Glasgow’s new £51million college has been officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond.
The state-of-the-art facility, which has been under construction for three years, brings all 8000 Anniesland College students and 300 staff together for the first time at the new Hatfield Drive campus, near Anniesland Cross.
Previously students were split between the Balshagray campus in Broomhill Avenue and the Hatfield Drive site.
They will now have access to purpose-built facilities, from dance studios to motor vehicle workshops.
Catering students will be able to use a large working kitchen, giving them a taste of life in a real kitchen environment.
A large construction, building and engineering workshop gives students access to equipment, tools and safety procedures.
There also art studios, specialist travel and tourism rooms, and a nursery.
Mr Salmond was taken on a tour of the campus and met students.
He said: “The innovative building will enhance students’ educational experience, as well as providing a valuable resource for the community to use.
“Today is a celebration of a new environment and shows the value and importance of good facilities.
“But the facilities are only the bricks and mortar of a college. The real resource is the people who are educated here, the people whose lives are transformed and whose life chances are transformed.”
College principal Linda McTavish said: “It is a great place for students to learn. There are first class IT facilities and our equipment is fully up to date.
“We have the same equipment here as used by Rolls-Royce, which is a multi-national company.
“We work with industry trying to align the courses to meet their needs as well as those of our students.
“We also bring in school leavers, as well as the unemployed and help re-build their confidence.”
The previous college site in Hatfield Drive was built in the 1960s and the revamp meant staff and pupils were working and studying on a building site for three years.
Originally it was planned to site the new building in Jordanhill, but bosses were forced to rebuild on the current site following fierce opposition from Jordanhill residents.
The original plan for the new building provoked anger as one of the two sites considered would have located the building across seven acres of lawns and playing fields.
Stage one of the new build was finished in January last year and opened by then Scottish Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
It included a four-storey teaching block with specialist teaching rooms and staff accommodation.
The college courses include business, computing, engineering, construction and sport.
English Highers, Hospitality, Sport and Creative Art; and Social and Community Studies are also on offer.
The development was part-funded by the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, which gave Anniesland College £45.1m for the new building.
Mark Batho, the funding council’s chief executive, said: “I am delighted our funding has enabled the college to create a building that will be a vibrant and inspiring place to learn for current students and for generations to come.
“It provides new learning and teaching space with first-class, modern facilities.
“The college governors, principal, staff, and all who have been associated with the project are to be congratulated on delivering such a great enhancement to learning in Glasgow.”
Salmond meets former presidents
By Rachel Loxton
Alex Salmond came face to face with four former American presidents as he viewed the latest images from a Scots team recording heritage sites using digital technology.
The First Minister met the 3D replicas of Presidents Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson and Roosevelt at the Digital Design Studio (DDS) at Glasgow School of Art to see the progress of the Scottish Ten project.
The project, a partnership between Historic Scotland and Glasgow School of Art, will digitally record all five Scottish World Heritage Sites and five international sites.
The first is Mount Rushmore, the national memorial sculpture in America.
Mr Salmond said the project showcases Scotland’s “expertise” in conservation and digital recording.
He added: “We hope that this five-year project will encourage the development of new international partnerships in culture, tourism and technology.”
Doug Pritchard, of the DDS, said: “Our documentation of world heritage sites is challenging but exceptionally exciting. It means a lot to have such groundbreaking work recognised in such a way.”
