Cuts to jobs and courses at UHI Moray will affect the curriculum offer to senior pupils in the area’s schools.
Subject being dropped by the Elgin college include Advanced Higher Biology and Advanced Higher Chemistry.
Three foundation apprenticeships in engineering, hospitality and food and drink are also being removed.
However, those entering the second year of their engineering course after the summer, will be able to complete it.
Stem courses dropped
Some of the courses being dropped are Stem subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths.
The Scottish Government is trying to improve learning in these subjects for school pupils.
And it is one of the £100 million Moray Growth Deal projects.
The issue was brought up by secondary school representative Susan Slater at a recent meeting of Moray Council education committee.
Quality improvement manager Stewart McLauchlan confirmed an email was sent to schools by the college saying the courses would be removed from their offer to senior pupils.
He said: “We continue to work closely with the college in academic partnership, where a wide range of courses continue to run as with previous years for a large number of pupils to participate in.”
Pupils from across Moray can study at the Elgin college alongside courses they do at school.
Biology and chemistry Advanced Highers dropped
Lecturers’ union EIS FELA passed a vote of no confidence in the strategic management team at Moray UHI at the end of January.
That came after they were told earlier that month 25 lecturer jobs and 20 support staff would be cut as part of a recovery plan to balance the books.
The figures account for a quarter of the college’s employees.
If the plan goes ahead it will leave only thee degree courses and 15 HNCs on the curriculum.
A draft voluntary redundancy scheme is included in the recovery plan.
But money for that will have to come from the Scottish Funding Council and it has not been secured.
No jobs are expected to go before the summer.
Both Unite and EIS FELA have a mandate for industrial action in relation to pay and redundancies dating back to September 2022.
And while neither union has called a strike yet, the option is not off the table.
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