Clyde College about to set sail

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Michael Russell, has given consent to the merger of Anniesland, Cardonald and Langside Colleges to create a new college for South and West Glasgow.

In a letter to the chairs of the three college boards, Mr Russell praised the colleges for their hard work during the merger process.

He said: “I appreciate that the development of your merger proposal has been a task of considerable scale and complexity. I commend the leadership, commitment and diligence of all those involved. This has allowed you to make very significant progress while ensuring business continuity. Maintaining this approach will be critical to the success of the merger.”

He will now make the relevant order under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act.

The merger between Anniesland, Cardonald and Langside is in response to the Scottish Government’s reform of post-16 education in Scotland. The three colleges started talks about a possible merger early last year. In December, Susan Walsh, current Principal of Cardonald College, was named as Principal Designate of the new college, which will officially open on August 1st this year. She said: “The Cabinet Secretary’s approval is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the staff, students and Boards of Management of the three merging colleges. Our Merger Proposal and Business Case demonstrate that Glasgow Clyde College is built on a sure foundation and with the talents we have in all of our staff, this new college will serve our students and communities well and be one of which Glasgow and Scotland can be justly proud.”

Confirmation of the new name – Glasgow Clyde College – is expected next month.

 

Glasgow hosts emergencies symposium

People who have led teams coping with emergency situations around the world, were  in Glasgow this week to share their knowledge at the Resilience Symposium organised by the Emergency Planning Society, and  held at the SECC.

A key speaker was Bob Parker, Mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand when the first earthquake struck that city. He described the impact of the disaster on the community and explored the role of leadership required at the critical time. David Brunsdon, Director at Kestrel Group Ltd, Risk and Emergency Management company outlined the challenges for businesses recovering from the NZ earthquakes.

Dr David Johnston, Associate Professor and Director of the Joint Centre for Disaster Research, discussed the social and economic impact of the earthquake in Christchurch.

Eric Ouannes, General Director, Médecins Sans Frontières in Japan, dealt with the medical and humanitarian response to the relief effort in Japan after the recent earthquake and tsunami there. He examined the co-ordination, the challenges and the safety issues that had to be addressed.

Professor Patrick Regan, an expert in Radiation and Environmental Protection at the University of Surrey, focussed on the Japanese nuclear power crisis and its impact on the UK.

Emergency and resilience professionals from around Scotland and the rest of the UK, attended the new event which had an associated exhibition – Emergency Scotland 2011.