Adam Smith College, Fife

Scotland’s colleges sit at the centre of lifelong learning — working with learners as individuals and making a central contribution to economic development and social inclusion. Adam Smith College is an excellent example of the dynamism that characterises Scotland’s colleges. The College offers a broad and developing range of courses of further and higher education from basic skills through to degree level. Learners are split roughly 50/50 between male and female and their average age is 28. The emphasis is on quality, relevance and flexibility.

The quality of College courses and services is evident from reports from the Inspectorate (HMI) which are of a high standard and from achievement of accreditation under a number of different schemes including the Scottish Quality Management System and Investors in People. Industry quality standards achieved include the British Institute Non-Destructive Testing, British Plumbers Employers Council and City & Guilds.

The continued relevance of courses is maintained by way of the College’s close connections with business, industry and the wider community. The College has a strong commitment to the collection, analysis and productive use of labour market information and works within a wide range of networks with business and the community to ensure that the needs of the local economy and of individuals are met.

The spread of the courses and other services offered is reflected by the titles of the main delivery units:

Faculty of Business, Hospitality and Leisure
Faculty of Information, Technology & Computing
Institute of Applied Technology
Faculty of Social Health and Childcare
Faculty of Creative Arts and Technologies
Centre for Special Learning Programmes

Adam Smith College continues to be innovative and is at the forefront of the development of new learning opportunities through the application of ICT. The College now lays claim to the region’s first Centre for Creative Industries, providing an environment where creative minds can thrive in areas such as art and design, television and radio production, interactive multimedia and music/audio technology. The radical nature of the College’s work in establishing the Institute of Applied Technology in partnership with close neighbour Fife College maintains the tradition of developing new ways to meet the challenging needs of its communities.