The number of part-time students who successfully completed their courses at Highlands and Islands colleges was also found to be higher than average.

The Highlands and Islands further education region consists of North Highland College UHI, Orkney College UHI, Shetland College UHI, Argyll College UHI, West Highland College UHI, Lews Castle College UHI, Moray College UHI, Inverness College UHI and Perth College UHI. The University of the Highlands and Islands Court, through the Further Education Regional Board, is accountable for all college and university-level education in the Highlands and Islands.

Dr Michael Foxley, chair of the Highland and Islands Further Education Regional Board, welcomed the report's findings saying: "Once again, further education students in the University of the Highlands and Islands colleges have performed well above average. This is due to the hard work by our lecturers and support staff as well as by the students themselves. These students can now access much better employment opportunities or carry on to higher education."

The Scottish Funding Council's College Performance Indicators 2016-17 statistical publication is available at:

www.sfc.ac.uk/publications-statistics/statistical-publications/statistical-publications-2018/SFCST022018.aspx