UHI chiefs move to counter island representation concerns

​In a special interview with the Gazette ahead of a public meeting next week, principal and chief executive Lydia Rohmer and Derek Lewis, chair of the board of management, said they remain committed to activities and courses in the Outer Hebrides, but insisted their hand was forced on a “restructuring” due to funding issues.

Across the three merged institutions which came together last September (with Thurso and Fort William joining Stornoway) they are having to identify savings of 13.5 per cent – a “conservative” target – due to a combination of increased costs through inflation and a reduced allocation from the Scottish Government.

The revelations that a number of staff at the UHI centre in Stornoway were to lose their jobs were made in the Gazette at the end of last month.

Outlining the initial justification for the merger, Mr Lewis said it was to enable greater efficiencies and coordination of services and courses, and said the Stornoway college had previously faced “particularly serious challenges and received emergency funding from UHI”.

“Those challenges have continued with the cut in funding in real terms, but the good news is that the merged college is in a much better place to be able to face those added challenges than would have been the case for the three colleges had they remained independent”.

In terms of the concerns over a lack of island representation on the board of management, they said William MacDonald, a former director of education at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has now joined as vice-chair, along with Rupert Marshall, a member of the South Uist Business Impact Group.

Asked if that had been instigated as a direct result of the concerns over representation, he said: “To some extent that’s true. The composition of the board previously had included members who were not resident in the islands so it was always a concern for us to increase island representation.

“To be honest the response to our advertisement at the back end of last year for new members of the board from the Outer Hebrides was relatively poor so we had to go out again and make further efforts to identify people. As is so often the case, the obvious candidates were very busy doing other things.

“We were fortunate to be introduced to William. But, yes, it was always our intention to make up for a deficiency of island representation on the merged college board.”

He was also keen to stress the existence of a Local Advisory Committee in the Outer Hebrides, which will meet twice a year, and which, said Mr Lewis, “will ensure accountability”, adding: “We want them to have a real impact.”

Its members are: chair Joanna Peteranna, area manager HIE Innse Gall; lecturer Dr Anne Frater; retired human resources director Donald Maciver; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar education committee chair Paul Finnegan; Comhairle chief education officer Donald MacLeod; lecturer Dr Gareth Davies; Susan MacRae, Area Manager for Skills Development Scotland; and primary school teacher Orjana Latenstein van Voorst.

Asked what opinion they had given on the “restructuring”, he said: “They initially had not been consulted to be honest because the process was still in its infancy and they did not have a chair. But they have had a presentation on the restructuring process and it’s true to say they recognised the need for it and were comfortable with the general direction. But at present we are still consulting.”

The current focus is on identifying staff members across the three institutions who are prepared to accept voluntary redundancy.

Principal and chief executive Lydia Rohmer said: “In terms of achieving our savings we’ve reduced from three principals to one, we’re reduced our executive team, we’ve reduced our directorships, so it’s at all levels we are looking to achieve savings.

“We are consulting on where these savings could best be made. We have a proposed structure that we are consulting on with our recognised trade unions and Unison and with individual staff. The result of that consultation will inform our plans.

“But I would emphasise we are in quite a fortunate position of having been given access to funds for voluntary severance, now quite unusual for the college sector.”

She added: “We have no plans for compulsory redundancy.”

To date, three staff in the Outer Hebrides have had their voluntary severance approved “and another six will be leaving by the end of this year.”

Asked on a timeline as to when the restructuring will need to be complete, Lydia said: “Should consultation allow us, we want to implement it by the end of June so that it would be ready for integrated delivery for the next academic year.”

Next week’s “Meet The Board” public event will be held on Wednesday afternoon in Stornoway at 4pm.

“We’ll be interested to see how this one goes and the level of interest it generates,” said Mr Lewis. “Our basic commitment is to be very open and transparent and involved with the local community. If the signs are that there is an appetite for more regular public meetings we’d be very happy to consider that.”

Also participating in the on-line meeting with the Gazette on Monday was the board 's new vice chair William MacDonald, a former Comhairle nan Eilean senior education officer and head teacher from North Uist.

“We have to work more in partnership: colleges, schools, employers, etc,” he said. “We have to get to the young people at an earlier stage. Young people are making their minds up much earlier.

“There’s a vast array of courses available through the college that I wasn’t aware of so we need to sell these courses to young people at an earlier stage to make them aware of what’s available on their doorstep.”

He added: “I have a particular interest in Gaelic and hope to build on the expertise within the college, as well as support partnerships with the various agencies, employers, and local skills and training teams.

“There are many exciting economic developments in our islands and the college will be key in supporting these developments by equipping people in our community with the skills needed for employment.”

Consultation on the merged college’s first Gaelic Language Plan also got underway this week.

MEANWHILE, they also announced that a £2.3 million project to transform the Stornoway campus will be complete this autumn.

Lydia Rohmer said: “This investment not only creates more opportunities for local learners living in Lewis, it also the provides the facilities and equipment to support deeper engagement with our employers, primary and secondary schools, and attract a greater number of students to the Outer Hebrides to study.

"We are incredibly excited to see this work near completion and, as we move to the autumn, will be planning events so members of the public can come in, tour our new facilities, and find out more about the range of courses and opportunities available to people living on the islands.”