Student life

May 31st, 2010

Students often get quite a bad rep.

They are sometimes portrayed as lazy good-for-nothings who stay out late, can’t get out of bed the next day and are selective when it comes to what lectures they attend.

But my experience of the students of JamesWattCollege doesn’t quite square with that.

In Inverclyde, we are fortunate to have a college that is at the very heart of our community.

Just last week, I met a dedicated group of young students who are organising a youth event – Full Circle - with an educational yet fun message.

And another class, this time studying social sciences, came to the parliament to quiz myself and my colleague Trish Godman about our role as an MSP this week.

I was struck by the energy and enthusiasm these students showed to their studies and projects.

In these times of economic austerity and a difficult labour market, more pressure than ever is being brought to bear on further and higher education.

As demand increases and good jobs hard to come by, more and more people are turning to education as the solution.

That over-demand is one of the reasons that JamesWattCollege is cutting bursaries by half for the month of June.

In these difficult times, there is a debate to be had about how we finance students through college and university and how much they should pay back for that investment in their future.

But any young person taking the time to learn new skills and better themselves should be encouraged.

And if we are to get the benefit of those new skills – and that enthusiasm – we have to play our part in supporting people through their studies.