Billionaire establishes radical rival to schools

Billionaire establishes radical rival to schools

TESS on 6 June, 2014 | By: Henry Hepburn

"Jim McColl’s college will provide vocational training from age 13

One of Scotland’s wealthiest men is about to realise his dream of opening a “unique” vocational alternative to school for pupils as young as 13, TESS can reveal.

The move marks one of the boldest departures from mainstream state education in the country and supporters say it could spark a wave of similar projects, sending pupils down vocational routes when they are barely into their teens.

Newlands Junior College, the brainchild of engineering tycoon Jim McColl, will open in Glasgow on 20 October with 30 students from S3 and S4. Another 30 will start in 2015. Each will be on a full scholarship and guaranteed an apprenticeship or a place in further education after their two years at Newlands.

Mr McColl said he was keen to open more colleges in a few years’ time, possibly in Dundee and another location in the east of Scotland.

Some six private investors, along with the Scottish government and Glasgow City Council, are understood to have pledged an annual sum of £100,000 each to the scheme. As “principal investor”, Mr McColl will also be contributing to the college’s running costs, expected to be £1 million a year for the first two years. He said that funding was in place for five years."

Another Arnold Clark in the making?

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