West Lothian College

West Lothian College is a further education institution in West Lothian, Scotland. It has been located in Livingston since July 2001.

The college's mission statement is: "Leading learning for enterprise, the economy and life". As of 2006, it has about 6,000 students in each academic year. The Principal of the college is Mhairi Laughlin. The Chair of the Board of Governors is Dr Tony Kinder.

West Lothian College is an incorporated College of Further Education, offering vocational and non-vocational courses to adults. It is situated in the central belt of Scotland, midway between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The College delivers nationally accredited qualifications from Access to Higher Level, in Information Technology, Engineering, Care, Creative Industries, Business Administration and Management and Service Industries.

The principal vocational subjects supported by West Lothian college are –

• Care and Childcare• Management and Computing –Business Management, Administration, ICT• Logistics - Warehouse and Distribution• Retail• Hospitality• Creative Industries – Media Studies, Photography, Multimedia Design• Image and Beauty – Beauty Therapy, Hairdressing• Sport and Fitness• Core Skills – Communications, Numeracy, ICT• Assisted Learning – supporting adults with additional support needs, eg. Long term unemployed, disabilities, mental health problems, etc.• Construction• Motor Vehicle Maintenance

In recognition of the many social barriers that restrict individuals from accessing education and training, West Lothian College has developed a number of initiatives that promote wider access to vocational training. The college is working towards establishing itself as a market leader in promoting lifelong learning.

The College works in partnership with a number of statutory and voluntary organisations. In relation to young, unemployed people, we are currently engaged with West Lothian Council, Employment Services, Scottish Enterprise and West Lothian Youth Forum, in developing training and education programmes for socially excluded young people. Programmes include New Deal, a national training programme run by Jobcentre Plus, Modern Apprenticeships and Get Ready For Work for Skills Development Scotland, Step Up (full time training for school leavers with no qualifications) with West Lothian Council, and the promotion of community learning centres, also with West Lothian Council.

External links

* [http://www.west-lothian.ac.uk/ West Lothian College]