Four Lanarkshire colleges are set to work closer together to deliver further education in the region.

Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and South Lanarkshire Colleges will link up to form the Lanarkshire college region – an arrangement which will allow the colleges to plan regionally and deliver education locally.

The Lanarkshire college region is one of 12 to be created through this national shake-up.

Education Secretary Mike Russell announced the news to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, February 1.

He said: “Our system of post-16 education serves young people in Scotland well.

“Our colleges and universities do a good job of equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need for the workplace. However, that doesn’t mean we are complacent, we need to make sure our system is the best it can be.

“I believe developing a regional basis for colleges will make the sector more efficient and responsive to the needs of students and local economies.

“I expect colleges to collaborate and plan together within 12 newly-created regions and I expect provision to continue to be delivered locally.

“We will now work with the sector and the Scottish Funding Council to put these new arrangements in practice.”

While Mr Russell stressed that regionalisation was not a means of moving towards merging local colleges, he would not rule out merger if it was deemed desirable.

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."

Education bodies have broadly welcomed the review.

John Henderson, chief executive of Scotland's Colleges, said: "The announcement will mark more than a change to how colleges are managed but also how they are structured, held to account and funded. The key test will be in how it can improve the experience for the learner.

"We need to examine the detail of what is a report with a wide set of recommendations, but we will be giving particular attention to how the recommendations would impact on colleges' ability to deliver at a local level.

"We welcome the commitment from the Cabinet Secretary that he will continue to engage with and listen to the sector as the reform agenda develops."

Professor Seamus McDaid, convener of Universities Scotland, said: "We have been open to this review from the outset because we believe our governance arrangements should be subject to the same continuous improvement that we strive for in our teaching and research.

"However, it is important to remember our starting point: Scotland's universities are a high-performing sector, with high levels of student satisfaction and better research performance than can be found in most other countries.

"This success is, in large part, a product of current governance arrangements."

Robin Parker, president of the National Union of Students Scotland, said: "We welcome both reports today and, whilst there are still a number of unresolved issues, would urge universities and colleges to approach them with an open mind.

"Accountability is a key part of all publicly funded organisations, and a greater role for staff and students in decision making would ensure that this accountability is enshrined throughout both sectors."

Ronnie Smith, EIS general secretary, welcomed some of the recommendations, including the transparency for pay, a greater role for unions and elections of chairs of court. But the body said the review on governance had "failed to grapple" with fundamental concerns.