QAA publishes TQER report for West College Scotland

The Quality Assurance Agency has published the report of its Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER) of West College Scotland.

TQER is the method by which QAA reviews Scottish tertiary education providers as part of Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework.

West College Scotland is based at four sites to the west of Glasgow in Paisley, Clydebank, and Greenock. All four campuses are sited in areas within the top ten per cent of the most deprived areas in Scotland. In 2024-25, the College served approximately 21,500 students. The most recent statistics on the destination of college leavers saw 84.6 per cent progressing to a positive destination, which is the same as the national average for that year.

The College delivers programmes from levels 2-10 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, including Modern and Foundation Apprenticeships, National and Higher National qualifications, English for Speakers of Other Languages programmes and schools link provision. The College curriculum is divided into six sectors: Leisure Industries; Creative, Business and Digital Industries; Pathways and Community Services; Construction and Building Services; Industrial and Advanced Technologies; Human Development and Wellbeing Services.

West College Scotland 's review visits took place on 30-31 March and 11-14 May 2026. The review was conducted by a team of five independent reviewers, including a student reviewer.

The TQER team makes a judgement as to whether an institution meets sector expectations in managing academic standards, enhancing the quality of the learning experience and enabling student success, and has the quality assurance and enhancement arrangements in place to enable this to continue into the future.

The team judged that West College Scotland is effective in managing academic standards, enhancing the quality of the learning experience and enabling student success.

The review report lists three areas of good practice and ten recommendations for action.

The TQER team identified the following features of good practice:

• The College’s approach to external engagement, including collaboration with regional employers and surrounding local authorities, and commitment to designing provision that responds to regional skills priorities which results in curricula that align with labour market needs, and prepare students for successful transition to the workplace.
• The effective and collaborative working between curriculum and professional services staff work to support student wellbeing and deliver individualised interventions for students at risk.
• The College’s clear strategic direction articulated through a well-communicated strategic plan which has fostered strong staff ownership and contributed to a culture of improvement.

The TQER team made the following recommendations for action:

• The College should continue to manage the pace and prioritisation of change, taking account of staff capacity to engage effectively with new developments, and further monitor the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and underpinning strategies to ensure that changes are embedded consistently across all campuses and their impact is systematically evaluated.
• The College should, within the next academic year, strengthen processes for the monitoring of credit rated provision to evidence alignment with SCQF principles and to ensure the ongoing currency and sufficiency of this provision.
• The College should continue to prioritise the stabilisation, optimisation and full implementation of the student records system, including staff training, and ensure that robust arrangements are in place to maintain and verify the integrity, reliability and validity of data, to support accurate reporting and evidence-informed decision-making across the College, before the end of the calendar year.
• The College should review and monitor the use of digital platforms that support learning and teaching to provide students with a more consistent and accessible online experience and to allow greater institutional oversight of learning materials and student engagement.
• The College should, within the next academic year, implement and monitor its Artificial Intelligence Framework including improved communications to ensure clear staff and student understanding and consistency of student experience.
• The College should, within the next academic year, develop a more coordinated approach to student induction and embed a systematic planning and evaluative structure to ensure all students receive a consistent experience, and essential College, student services and course information.
• The College should sustain and embed effective support for student representation and engagement through the Students’ Association to engage the wider student body.
• The College should, within the next academic year, develop a more coordinated approach to the gathering, recording and consideration of student feedback, through surveys and from class representatives, to consistently capture and respond to the diverse student voice.
• The College should, within the next academic year, integrate student engagement into its annual and periodic quality processes through the systematic consideration of student feedback and student involvement in these processes.
• The College should, within the next academic year, develop its approach to Institution-Led Quality Review in line with the requirements set out in the Scottish Funding Council's guidance.

Anne Campbell, Principal and Chief Executive of West College Scotland, said:

"I welcome the outcome of this TQER review, which recognises the College’s clear strategic direction articulated through a well-communicated strategic plan which has fostered strong staff ownership and contributed to a culture of improvement.

"I am particularly pleased that the review team have highlighted our strong external partnerships and industry-focused curriculum, alongside the collaborative work of our staff in delivering personalised support that makes a real difference to our students’ wellbeing and achievements.

"I am immensely proud of our colleagues across West College Scotland for their commitment, innovation and shared ambition, and for the culture of continuous improvement that is becoming embedded across the College. We also welcome the constructive recommendations provided within the report, which align with our own priorities, and we are fully committed to taking these forward as we continue to deliver on our Strategic Plan and enhance the experience and outcomes for all our learners.

"I would like to thank the QAA review team, on behalf of the College for their thorough and thoughtful approach in engaging with our students and staff to gain a clear understanding of our progress and future opportunities."