Colleges: Tripartite Alignment Group minutes - 1 May 2024

Attendees and apologies

• Stuart Greig (Chair), Scottish Government
• Jess Dolan, Scottish Government
• Liz Hawkins, Scottish Government
• Edmund Anderson, Scottish Government
• Fraser Syme, Scottish Government
• David Baldie, Scottish Government
• Lynne Raeside, Scottish Funding Council
• Richard Maconachie, Scottish Funding Council
• Martin Boyle, Scottish Funding Council
• Simon Hewitt (Dundee & Angus College Principal), Colleges Scotland
• Andy Witty, Colleges Scotland
• Joanna Campbell (Dumfries & Galloway College Principal), Colleges Scotland
• Angus Campbell (UHI), Colleges Scotland

Items and actions

Welcome / Note of last meeting

Attendees confirmed they are content with the note of the last meeting so it can be published.

Asset disposals 

SG talked through the proposed way forward for college asset disposals over and under £500,000.
Initial proposals were agreed, and subject to Ministerial confirmation, an update on the guidance will be provided for the next Tripartite Alignment Group meeting.
CS were thanked for providing a register of assets that may be available for disposal in the next 5 years. 

Actions

SFC to ensure SG invited to their meeting with SG Infrastructure and Investment later this month.
SG to update the Minister on developments, and work with the SFC to draft guidance.

College Funding Group (CFG)

SFC advised they have been unable to fully advance the idea around bespoke agreements with institutions, but have done some preliminary work on this which has been shared with some college representatives and SFC executive team members.
SG advised that the CDEL/RDEL issue is being tracked as a pressure on the sector and will ensure it is recognised as an emerging risk.  SG reiterated the challenging budgetary position, and that the issue was not one of process, but one of budgetary cover.  

Action

SG and SFC to discuss the new funding model – this will be discussed with the Minister at the next meeting.

Future areas of focus

CS, SFC and SG provided a summary of their suggested future areas of focus.
There was agreement that the proposals are helpful, with a mix of immediate and longer-term issues, but that as some of them touch on work already underway and it is important this Group doesn’t duplicate existing groups and pieces of work.

Actions

SG to produce and share with the Group a map of the different groups and pieces of work and how these align with the proposals for future areas of focus.
CS to consider where there is overlap with the proposals for future areas of focus and their ongoing Think the Unthinkable and skills planning work; and to consider how their proposal around infrastructure maps to current infrastructure groups.
SG to further articulate their ideas around commercial income and cost differentials.