From a lecturer at Dundee & Angus College:
Yesterday, a student came to speak with me after class. As he walked in, Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” was playing softly from his headphones — a small detail that stayed with me for some reason... 
I first met this student a few years ago when he joined one of our January-entry courses. He was open about his difficult past. He worried that others might judge him.
We talked then about how none of us can change our past, but we can shape our future — for ourselves and for those who matter to us.
Years later, he’s now completing his HNC and told me he’s planning to go to university to study criminology, hoping to use his experience to make a positive difference. He also reminded me that at the end of his first course, I’d sent him a message encouraging him to keep going and not to stop believing in what he had to offer. I had forgotten that moment — but he hadn’t. It stayed with him throughout his journey.
Then he said he wanted to talk about the cuts. He’s worried that others like him won’t get the same second chance he did — that the opportunities that helped him rebuild his life could disappear.
And the truth is, I didn’t have words of comfort for him. Because he’s right.
Entry-level courses and accessible qualifications are the lifeblood of further education. They are where confidence begins, where potential is realised, and where lives start to change.
His story matters — but it isn’t just his story. It’s one of many.
If we are serious about tackling poverty and inequality in Scotland, then we must take further education seriously. The silence on this issue from those in power is deafening.
👉 Please, if you haven’t already, sign and share this petition calling for fair funding for further education:
 
#FurtherEducation #FundOurFuture #Leadership #Scotland #FightingForFE