Courses being cut at UHI Moray
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Cuts to courses at UHI Moray are set to have knock-on effects upon pupils in the area’s secondary schools.
Senior pupils can study various subjects at the Elgin educational facility alongside the work that they do at their own schools.
However UHI Moray will now stop offering Advanced Highers in biology as well as chemistry as attempts are made to save money.
Both are known as Stem subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – an area of education which the Scottish Government states it wants to improve.
In addition, it is understood that the Beechtree restaurant on the Moray UHI campus could also face closure.
Meanwhile, the future of the whole art department is also believed to be under threat, with a meeting with staff scheduled to take place tomorrow evening.
The issue of the STEM subjects was brought up by secondary school representative Susan Slater at a meeting of Moray Council's education committee.
Stewart McLauchlan, the council's quality improvement manager, confirmed an email has been sent to schools by the college saying the courses would be removed from their offer to senior pupils.
He said: "We continue to work closely with the college in academic partnership, where a wide range of courses continue to run as with previous years for a large number of pupils to participate in."
Three foundation apprenticeships for young people in engineering, hospitality and food and drink are also being removed.
However, those entering the second year of their engineering course after the summer, will be able to complete it.
At the end of January the lecturers’ union, EIS FELA, passed a vote of no confidence in the strategic management team at Moray UHI.
That came after they were told earlier that month that at least 25 lecturer jobs and 20 support staff would be cut as part of a recovery plan to balance the books.
The figures account for a quarter of the college’s employees.
If the plan goes ahead it will leave only thee degree courses and 15 HNCs on the curriculum.
A draft voluntary redundancy scheme is included in UHI Moray's recovery plan.
But money for that will have to come from the Scottish Funding Council and it has not been secured.
No jobs are expected to go before the summer.
