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Interview: Depute Principal John Norman MacLeod

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig was established in 1973, and at that time it was established as a Gaelic college offering short courses, and a library was also started. And, but the intention of the trustees was really to establish a tertiary institution, and it was recognised as well there was a need to offer business skills, business management skills because a lot of young people were leaving the area. Again, people were coming in, and the skills weren’t within the, within the communities.

But it was also important that they had a sense, that young people had a sense of their own history, and also would learn from other analogous areas, like particularly Ireland and Canada – Canadian maritime provinces. So we started this HND in business studies and Gàidhealtachd (“Highland”) studies.

Over the years – well we started then with seven students, but over the years the number of students has increased, the number of courses have also increased. And I think the biggest development was in 1993 when we opened a new building. This building was on what we call the Àrainn Ostaig campus, and it had student accommodation, and that was important for developing the number of full-time, the numbers on full-time programmes, but also short course and conferences as well.

And over the years some other new courses started as well. In 1994 we were engaged in, for the first time, with the University of the Highlands and Islands project. And it took, I think, three to four years before we developed our own BA programmes. But we’ve also started offering distance provision. And that has also started, the numbers starting to increase. We started with this access to the degree programme, an cùrsa inntrigidh, and this is an award-winning programme – it won European Languages, Languages Award – uh, the numbers on that programme have also increased. Um, I think this year we’ve got 122 students studying on that course – but it’s highly successful – it’s supported distance, distance learning.

Uh, the numbers on our HE programmes have also continued to grow, and we now have nearly 200 students studying, uh, HE programmes at the college.

And a primary aim of the college is language maintenance and revitalisation, and on the research side, uh, we’ve just been awarded funding to, for this, uh, important project. It’s an inter-university project, and it’s, it will build, strengthen, the infrastructure, research infrastructure within Sabhal Mòr, and within UHI and other institutions. But it will also look at language maintenance and regeneration. And that is something that, I think, we would all feel is very important to have, uh, research and lessons from other areas, from other countries as well where languages have, have – are being, um, revitalised.

So we’re very happy the way the college has, has developed its reputation also as an institution of higher education. Uh, it’s important within the local community here. Uh, there’s about 160 jobs – full-time, part-time – within the, well working for the college, and in other parts as well, but it has a huge impact on this part of Skye in the Sleat community. So it’s important from an economic development perspective as, as well.

Well, I think I’ve been here now twenty six, twenty seven years, so obviously I do like my job. But I think the main thing is, working in education, is working with, with students, colleagues of course, but the students in particular, and seeing students coming to fluency, having that opportunity to gain fluency, then going on to employment as well. The other thing – a lot of students are employed here at the college as well, and they’ve been very good at keeping in, keeping in touch with us all, and with this institution. But I think it’s, it’s just really the, the focus, the mission of the college. I think it’s very focused on language maintenance, revitalisation. And this area, it’s based here in Sleat, it’s a very good place, the environment here, um, and also the, obviously, it’s a nice place to stay, and like that I’ve been very happy here over the years.

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