Strategic Plan
Our Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030 and beyond sets out where we want our college to be and the journey we’ll be taking over the coming years to get there. By clearly setting out our vision, mission, ambitions and values, we hope to provide not only a guide for staff, students and stakeholders on where we are going as a college, but also what drives us in our work to transform the lives of all those who study here.
Our Strategic Plan has been formed by the people who make our college what it is. It is the result of extensive engagement with staff, students and stakeholders to ensure that it reflects the future that we all want to see for Edinburgh College.
We are already building on strong foundations of success that we have experienced over the past few years. Our students are amongst the most successful in Scotland, and our campuses are deep-rooted in our communities as we deliver across the city in schools, libraries and community settings.
But we’re eager to do more – and with this strategy, and the support of our staff, students and partners, I’m certain that we have all we need to create an exciting future for our college.
Audrey Cumberford MBE FRSE - Principal and Chief Executive
This Strategic Plan has been shaped by the people who make Edinburgh College what it is - our staff, students and partners. It reflects a shared ambition for the College and the important role we play in transforming lives, supporting communities and contributing to the economic and social success of Edinburgh, the Lothians and Scotland.
Over the next five years, we will strengthen Edinburgh College’s role as a leading anchor institution, building stronger partnerships with employers, schools and communities to create opportunities for learners and support inclusive economic growth.
As a Board, we are ambitious for Edinburgh College to lead, collaborate and innovate and to be recognised for the difference we make to students, employers, communities and future regional prosperity.
Nora Senior CBE DL - Chair of the Edinburgh College Board of Management
Vision
Inspiring every student to thrive, progress and achieve their ambitions through excellent, future-focused education and skills.
Mission
Transforming lives, strengthening communities and powering regional prosperity in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Values
Student-centred; Putting students at the heart of everything we do.
Collaboration; We support each other and value our partnership.
Responsible; We work professionally and take pride in our work.
Trustworthy; We act with integrity and reliability.
Respectful; We value and respect every individual and community.
Strategic Pillars
What we will do
Supporting Student Success
- Supporting student journeys
- Building a sense of belonging, wellbeing and community
- Providing excellent learning and teaching, support and guidance
- Developing a ‘students as partners’ model
A Curriculum for the Future
- Advancing the curriculum for the future
- Building collaborative opportunities with employers
- Innovative, student-centred pathways
- Refining business support models
Strengthening People and Partnerships
- Elevating staff skills
- Developing 'staff as partners'
- Deepening community and employer partnerships
- Creating spaces and places for belonging
Future-Focused Resilience
- Ensuring financial resilience
- Enhancing our digital estate
- AI technology supporting our work
- Meeting NetZero ambitions
- Revitalising our estate
Strategic Roadmap
- Enhance our digital estate through implementing a new student information system
- Select new system and ensure core platforms operational across priority services
- Improve student access to new system and reduce manual processing time
- Curriculum for the Future pilot programmes delivered and evaluated
- Pilot outcomes formally assessed and scalable models agreed
- Evidence of improved student engagement and retention in pilot areas
- Business support model refined and implemented
- New structure in place with defined roles, responsibilities and management
- Agile response to pipeline opportunities and contribution margins clearly reported
- Revitalise campus social spaces
- Refurbished spaces operational and utilised
- Increased student satisfaction with campus environment.
- Workforce planning model developed and embedded in annual planning cycle
- Model actively informing recruitment and capacity to deliver decisions
- Improved alignment between staffing and curriculum demand
- Curriculum for the Future implemented at scale
- Majority of curriculum aligned to future model design principles
- Sustained improvement in meeting regional demand and course viability.
- New student information systems fully integrated across services
- End-to-end digital student journey all in one system with minimal duplication
- Reduced processing times and improved student satisfaction metrics
- Business systems and processes optimised
- Standardised processes supported by enabling technologies
- Measured efficiency gains and reduction in administrative overheads
- Campus revitalisation programme completed
- Estate aligned to modern digital learning, social and environmental standards
- Improved utilisation rates and student experience scores
- Curriculum for the Future fully embedded
- All provision aligned to regional and national skills priorities
- Further improved student outcomes, progression, and employer alignment
- Integrated digital ecosystem fully operational
- Seamless data flow across academic, student support and corporate systems
- Data-driven decision-making and improved organisational agility
- Estate improvements delivered in line with NetZero ambitions
- Carbon reduction milestones achieved in line with targets
- Demonstrable reduction in emissions and alignment with Students’ Association priorities
- Staff partnership model implemented with workforce fully aligned to strategic priorities
- Skills, roles and structures reflect future operating model
- Improved productivity, reduced skills gaps and enhanced staff engagement
Strategic Context
Over the next five years, Edinburgh College will deliver a bold transformation that positions the institution as a sector leader in innovation, inclusion, and student experience. Our overarching ambition is to deliver a person-centred curriculum that is innovative, enterprising, and work-ready. It offers broad, flexible pathways that expand opportunity, prepare students for their next step, and for the key growth sectors in our region and beyond. This ambition builds on national, regional and college-level priorities set out in the Curriculum Strategy, which calls for a curriculum that is dynamic, flexible, inclusive, digitally enabled, and aligned to economic needs.
To realise this ambition, the College began a comprehensive Transformation Programme — a co-ordinated portfolio of projects covering curriculum innovation, workforce and culture development, apprenticeship growth, digital and data modernisation, campus revitalisation and organisational reform.
Going forward, we will refine this into a new Blueprint for Edinburgh College to deliver our major projects and pillar strategies. These refreshed strategies will be: Curriculum,
Commercial, Finance, Digital, Estates and People. They will contain all operational objectives related to this overarching strategy.
Our Culture and People will be at the centre of all our strategic work. Underpinning every aspect of this strategy are the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF) and the sparqs Student Learning Experience (SLE) model, ensuring that students are active partners in shaping the curriculum, enhancing the learning environment, and improving support, belonging, assessment, digital accessibility, and progression. Our partnerships with employers are also key for driving bespoke short courses needed to rapidly upskill and reskill workers into new roles. Our partnerships with our Local Authorities, Edinburgh, East Lothian, and Midlothian, will support our 'community anchor' ambition, both through shared community wealth building and by increasing earned income to tackle poverty.
Through this strategy, Edinburgh College will further strengthen student outcomes, deliver a modern, cohesive curriculum, empower its people, revitalise its campuses and digital systems, and build sustainable, resilient operations. The result will be an inclusive, inspiring, future-ready College that delivers greater opportunities for all learners and plays a leading role in the region's prosperity.
