Colleges Tripartite Alignment Group minutes: November 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Tiff Ritchie (Chair), Scottish Funding Council 

• Lynne Raeside, Scottish Funding Council 

• Helen Cross, Scottish Funding Council 

• Gavin Donoghue, Colleges Scotland

• Andy Witty, Colleges Scotland 

• Angela Cox (Ayrshire College), Colleges Scotland 

• Alan Williamson (Edinburgh College), Colleges Scotland 

• Jim Metcalfe (Fife College), Colleges Scotland 

• Jon Vincent (Glasgow Clyde College), Colleges Scotland 

• Stella McManus (South Lanarkshire College), Colleges Scotland 

• Stuart Greig, Scottish Government  

• Sara Grainger, Scottish Government

• Claire Jamieson, Scottish Government 

• Luise Siekman, Scottish Government 

• Fraser Syme (Secretariat), Scottish Government 

• Keira McCutcheon (Secretariat), Scottish Government 

• SAAS: Victoria Bowman 

Items and actions

Note of last meeting 

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

 

Budget update / NI / CDEL/RDEL 

SG provided an update on ongoing work with the SFC and Ministers in relation to the budget; and in year pressures, including on National Insurance (NI) and CDEL/RDEL . 

SG advised that the plan for 2026-27 is to take a more overarching approach to CDEL/RDEL, looking at it in the sustainability space. 

There was discussion around the commitment to 60% on eNIC and the importance of ensuring that this public commitment is met based on the updated information on actuals provided to SG by SFC; the difference with England where all colleges received 100%; and the need for a single source of figures for consistency of calculations (for example some previous figures may have excluded vacant posts).  

SG and SFC advised this is one of a number of pressures being considered for 2025-26 and there are live discussions with Ministers on these pressures; and the potential impact of the UK budget. 

It was agreed that it would be helpful to have an offline discussion about 2025-26 funding to help colleges prepare for their budgets and December board meetings. 

 

National Bargaining 

CS highlighted the annual gap between teaching grant and staff costs which results in colleges having to reduce costs through the likes of voluntary severance schemes; the difficulty in trying to plug this gap through income generation; and that FWDF had helped narrow this gap in the past. 

There was discussion around colleges’ often being unable to compete with private training providers as a result of the rigid terms and conditions related to National Bargaining.  

There was agreement that it would be helpful to articulate what alternatives may look like for the paper for the meeting of the Group on 16 December; and that it may be helpful if government procurement used a fair work principle to provide colleges with a greater opportunity to win their contracts.  

SG advised that as significantly increasing commercial income generation is not ‘low hanging fruit’ for colleges, there is a need to be clear with Ministers on the associated challenges and the options available to open up additional funding streams.  

CS advised that for the sector to thrive, there is a need for greater flexibilities (relating to rules than stem from the ONS classification of colleges,  and  National Bargaining, for example), and a new funding model based on equality.  

SG highlighted the reform work underway in the university sector following universities detailing to Ministers the need to explore options for change in order to ensure the sector’s sustainability, with CS advising that colleges are different to universities for a number of reasons.  

 

College Transformation Framework (CTF) / 26-27 allocations 

SFC provided an update on the two pilot colleges currently using the CTF in 2025-26, with the guidance for 2026-27 expressions of interest going live on 12 November; and confirmed they understand that interested colleges will also need to consider the budget, and  there will therefore be no issues with withdrawing expressions of interest following the budget should colleges wish to do so. 

There was agreement that the pilot colleges provide excellent examples of innovation and how open colleges are to reform, and that while all colleges are different (one size will not fit all) in relation to the CTF, it is hoped that the learning taken from the CTF will inform the next iteration of the funding model. 

There was discussion around the perceived lack of transparency within college funding being a potential barrier to colleges using the CTF, with the SFC advising that the fundamental review of the funding model is being taken forward to provide the flexibility and transparency needed in the system. 

It was noted that universities have an innovation fund with the suggestion that a similar fund for colleges may be helpful. 

 

Vision for the college sector 

CS advised that they have held initial discussions with the sector, and now need more formalised discussion with SG and SFC on the parameters for CS’ vision for 2031.  

There was agreement that a collectively agreed problem statement would be helpful with a view to all parties working together to bring forward solutions. 

 

Action 

• CS to write to Group members with details of internal working groups/structures for awareness