Dundee and Angus College reveals plans to axe jobs as it grapples with deficit.

The college plans to save £2.5 million this fiscal year in order to close a £2.35 million deficit.

Dundee and Angus College has unveiled intentions to cut jobs and combine departments as it faces a multimillion-pound deficit.

The college plans to save £2.5 million this fiscal year in order to close a £2.35 million deficit.

To accomplish this, a variety of cost-cutting initiatives have been recommended, including lowering the number of full-time equivalent positions.

A proposal document draughted by D&A College, obtained by The Courier, outlines a slew of modifications that may be implemented to support services.

These include:

• Removing one member of the senior leadership team and absorbing duties into existing capacity. The consolidation of other senior roles already progressed.
• Catering: Moving to term-time contracts, reducing summer provision – saving £125k.
• Digital Services: Restructuring roles, introducing digital hubs – saving £165k.

• Finance: Restructuring of team – saving £65k.
• Estates: Streamlining of team – saving £29k.
• Nursery: Proposal to wind down Helping Hands Nursery (Arbroath) by July 2026 – saving £96k annually.
• Marketing: Reducing marketing capacity – saving £65k.
• Student Services: Reducing School-College Partnership (SCP) support linked to
  school-leaver and careers provision – saving £212k.

Courses will be scrapped

Dundee and Angus College intends to make significant modifications to its curriculum, including more departmental consolidation.

Key proposals include:

• Streamlining School-College Partnership (SCP) offer (fewer NPAs, Skills
  for Work, Foundation Apprenticeships).
• Ending part-time National Qualifications delivery by 2026/27.
• Reducing some January-start programmes across multiple subject areas.
• Finishing Dance provision (retaining Acting/Performance).
• Withdrawing from Saltire Centre in Arbroath – discontinuing FE Sport
  provision there and moving to Gardyne.
• Combined proposed curriculum savings: c. £1.1m+ annually (through FTE
  reductions and estate cost savings).

Scottish college sector funding cuts

The Courier discovered in August that D&A College’s teaching budget had been increased by 2.84% for 2025/26, but student assistance funding had stalled.

An Audit Scotland study issued yesterday also indicated that the college sector’s funding has been slashed by 20% in real terms over the last five years.

It also indicated that the college employment in Scotland contracted by more than 7% in 2023/24 as savings were sought through voluntary severance agreements.

Speaking to The Courier about the proposed changes, college principal Simon Hewitt stated that they were the outcome of the ongoing financing issue.

He stated, “There are a variety of factors at play, but the main point is that funding, core funding, has not kept up with costs.”

“When you look at the 20% real-terms cut, that’s one pound out of every five over five years while still attempting to support the region and provide the best service to students.

“(There) comes a breaking point and I think the sector is not far off that just now.” During First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, universities minister Ben MacPherson stated that the Scottish Government is investing more than £750 million in colleges across Scotland.