A COLLEGE has become the first in Scotland to scrap fees for English students because too many are being deterred from enrolling by the recession.
Barony College near Dumfries will use its own funds to pay the £1,080 fee for its one-year National Certificate courses for English and other UK students who usually have to pay.
College principal Russell Marchant believes Barony's location means
many local people from the other side of the Border cannot attend because of the additional cost.
Because the Scottish Parliament refused to bring in tuition fees, those from north of the Border are entitled to have the costs of their course paid by the government. However, those from elsewhere in the UK have to pay for courses at Scottish institutions.
Mr Marchant said fees could be a barrier to learning and many cannot afford to train. He said: "We work very closely with industry and we know that sectors like forestry, fisheries, agriculture, horticulture and engineering are crying out for young people with good skills.
"We know that course fees are a barrier to many people, particularly prospective students from the north of England, and especially for young people seeking to develop their skills and return to work on the family farm.
"Many families simply can't afford up-front lump sums at the moment and since we have the resources we thought it was appropriate to stop asking for these fees for 2009-10."
The college specialises in vocational training for land-based and animal care industries, such as agriculture, animal care, engineering, equine studies, fisheries studies, forestry and arboriculture, horticulture and veterinary nursing.
The 228-hectare campus includes dairy, beef, sheep, cereals, trout, red deer, forestry and horticulture commercial activities, and caters for around 200 students. The small size of the college means the policy is likely only to apply to a small number of students.
Based in southern Scotland, it is as close to Carlisle and Newcastle as it is to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Universities and other colleges are unlikely to follow suit because of the costs to the individual institution.
A spokesman for Universities Scotland said: "Universities don't charge fees to English students coming over the Border – it is the government which sets a fees level. We don't generate income from UK students – it goes back into government coffers."
Chris Travis, chief executive of Scotland's Colleges, said: "This is a matter specific to Barony College given its proximity to England and its accessibility to students from this area."
• Scotland's three "land-based" colleges have signed an agreement to work together to boost rural industries by increasing recruitment and skill levels.
The consortium of Elmwood College in Fife, Oatridge, in West Lothian, and Barony, in Dumfries, will be jointly marketed at home and abroad as Scottish Countryside Colleges (SCC).
SCC will work on funding bids and aim to represent the land-based sector's views at regional and national level.
The full article contains 502 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
