THE three colleges in Edinburgh are joining forces in a bid to meet increasing demand for places created by the recession.
Telford, Stevenson and Jewel & Esk have called in consultants to investigate ways in which they can introduce increased and formalised collaboration.
The move has sparked speculation that the three will merge, but the principals have ruled out a m
erger – at least within the next few years.
Howard McKenzie, principal of Jewel & Esk, which has recently redeveloped both its Midlothian and Edinburgh campuses, said: "I don't think merger is really on the agenda. The colleges are three very different organisations.
"I'm only about seven miles from Telford as the crow flies but it's a different personality and we have different groups of people."
The colleges are expecting the consultant's report to be ready in January, with changes introduced in the next academic year.
The consultants are said to be looking at ways to "formalise" a more casual agreement which currently exists between the three colleges, which includes sharing certain resources.
The new arrangements will also look at ways the colleges can work together with recruitment to ensure more students can get onto courses, even if it is not at their first-choice college.
It comes as the colleges admit they face turning hundreds of people away this summer due to a demand for place as a result of the recession.
Jewel & Esk College has seen a 50 per cent rise in applications, from 1749 in 2008/09 to 2,627 this year. Stevenson College has seen a 59 per cent increase in applications, from 924 to almost 1,500 across all areas of the curriculum, while Telford College has seen extra demand for places on its IT, business and trades courses.
Brian Lister, principal of Stevenson College, said: "We have had a 100 per cent increase in applications and our difficulty here and in the other two colleges is meeting demand and that needs to be thought about very clearly.
"The bank soaked up 2,000 school leavers before and they are not doing that this year so we need to help out and this is one of the main driving forces behind this.
"This piece of work will look at ways for us to work more effectively. I think we have got the next three or four years to achieve it.
"Universities are very prominent in Edinburgh and if it's true that colleges are not getting that focus and we are not getting the recognition for what we do, then that is something we need to think about."
