-MERGEIT’S OFFICIAL!GET IN THE KNOW... UPDATES ON THE MERGER

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eNew Merger Site

Project Manager

Go-Rocks

New channels of communication have been opened up including a merger website, Facebook page and Twitter account.

Congratulations go to Brian Mellon who has been appointed Project Manager for the merger process.

An excellent turnout ofstaff, students and friendsof the three colleges.

Following consideration of the due diligence reports produced by Wylie & Bisset and Anderson Strathern the Boards of John Wheatley, North Glasgow and Stow Colleges have con�rmed that the merger process will proceed with a target vesting date of 1st August 2013.

The external consultants who conducted the �nancial and legal due diligence exercise have concluded that there are no barriers to the proposed merger going ahead.Work is now underway to ensure that the effective consultation on the merger with students, staff and stakeholders will commence shortly.

The Boards of all three Colleges are pleased that this legal requirement has been successfully achieved and that all 3 Chairs have now signed the Partnership Agreement on behalf of their Boards. M Forsyth, Chair, JWC | J Russell, Chair, NGC | K McKeller, Chair, SC

Statement to Students and StaffIS

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JAN 2013Stakeholder Edit ion

FAQ’s...Is the creation of a New College to cut costs?

The rationale driving this merger is to create a bigger and better college for Glasgow North and East regions that can deliver substantial bene�ts and growth. A college on this larger scale will remove duplication and provide greater choice and opportunity for learners. It will have the capacity to invest in technology to facilitate course provision and support staff and students more effectively.

What about my course timetable?

The merger will not effect the timetabling of courses in the foreseeable future. However, it is important to note that course timetabling has always been subject to a number of factors and no college can guarantee that a course will run in the same time slot year after year.

Will I still have access to the library and other facilities?

There will be no disruption at all to student facilities (libraries, computer rooms, refreshment areas) and all will operate as normal.

Will class sizes increase thereby affecting my access to tutors?

Courses will continue to run as normal during the merger period. Class sizes are dependent on the number of students enrolled for the course in question, but they will mostly stay the same as at present.

I picked my college because it is close to my home. After the merger will my course still be run in the same campus?

All courses will run at the locations and times as indicated in the new college website. No students will be required to transfer to other colleges in order to complete their courses.

What arrangements are in place to provide regular communication to students?

Effective communication is an integral part of the merger process and staff, students, trade unions and all other stakeholders will be kept up to speed with developments as the project moves forward. The ‘e-merge’ newsletter will be issued regularly to keep staff and students at all three colleges informed of developments.

What articulation and progression arrangements to higher education and employment will be in place?

A bigger, stronger and ambitious college will be seeking to develop and enhance the range of external partnerships and agreements that support the training and learning needs of students and development opportunities for staff. Best practices currently in place will be built upon and developed as part of the new college.

Will the new college offer provision to students with learning disabilities?

The new college will be at the heart of its communities and continue to serve the communities of the North and East regions of Glasgow - including those with learning disabilities and those with barriers to learning in their lives.

Will students places be lost as a result of the merger and, if so, how many?

No student places will be lost as a result of merger, however funding to the sector in 2012-13 has been signi�cantly reduced but the new college will continue to maximise student places where possible.

Are there any plans to rationalise the curriculum or remove existing courses and quali�cations? Will there be duplication of courses across campuses?

The curriculum managers in each college will be collaborating to produce an overall curriculum map. Future planning of the curriculum will buildon this mapping and the specialist resources thatare present across the three colleges. Any change in portfolio will not occur before academic year 2013-14 and only then if a sensible case is made for change. e

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Student Engagement Workstream

The Student Engagement Workstream has now met twice and agreed the key points of its remit. Discussions have focussed on establishing common representative structures for the new college, with a common Students' Association constitution and wide area representation structures to ensure equality of access to information and representation. A 'compare and contrast' approach has been adopted to identify areas of congruence and good practice.

As a team, they are drawing up an effective Learner Engagement Strategy by undertaking a comparison exercise and identifying current best practice. Consideration is also being given to strategies produced by other merged colleges. They hope to have this strategy available in the short term with anaccompanying Good Practice Framework to support all staff in ensuring effective engagement.

The group has also tried to ensure that any subsequent documentation produced links appropriately with the latest Education Scotland Review Framework.

Communications Workstream

The communications workstream have been actively involved in the merger process. A key objective of the team is to capture and report signi�cant devlopments in the merger process to stakeholders. A communications strategy has been establishedwhich is based on making the best use of existing communication channels and introducing new channels. The launch of the new merger microsite will provide a platformfor communicating news, events and the latest information about the merger.

We have created amerger facebook page:

Join the conversation at...

www.facebook.com/EMerge.Glasgow

www.emerge-glasgow.org.uk

Keep up to date with the latest news @EMergeGlasgow

Remember to look out for Suggestion BoxesThese are placed in the reception areas in each college

What you think counts...

You might have noticed suggestion boxes around the three colleges. These are a way for you to have your say on the merger process. Feel free to use them to ask a question, raise an issue or make a suggestion. Write down your thoughts, pop them in the box and we’ll answerthem on our merger site.

If you need any more information, contact your comms facilitator.

Congratulations go to Brian Mellon who has been appointed Project Manager for the merger process and took up his position on 7th January 2013. We grabbed some time in his busy schedule to have a chat with him about his background and his goals for the coming months.

A graduate of Glasgow University and a resident of Cambuslang, Brian’s career has been in manufacturing and in management consultancy, with periods at KPMG and Deloitte,before setting up Frontline Consultants some 20 years ago.

Although he has a wealth of experience in facilitating mergers (including several in Scottish FE), he appreciates the challenge this merger presents is such a short timescale. He aims to support staff and managers as they work towards creating a new college

which will be the best it can be for the learners, staff, communities, businesses and stakeholders in what are arguably some of the most deprived areas of the city.

Brian recognises that a time of change is unsettling. Effective communication is essential in keeping people aware and engaged, in a positive way, with the merger process of change and in making our new college successful. A great deal of effort will be going into keeping people informed, and consulting them to ensure our new college is the very best it can be.

He says, “People want to know things like ‘what will the new college feel like, in what ways will it be different and how will it be better than where we are now?’ We need to communicate a vision for thenew college that they believe in, the route we plan to get there, and that the prize is worth theeffort. There will be lumps and bumps on the journey - but those challenges will be met.”

His �rst tasks include bringing together the Workstream Leads to jointly review progress to date, identifying priorities and establishing a timeline from now, through the formal merger date in August, and into shaping our new college and making it something that is distinctive and special.

We welcome Brian to his new role and wish him every success in the months to come.

The fabulous Emirates Arena saw an excellent turnout (more than 200) of staff, students and friends of the three colleges in earlyDecember to witness an exciting clash between Glasgow Rocks and Leicester Riders. Despite valiant efforts, Rocks conceded a 73-85 win for the Riders, with a none-too-shabby performance from either team including some blisteringly good plays.

Glasgow Rocked!

A near-capacity crowd was held entranced by the speed and skill of the game and was also entertained at half-time by a tourney from the ‘Jump-2-It’ kids (a programme which encourages local primary schools to get involved in health & sport through basketball).

The glamourous ‘Rockettes’ conscripted an army of children and young (…and not so young…!) people to join them on the court for a ‘gangnam-style’ interlude, much to the hilarity of everyone involved. It was a great fun, family day out and comments from colleagues who managed to come along have been full of praise for the organisation and support from Glasgow Rocks Basketball Team.

The event has certainly gained them a few fans.All the staff involved in the organisation worked hardto make it a success and our thanks go to everyone who contributed.

Plans are afoot to try and develop this for the future - watch this space!

New Project Manager Appointed

This document is available in large print and text only. Please contact Hilary, hramsay@stow.ac.uk to request an alternative format.