Glasgow students hit out at college’s decision to scrap radio course
The HNC and HND radio courses are set to be scrapped this year. Credit: Google
A petition calling for City of Glasgow College to reverse their decision to cut two radio courses has hit over 1,000 signatures.
HNC and HND Broadcasting and Radio at City of Glasgow College are the only specialist radio courses in Scotland, leaving many current and former students angry that they will be scrapped by the next academic year.
The petition was launched by students Derick Williamson and William Meikle who feel like they have been “chucked into the deep end” as the decision came after they had already applied to the course.
They said: “This leaves us on a tight deadline to not only find a new course that will take us off the expected trajectory but to have to compete against the public, leaving us no guarantee of having a course next year.”
City of Glasgow College still offer several media courses at HNC and HND level including journalism, television and media and communication.
Their NQ broadcasting course ‘An Introduction to Television and Radio Production’ has not been scrapped alongside the HNC and HND radio qualifications.
More than 1,000 people have shown support for the petition and are calling for the one-of-a-kind courses to be reinstated.
Jessica Elliott, a journalism student at City of Glasgow College and faculty representative, said: “The decision to cut the radio courses is absolutely appalling.
“I know some students were seeking a pathway to university through the course as they may not have the National 5 or Higher qualifications to apply to university just now. It feels like they have been offered false promises that the college should’ve known they couldn’t deliver on.
“Students were put in a difficult position having to scramble to find another course – this is extremely unfair and really makes you question how low down students are in higher-ups priorities.”
Paul Dillion, a former student at the college, said: “Local radio as we know it, apart from a few of the big guns, is failing big time. We only have a handful of stations now and even at that, it’s at limited times of the day.
“[City of Glasgow College] is very modern with great staff and state of the art technology too – it would be such a waste for another creative subject to go down the toilet.”
A City of Glasgow College spokesperson said: “It is a normal process for colleges to evaluate their course provision on a regular basis. Each year, following reviews, a small number of courses are subsequently removed from our portfolio for under performance, while replacement courses are added.
“We took the tough decision to remove HNC and HND Broadcasting and Radio from our curriculum portfolio for the next academic year in light of acute funding and financial pressures facing the college sector coupled with low enrolment for this course – this year’s HNC course only has seven students – which is simply not viable.
“We understand the disappointment this decision has caused, which is why we are taking every action possible to mitigate the impact of those students directly affected, and our course staff have offered and provided tutorial guidance.
“This year’s students all have the opportunity to complete their courses, and HNC students knew before they enrolled onto this one-year course that there was no guarantee of progression onto an HND radio course.
“Our students have also always known, however, that they could articulate from their course here onto Year 1 or Year 2 of a degree course at the University of the West of Scotland; our course team have discussed options at length with students and will support those who decide to progress to that university course next year.
“Additionally, our Creative Industries Faculty has advised applicants for next year’s course that it is no longer running to enable them to have as much time as possible to consider alternative choices before the start of the 2024/25 academic year. These applicants have been advised of similar courses and adjacent pathways here at the College.”
The petition to reinstate the HNC and HND radio courses at City of Glasgow College can be found here.
