Fife College Lands Decade's Best Report Card

Official figures confirm the College’s strongest performance since 2017, with major progress in student course completion, satisfaction, and a boom in industry-focused apprenticeship places.

Fife College has reported one of its strongest ever years of performance, based on the official Further Education Statistics (FES) data.

The College’s latest confirmed KPIs highlight excellence across course completion, student satisfaction, and employment outcomes, reinforcing its position as a powerhouse in further education and skills development for Fife and Scotland.

Key Highlights include:

• Course Completion Increase: 2024-25 saw the largest proportion of Fife skills graduates for seven years, with over 8,000 students successfully completing courses.
• Course Withdrawals Drop: Total student withdrawals are at their lowest level since 2018-19, reflecting improved learning and teaching, and strengthened student support.
• Student Satisfaction Rise: The College’s sector-leading learner survey shows satisfaction with the College experience is at its highest level in five years among full-time students at 94%. 96% of students would also strongly recommend Fife College to others.
• Sector-Leading Positive Destinations: Fife College continues to achieve one of the highest positive destination rates in Scotland, with consistently strong proportions of students progressing into work, training, and further study within 3 – 6 months of completing their courses (91.7% in the latest reporting year 2022-23).
• Modern Apprenticeships Boom: The College secured the largest modern apprenticeship contract in its history for 2025-26 (worth £2.5m). More than 1,200 apprentices will be earning and learning with Fife College during 2025-26 in key industry skills vital to the regional economy including defence, construction, healthcare and hospitality.

Many of these performance areas, notably student satisfaction and positive destinations, also track well above sector averages, underlining that Fife College is delivering outcomes that exceed wider national benchmarks and expectations.

The results come as the College welcomed students through the doors of its brand-new Dunfermline City Campus for the first time in October. As Scotland’s first net-zero-ready skills education centre, the campus offers state-of-the-art facilities designed to enhance learning, wellbeing, and collaboration.

Plans are also in place to upgrade the College’s other campuses, further strengthening the learning environment across the region.

Jim Metcalfe, Fife College Principal, said:

“These results mark our best year in almost a decade. Our incredible staff team and students deserve all the plaudits for the success we’re now seeing.

“The results show the remarkable progress we can achieve, even in challenging circumstances and the real difference a focused, motivated college can make in the lives of our students and the wider community.

“With sustained investment and the right support, we know we could achieve even more – creating more opportunities, driving higher outcomes for our students, and delivering an even greater contribution to the regional economy.

“Our students are ambitious, our staff are committed, and together we are ready to rise to the opportunities ahead.”