THE number of students enrolled on full-time college courses successfully completing a higher education qualification is at an all-time high.

However, new figures from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) also reveal full-time college places funded by the Scottish Government have fallen by more than 1800.

Although ministers met the target of providing at least 116,000 funded full time equivalent (FTE) places in 2015-16, the total dropped from 119,023 the previous year to 117,204.

A record 24,317 college students successfully completed higher education courses last year, achieving degrees, HNC and HND qualifications among others.

There was also a small rise in the number of people studying at college, increasing by 339 to 227,258 in 2015-16, according to data from the SFC.

Despite this, there were more than 150,000 students less at colleges than in 2007-08, when the total peaked at 379,233 students.

Minister for Further and Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, visited Glasgow Kelvin College as the figures were announced.

She said: “The SFC statistics published today give us a great overview of the fantastic work being done in the college sector and also highlights areas where we know there is more work to do.

“I am extremely pleased to see increases in the number of full-time students successfully completing recognised qualifications, and that 90.5% of students are satisfied with their overall college experience.”

However, the Conservatives and Labour criticised the Scottish Government over the decline in student numbers.

Tory education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: “Colleges play a pivotal role in our education system, so it’s deeply concerning that student numbers have dropped to this level.

“Each year colleges help prepare thousands of people for the world of work by giving them the skills they need to get on in life yet the SNP have chosen to implement huge cuts to the sector.”

Monica Lennon, Labour’s inequalities spokeswoman, said the fall meant there had been “150,000 missed opportunities under the nationalists”.

She said: “Nicola Sturgeon promised to make education her defining mission as First Minister - but instead opportunities for people to go on to college have been choked off by her government.

“SNP ministers are always focused on the short-term but the long-term damage of this disastrous approach to colleges is now evident - slower growth, stagnating wages and rising levels of economic inactivity.”

Other figures it published showed that, overall, 90.1% of full-time students and 93.1% of part-time students were satisfied with their experience.