A SCOTTISH billionaire is pressing ahead with plans to open a network of vocational schools.

Jim McColl, head of the Clyde Blowers engineering group, has already opened a "junior college" in Glasgow for pupils at risk of dropping out.

Now he plans to open another centre in Dundee next summer with the help of magazine and newspaper publisher DC Thomson.

And in 2017 junior colleges are scheduled for Edinburgh and Inverclyde and talks are also being held about the possibility of opening one in Lanarkshire.

Mr McColl said he wanted to see his model embedded in the Scottish education system to help vulnerable teenagers disengaged with learning.

He said: "The system as it is just now is not going to take care of this group and we need to. It would be criminal if we just ignored that and buried our heads."

The move comes after the establishment of Newlands Junior College in Glasgow last year which provides a new form of education and training for youngsters aged between 14 and 16 unsuited to the current secondary school system.

The college, which is funded with both private and public money, is situated close to where Mr McColl trained as an apprentice engineer on the site of the former Weir Pumps factory in Cathcart, Glasgow.

Under the scheme local schools identify pupils who would benefit from the tailored approach the college offers with small class sizes and an informal learning atmosphere.

English, maths, science and IT lessons are all on offer as well as vocational training opportunities including engineering, hospitality, administration and creative design.

All students who complete the two-year programme will be guaranteed an apprenticeship place or a college place provided by an industrial or educational partner.