The principal of Angus College has warned public funding cuts will see 2,000 student places axed and staff made redundant.
John Burt predicted a “bleak future” for further educationin the county and has written to Labour’s North East MSP Richard Baker to outline the implications of the reduction spending for the next four years.
An estimated 400 full-time places and 1,600 part-time places are expected to disappear at the Arbroath college as a result of the budget being slashed.
Mr Burt said the core teaching funding for Scottish colleges is likely to fall by 13.5% in cash terms over the next three years, on top of a cut of 10.3% already being made this term.
He said that factoring in inflation, there will be a 39.2% reduction across the board in real terms from now until 2015.
Staff wages will continue to be frozen until 2015 and the college’s Learning Centre network in outlying areas of Angus could be threatened with closure.
Mr Burt said: “Many of these lost student opportunities will inevitably be for young people and out expectation is a drastic increase in children in Angus with nothing to do which seems incompatible with the Scottish Government’s laudable pledge for ‘opportunities for all 16 to 19-year-olds’.
“Cuts of this scale could not give any commitment to a policy of no compulsory redundancies and will be exacerbated by a loss of fee income as courses are cut.
“Our overriding concern is our severely impaired ability to deliver for future learners.”
Mr Burt added that the cuts would create a “downward spiral” in student support services, expertise and morale and would potentially affect the quality of provision.
College chiefs are seeking a meeting with ministers as a matter of urgency to discuss the impact of the cuts announced by the Scottish Government at Holyrood on September 21.
Labour’s education spokeswoman Claire Baker said the cuts were just the beginning of tough times for the youngsters of Scotland.’Broken promises’She added: “Before the election the SNP promised to ‘maintain’ college student numbers, yet now at one college alone we learn that as many 2,000 college places are being axed.
“As Angus College points out this will lead to a drastic increase in the number of kids with nothing to do. It flies in the face of the SNP pledge of ‘opportunities for all 16 to 19-year-olds’.
“The education secretary Mike Russell is betraying our young people with his broken promises on student numbers.”
Angus Council education convener Peter Nield said the funding cuts would undoubtedly have a detrimental impact and called for a “rethink” from Holyrood.
He added: “Angus College had a 13% cut in funding last year and is facing future cuts next year. This will have a significant impact on the opportunities available to school leavers in Angus.
“The SNP has chosen to make the education sector pay and this has been seen across colleges, universities and schools.”
Arbroath councillor David Fairweather said: “I am totally fed up with the Scottish Government blaming Westminster for these cuts. Schools and colleges should be the last places affected by cuts to public funding.
“These are the places that provide for the next generation.”
The Scottish Funding Council has a £1.5 billion budget for the academic year, which began in August, comprising £956 million for universities and £528m for colleges.
EIS branch secretary Yvonne Cargill said further education was often the poor relation when it came to spending.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Funding Council will work with colleges to ensure that funding is targeted at the priorities, set by the Scottish Government, for post 16 education.
“It should be noted that the Scottish Funding Council has not yet issued any indicative funding numbers for any individual college or group of colleges.”