UHI Perth provides

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

and

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

in the city of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, Scotland, through a main campus and by

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

. Courses include degrees, through its membership of the

University of the Highlands and Islands The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) () is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 10 colleges and research institutions spread around Inverness, the Highlands and Isl ...

, as well as work-based learning and vocational training. Degrees available include aircraft engineering, music, child and youth studies, social sciences and computing. UHI Perth owns

Air Service Training Air Service Training (AST) is an organisation in Perth, Scotland, that has been training engineers and pilots for airlines, maintenance organisations and the military since 1931.

(AST), which has been delivering aeronautical engineering courses since 1934. AST is UK CAA approved and based at

Perth Airport Perth Airport is an international airport, international, domestic airport, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, Western Australia. It is the List of the busiest airports in Australia, fourth busiest airport in Australia meas ...

. Staff from organisations including

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

, BMI,

Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines ( Malay: ''Penerbangan Malaysia'') is the flag carrier of Malaysia, headquartered at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The airline flies to destinations across Europe, Oceania and Asia from its main hub at Kuala Lumpur Int ...

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish , meaning "air fleet") is an Irish airline company which is the flag carrier of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 201 ...

Kuwait Airways Kuwait Airways (, ) is the flag carrier of Kuwait, with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport, Al Farwaniyah Governorate. It operates scheduled international services throughout the Middle East, to the Indian subcontine ...

Air Mauritius Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its Airline hub, hub at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. History Foundation The company was established on 14 J ...

and

Air Seychelles Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles. Its head office is located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé and it operates inter-island and international flights and charter flights. History ...

have been trained there. Its English language school is a member of English UK and courses are approved by the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

Research

Research is conducted on a number of topics, and the college hosts the Centre for Mountain Studies (CMS), established in 2000. The Director of the CMS is Professor Martin Price, who has held the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development since 2009. The CMS undertakes research at all scales from the globe to Scotland and has organised many conferences. Since 2004, it has also run an online MSc in Sustainable Mountain Development.

History

The college started in the

Old Academy The Academy (), variously known as Plato's Academy, or the Platonic Academy, was founded in Athens by Plato '' circa'' 387 BC. The academy is regarded as the first institution of higher education in the west, where subjects as diverse as biolo ...

building on Perth's Rose Terrace in 1961 offering day-time further education (FE) courses in building trades, before expanding into a centre in Nelson Street (site of the Southern District School) soon afterwards. Originally called Perth Technical College, the institution went on to be called Perth College of Further Education. After incorporation it was changed to Perth College. Due to its involvement in the

, it is now UHI Perth. Gaining university status in 2011 has allowed the institution to award degrees for university courses. The first part of its Crieff Road campus — the Brahan Building — was officially opened on 16 October 1971 by the then Secretary of State for Scotland, Gordon Campbell. Built on the site of the Pullars family home, the college cost £1.25 million and had 24 full-time lecturers teaching 700 students.

Current structure

Today, UHI Perth employs around 500 full-time and part-time teaching and non-teaching staff and has around 9,000 student enrolments. Previously run by the local authority, it is now governed by a Board of Management made up of the principal, staff representatives and volunteers from business, education and the wider community in and around

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

. On 19 May 2023, UHI Perth announced it needs to lose 50 staff in phase one of a money-saving exercise with closures of the nursery, salons and the sports academy being sold to a franchise.

Notable alumni

* Graeme Pallister, chef * Fergus Purdie, architect

References

External links

UHI Perth websiteUHI Perth BlogUHI Perth on FacebookUHI Perth on TwitterUniversity of the Highlands and Islands websiteAST website
{{Coord, 56, 24, 20, N, 3, 27, 38, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Education in Perth, Scotland University of the Highlands and Islands Buildings and structures in Perth, Scotland Further education colleges in Scotland Higher education colleges in Scotland Educational institutions established in 1961 1961 establishments in Scotland