West Lothian College
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 | |
| Motto | Where You Can |
|---|---|
| Type | College of Further and Higher Education |
| Established | 1965 (relocated 2001) |
| Principal | Jackie Galbraith |
Administrative staff | Approx 300 FTE |
| Students | 8,000[1] |
| Address | West Lothian College, Almondvale Crescent , , EH54 7EP , 55°53′2.96″N 3°31′31.36″W / 55.8841556°N 3.5253778°W |
| Campus | Livingston |
| Colours | Royal Blue, Grey and mauve semi-arches |
| Website | http://www.west-lothian.ac.uk/ |
West Lothian College is a further and higher education institution in Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland.[1] The Principal of the college is Jackie Galbraith, who was previously Vice-Principal at Ayrshire College.[2]
The college has been located in Livingston since July 2001, with its previous campus located in Bathgate (at the vacant original Bathgate Academy building) from 1965.[3][4] The new campus, built at a cost of approximately £10 million, is located in the town centre, close to the Almondvale football stadium, Livingston indoor commercial centre and the retail complex (previously MacArthur Glen, later Livingston Designer Outlet).
From 2008 to 2018, the principal of the college was Mhairi Harrington, OBE.[5]
As of 2021, the college provided courses to over 8,000 students.[1] The college had announced ambitious plans to raise its 2006 enrollment level of 6000 students to nearly 10,000 students by 2010/11, but this was interrupted by council funding cuts, and so places have been scaled back to approximately 8,000 in the 2011/2012 year, a decrease of almost 1,000 places from the 2010/2011 year. It was previously announced in old plans that the number of placements had to be increased to meet the new demand for courses, in response to the economic downturn, affecting otherwise employed people in the area; however, now monetary obligations, with the West Lothian Council's budget being decreased by 12% in the 2011/12 financial year alone, have taken clear priority.
In February 2021, the college announced new plans for a £500,000 extension to its construction and engineering workshops.[6]
In April 2021, West Lothian College staff voted for Industrial action due to the introduction of lower paid instructors posts to replace lecturers.[7][8]
