Coatbridge College says it has been isolated by the region's other three colleges only days after it was announced all four would form a Lanarkshire colleges region
Coatbridge College has threatened proposals for the future of Lanarkshire's further education system.
The North Lanarkshire facility has reacted to a joint statement issued by Motherwell, Cumbernauld and South Lanarkshire Colleges following an announcement by Holyrood that the four colleges in the area were to join forces and create a new Lanarkshire colleges region.
Scottish Education Secretary Michael Russell said the move is to make the further education sector more efficient and responsive to the needs of students and local economies, while continuing to deliver education locally.
The three colleges - Cumbernauld, Motherwell and South Lanarkshire - said in joint statement that they would utilise the new regional set-up to plan and coordinate further education across Lanarkshire and maximise the facilities at each of the three campuses, with no mention of Coatbridge College in their plans.
Coatbridge College could now jeopardise Mr Russell's proposal. For the Lanarkshire region to work, the proposal needs the agreement and cooperation of all four colleges - something Coatbridge College does not believe exists.
A statement issued by the college said: “We are somewhat surprised that their (Cumbernauld, Motherwell and South Lanarkshire collegs) published position appears to be at odds with their own acceptance that the region known as Lanarkshire should embrace all four colleges.
“We are still unsure as to how they propose to deliver a ‘fully co-ordinated programme of further education opportunities across Lanarkshire’ with the exclusion of Coatbridge.
“Our position remains unchanged – any definitive proposal for the future educational and training needs for all the people of Lanarkshire can only go ahead with the full endorsement of all Lanarkshire colleges.”
When announcing the move on February 1, Mr Russell said that it did not automatically signal the need for mergers.
He said: "Regionalisation is merely the means of restructuring the sector so that colleges work together to plan strategically but continue to deliver locally. It does not mean merger."
Cumbernauld, Motherwell and South Lanarkshire Colleges echoed this by saying the move to a Lanarkshire colleges region would mean making the most of each college's facilities and specialisms.
Their joint statement said: “The purpose of the Lanarkshire Colleges Regional Federation Proposal is to allow the three colleges to plan and deliver a fully co-ordinated programme of further education opportunities across Lanarkshire.
“Each of the college has its own specialist facilities and provision and the close working of the colleges will ensure that the impact of these is maximised.”
However, Coatbridge College stressed that despite the appearance of a rift with its Lanarkshire peers, it is still committed to the Scottish Government's drive to put learners ahead of management, even if that means a major shake-up of how it operates.
A statement from Coatbridge College said: “The approach by the other colleges to maintain the status quo by developing shared services while maintaining its current management structures and associated costs is not, in our view, a viable option given the dramatic cuts to funding.
“We believe that to maintain frontline services and support learners and staff, the emphasis should be on the review, evaluation and rationalisation of management.
“We continue to be committed to four centres of excellence with local access provision. These are Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and South Lanarkshire Colleges led by one board and supported by one merged, regional management team.
“This, we believe, fully supports the Scottish Government’s student commitment strategy and NUS views on putting learners before management.”
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