Newlands Junior College is the brainchild of businessman, Jim McColl, and will be located close to where he trained as an apprentice engineer on the site of the former Weir Pumps factory in Cathcart.
He said: “My vision is to create a junior college for young teenagers that will give them support and opportunity to move into a successful and rewarding future. We’ve been working on it for the last two years. While the current academic system in secondary schools works for the majority of young people, it doesn’t work for a significant minority.
“I believe the Newlands Junior College model can supply that alternative path.
“These are young people who are as talented as any other people in schools. They have latent talent which hasn’t been fully brought out by the academic path.”
Due to open in October, it will be funded by a partnership between six private investors, the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council, with each of them contributing £100,000.
Following completion of a two year course, students will be offered an apprenticeship at one of a number of partnership firms, including Clyde Blowers.
Links
Evening Times: ‘Tycoon’s £1m college bid to engineer success’
The Scotsman: ‘Jim McColl unveils plans for vocational college’