Board of Management
Board of Management Interview
professor
alan m c Gregor
Most of my working life has
been spent working as a
lecturer and researcher at the
University of Glasgow.
My ‘specialist subject’ is
Economics. A lot of the time I
have focused on the operation
of the labour market, skills and
economic development issues.
I have, however, from almost
my earliest working days, been
involved in working with and
for government departments,
government agencies and a
range of local authorities and
third sector organisations.
For example, recently I began
working on a Skills Plan for
the Liverpool City Region
Combined Authority and last
year I carried out a Review
of Skills for the Scottish
Government.
I joined the Board after the
new Ayrshire College came
into being.
unemployment and prosper
in the labour market, but at
the same time help Ayrshire
businesses find well trained
and appropriately skilled
people to make them more
competitive and sustainable.
Second, I was born and
brought up in Ayrshire,
and feel a strong sense of
commitment to Ayrshire. I feel
that over the years Ayrshire
has drifted backwards in terms
of the health of the economy
and I wanted to help reverse
this through Ayrshire College’s
efforts.
I am impressed in particular
by the excellent and ever
improving work of the College
in two respects. Many of our
younger students come from
communities in Ayrshire which
for too long have suffered
from economic and social
deprivation. I feel the College
has done really well to reach
out and engage these young
people, and then work hard
with them to increase their
confidence, qualifications and
employability.
I had two reasons. First, I have
always felt that colleges could
make a bigger contribution to
a range of issues of importance
to me - such as giving young
One of the things these young
people the skills to help avoid
people aspire to is finding
The magazine of Ayrshire College
24
“
I feel the College
has done really well
to reach out and
engage young people,
and then work hard
with them to increase
their confidence,
qualifications and
employability.
”