ABILLIONAIRE wants to expand his junior college scheme to cover the whole of Glasgow.

Jim McColl who started his working life as an apprentice at Weir Pumps then ended up buying and selling the firm set up Newlands Junior College.

The school, in the south side, takes pupils from 11 secondary schools and guarantees an apprenticeship at the end with one of its commercial partners.

Mr McColl said the school has had interest from schools in the north of the city and he is looking at opening a second.

He said three colleges covering 10 or 11 schools could reach pupils in every part of the city and he has had enquiries from head teachers in other parts of the country.

Mr McColl spoke about his desire to help improve vocational education for young people during a speech at a Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Glasgow Talks event.

He told how he left school at 16 and went into an apprenticeship before getting business qualifications at university.

Mr McColl said the school which has 25 students has backing from the city council, Scottish Government industry and Further Education colleges.

The Newlands College is housed in the building where Mr McColl spent his first off the job year as an apprentice with Weir Pump.

He said: This idea needs to be embedded in Scottish education. We are pulling from 11 secondary schools just now in the south. We could support three colleges in Glasgow.

He said he would rather have smaller units across the city rather than expanding the Newlands Junior College.

He said: "If you go too big in one site you lose the focus."

Mr McColl told of his vision for education for the pupils who turn off from academic studies and end up in poverty.

He said he didn't want a school set up by a private individual but one integrated to the education system.

He said: "There's a group of people who can be doing better and there are lots of labels for them.

"Poor background, in-work poverty, I didn't realise it at the time but I grew up in a family that would be badged as in work poverty.

"There are around 10% of people who don't engage with the education system because it doesn't fit them. I believe they all have potential.

"There is a good correlation between having no qualifications and unemployment or in-work poverty."

The school provides a core education of maths English, arithmetic and IT as well as a choice of nine vocational courses and what Mr McColl describes as life skills.