COMPULSORY staff cuts could be on the cards at Carnegie College, as its principal hit out at cuts to core funding this week.

Professor Bill McIntosh, who steps down at the end of the month, was reported as slamming the cuts as a "recipe for disaster" for the provision of future skills.

He said the cuts made "no allowance" for the demand in places, despite the college seeing a 70 per cent increase in demand in the last two years.

Carnegie College will see funding slashed by 10.4 per cent - equating to £1.4million - in core-funded activities for the 2011/12 academic session.

This has led to a number of computer and furniture restoration courses being removed, and 18 staff will be leaving following the conclusion of the 30-day consultation period on voluntary severance.

The cuts have already prompted Unison members to stage a protest at the college last week.

Prof McIntosh said, "The next step in our review of funding will be to reassess the requirements for temporary staff next year.

"At this stage we cannot promise that there will be no compulsory redundancies.

However, you can be certain that everyone at Carnegie College is working very hard to do all we can to avoid compulsory redundancies, if it is at all possible, and to minimise the scale if they cannot be avoided." Prof McIntosh said the decisions to remove the courses and staff had "not been taken lightly", adding, "At the heart of the decision-making process has been our intention to ensure that the quality of the learning experience is central to our thinking in addressing efficiency savings.

"However, ultimately we have to ensure that as an organisation we become more sustainable and affordable.

"Despite strenuous efforts to manage our resources effectively over recent years, the significant reduction in our funding has ultimately led us to consider a consolidation in our core provision at a time when demand from young people, employers and the community is high." He continued, "As an organisation we fully understand the current constraints on the public purse.

"However, the scale of these cuts makes no allowance for the increased demand we have for places and come at a time when we are trying to work with our business partners to stimulate economic recovery for the area.

"I would like to thank the EIS and Unison with whom we have worked closely with throughout, for their understanding in what has been a fairly unprecedented situation for all.

"This is a resilient organisation which has managed change well in the past. I hope that we can draw on that strength and experience as we deal with the current challenges." Unison also expressed its support for the college.

Karen Watson, shop steward, said, "Unison and its members are very concerned about the effect of Government cuts on Scotland's colleges in the coming years.

"Carnegie College is a crucial part of our community which has continually strived to provide the highest quality education and training for our area and beyond. As both staff members and Unison stewards we are supporting management, colleagues and students in their extensive efforts to secure a bright future for Carnegie."