Fife College hosts First Minister to Mark Completion of Dunfermline Learning Campus

Fife College welcomed First Minister John Swinney MSP to its new Dunfermline City Campus today (15 December) as part of the official completion ceremony for the Dunfermline Learning Campus (DLC).

The DLC is a landmark education project bringing together Fife College, St Columba’s RC High School and Woodmill High School in one unique, purpose-built, co-located campus designed to strengthen learner pathways – the first of its kind in Scotland.

The First Minister was joined by Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, and Shirley-Ann Somerville MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities and local MSP for Dunfermline, alongside more than 150 partners, stakeholders and community representatives from Fife and across the country.

As Scotland’s first net-zero-ready skills training centre, the College’s Dunfermline City Campus sets a bold new standard for sustainable learning environments. The campus features state-of-the-art teaching spaces, digital and creative labs, and flexible social areas designed to foster learning, wellbeing and collaboration.

During the visit, guests touring the campus explored the modern facilities, met staff, and experienced first-hand the enhanced learning environment now available to students. The visit highlighted the significance of the new campus as a major investment in education, training and opportunity for learners across West Fife and beyond.

First Minister John Swinney said:

“The new Fife College Dunfermline City Campus, supported by £154.5 million Scottish Government investment, is a shining example of integrated learning, sustainability, and community engagement.

“The opening of the college and completion of the project is a significant milestone - demonstrating my government’s unwavering commitment to education and skills development for the future prosperity of our nation.

“The new campus will support the development of skills in key growth sectors such as digital technology, renewable energy, and data science. As Scotland’s first net-zero-ready tertiary education campus, the facilities will provide cutting-edge learning experiences in a sustainable, inclusive, and collaborative environment.”

Jim Metcalfe, Principal of Fife College, said:

“It is a privilege to welcome the First Minister and our guests to celebrate this milestone moment for Fife College, our partner schools, Dunfermline and the wider region.

“Our new campus completes the Dunfermline Learning Campus, which, alongside St Columba’s RC High School and Woodmill High School, will create strong pathways for young people to progress from school into further education, training and employment.

“The Dunfermline City Campus is a major investment in our students, staff, and the future of further education and skills development in Fife. It is a next-generation learning space designed to inspire, support, and empower our learners.

“From state-of-the-art facilities to innovative teaching spaces, every element reflects our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and our role within a connected learning community.”

Fife Council Leader, Cllr David Ross, said:

“We’re delighted to see Fife College officially open at Dunfermline Learning Campus.

“This marks another significant milestone in creating a modern, collaborative learning environment for our young people and the wider community. The campus brings schools and further education together in one inspiring space, offering fantastic opportunities for learners to thrive and succeed.

“As a Council, we’re committed to investing in top-quality education facilities. Our goal is to ensure that every learner has access to the best possible resources to achieve their ambitions.”

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Notes to editors

Fife College’s new Dunfermline City Campus is a pathfinder project for the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard in Scotland. It is being closely watched across the country as a model of sustainable development.

The campus has delivered an industry-leading embodied carbon footprint of just over 560kg CO2e/m2 for the Teaching Building and a total embodied carbon footprint of 601kg Co2e/m2 for the three buildings that make up the campus development.

The project’s initial embodied carbon target was 650kg CO2e/m2, and all project partners, including Reiach and Hall, A10, Woolgar Hunter, Horner and McLellan, and primary construction partner, Balfour Beatty and their expert supply chain, worked collaboratively to achieve this result.

Sustainability has been integral to the Dunfermline City Campus from the outset, with cutting-edge construction techniques used to reduce embodied carbon emissions significantly. Embodied carbon – the carbon footprint of materials and construction – can account for up to 70% of a building’s total emissions over its lifetime.

Key sustainability design measures at the new campus have included the replacement of concrete floor slabs with Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) planks and green ‘Delta Beams’, fabricated from 95% recycled steel. This combination of CLT and recycled steel has enabled a lighter structural design, reducing the volume of concrete required for both the superstructure and foundations. The result has been a reduction of approximately 20% of the typical embodied carbon expected in a development of its size.

Further information about Fife College’s new Dunfermline City Campus can be found here.

ABOUT FIFE COLLEGE

Fife College is one of the largest colleges of higher and further education in Scotland, with five main campuses located in Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Leven, and Rosyth. The College offers around 400 courses, from essential skills to graduate degree programmes, in more than 40 different subject areas. Over 20,000 students currently study either full-time or part-time at the College, which also hosts the Carnegie Conference Centre, a University Hub, and the Andrew Carnegie Business School.

www.fife.ac.uk