The soon to merge Angus and Dundee colleges will try to increase the number of young students they take on next term.
The 2% increase in new recruits aged 16 to 19 has been agreed with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), which distributes public money to the further education sector. The combined college will begin operating in November with a £33.5 million budget.
A newly-published outcome agreement with the SFC commits the college to providing an effective and efficient curriculum that meets the demands of learners, employers and the wider community.
Unemployment in Dundee remains above the Scottish average, although the city has done well in increasing the proportion of residents with qualifications. Fewer people in Angus are jobless, but growth industries are in short supply.
Key economic sectors for the region have been identified as leisure and tourism, food and drink, forestry and biomass, creative industries, life sciences, energy, health and construction at Dundee waterfront.
These should help staff to focus on the types of course that will aid students is getting a job. Work is under way to identify any existing areas of overlap and duplication in the curriculum and to identify opportunities to create new courses.
“The new college is committed to the delivery of Opportunities for All and is committed to achieving the 16 to 19 guarantee of training and education places for all young people in the region by continuing to recruit beyond the Scottish average and to target 2% growth in 2013-14,” the outcome agreement said.
The region has the highest proportion of school leavers entering college education in Scotland and the existing colleges already work closely with Jobcentre Plus and Skills Development Scotland to deliver the Get Ready for Work and Training for Work places. There is said to be potential to attract more learners aged 16 to 24, however, and more from neighbourhoods that are classed as among the most deprived in the country.
The SFC wants to see active recruitment among school leavers and unemployed young people.
Formal school link programmes saw 1,683 former pupils go to Angus College this term and 716 go to Dundee College.
The colleges said: “The service we offer to schools and the local community through encouraging pathways into vocational training are critical to skills development in the local economy.
“Colleges contribute significantly to the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence by providing school learners with experience of alternative forms of learning and teaching and through offering industrial experiences for pupils in schools.”