Lews Castle College

Lews Castle College (Scottish Gaelic: Colaisde a' Chaisteil [ˈkʰɔl̪ˠɪʃtʲə ə ˈkʰaʃtʰal], meaning literally "College of the Castle") is a further and higher education college in the Western Isles of Scotland. The main campus is in the grounds of Lews Castle, Stornoway. The College also has two learning centres in Benbecula and Barra. The college is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Lews Castle College UHI
TypeCollege
Location
Stornoway
,
Scotland
AffiliationsUniversity of the Highlands and Islands,
Websitewww.lews.uhi.ac.uk

The college opened in September 1953;[1] its first principal was Colonel John Macsween. It was originally run by the local authority. It had 83 students and 9 full-time faculty members.[2] In 1993, the College became an independent entity under the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. Lews Castle was originally used as accommodation for the students, but it is currently needing renovation.

In December 2012, the college had 2,700 students enrolled in 150 full-time, part-time and online courses, representing nine different nationalities, and employed 130 staff.[2]

In 2014 the college announced a new Gaelic Scotland degree course to cover Highland history, heritage and literature. The course is to be taught in English but will also allow a range of language-learning pathways.[3] It also has Gaelic language degrees taught through the medium of Gaelic.[4]

The college has a subsidiary company, Lews Castle College (Trading) Limited, which provides Gaelic translation services.[5]

Merchant navy training

Lews Castle College conducts several courses for the seagoing merchant navy personnel both long and short term:[6]

  • Access to Merchant Navy (1 year full-time)
  • Efficient Deck Hand, GMDSS & STCW Courses (short courses)

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Isles College Opened. Need for Support for Industry". The Glasgow Herald. 25 September 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. "Stornoway - a university town". Stornoway Gazette. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. "Lews Castle College UHI launches Gaelic degree course". Stornoway Gazette. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  4. "GÀIDHLIG AGUS CONALTRADH CERTHE". Lews Castle College (in Scottish Gaelic). University of Highlands and Islands. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20070614052649/http://www.lews.uhi.ac.uk/about/fosglan/
  6. Merchant Navy Programmes

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.