Dundee College’s NC and HNC music course which was attended by the View’s Kieren Webster and hundreds of other young musicians in Tayside is to be axed under the college’s planned £4 million cuts, it has been claimed.
Sources at the college say students in that department and in other creative art courses have been told to apply elsewhere for next year. Students also quickly set up a Facebook page to organise opposition to the cuts, saying there was an 85% chance of their course being axed next year.
The page already has 257 members and students are discussing a petition, walkouts and protests as ways to oppose the cuts.
The source said, “There have been rumours for a while that they would be axeing the department but we hadn’t heard anything concrete. It’s pretty certain now, though, and the students are all pretty upset by it.”
The news will be a severe blow to around 40 students studying at the college and others hoping to gain places there next term. The source said alternative places could be found at Perth College’s Music and Media Centre but, as some of the students are from Angus, they would face a 70-mile-plus round trip each day.
A former lecturer at the college said they were turned down for money from the Scottish Education Funding Council to establish an HND course in 2005 as Perth College offers that course and it was thought there would be duplication of nearby centres.
However, he added, “They could have pushed for it then because, if you don’t invest, you go backwards and you leave yourself at risk of something like this happening.”
Dundee College principal Christina Potter failed to deny the claim on Thursday evening, saying only that around 20 courses are to be axed, with the college giving priority to those courses most likely to lead to future employment.
She said, “Dundee College, like other colleges and the public sector as a whole, is facing significant cuts in its future funding. As a result, we are currently seeking to identify savings of around £4 million to be implemented over the next 12-24 months.
“In order to make these savings we have had to review not only how we deliver our courses but also the range of courses on offer.”
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Dundee College offers more than 1300 courses, providing full-time and part-time opportunities to more than 20,000 students, she said.
She continued, “The extensive list of choices has grown over recent years and, in looking to make savings, we have proposed that a relatively small number, namely around 20, are no longer offered from next year onwards.
“Our aim is to ensure that the extensive portfolio that remains on offer provides the high quality of learning experience for which the college is well known and, most importantly, that the total number of college places on offer is not reduced. Any student who is affected by these proposals will therefore be given advice on alternative course choices.
“The economic recession presents challenges to those who are seeking jobs and we strongly believe that we must give priority to those subjects and qualifications most likely to lead to future employment.
“The college has developed a number of new courses, including specialist provision to support the emerging renewable energy industry. It is these sorts of developments which will ensure that today’s students are well-positioned to take up tomorrow’s job opportunities.”
She added that the college is facing “a significant level of cuts” which cannot be met “through basic operating efficiencies.”
“Regrettably, the number of staff employed in the college will have to reduce and we have launched a voluntary severance scheme in order to ease the process,” she said.
The Graham Street Music Centre was established in 2002 at a cost of around £100,000. It has two studios, a 24-track digital studio and an electronic music composition room.