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]The College Context |
John Wheatley College was established by Strathclyde Regional Council in 1989 as a commitment to the regeneration of East Glasgow.
Now operating out of two campuses (East End and Easterhouse) in a catchment area which has considerable levels of unemployment and social exclusion, John Wheatley College strives to address the needs of local residents in terms of educational attainment and access to job opportunities. The College also provides a considerable community-based learning programme throughout East Glasgow.
We welcome students who have no formal qualifications onto many of our programmes. We provide a gateway into further and higher education and offer a wide range of qualifications - from Access 2 level, right up to HNC and Access to Higher Education (SWAP – Scottish Wider Access Programme) which provide pathways to University learning. Our programmes offer vocational skills as well as core skills such as literacy and computing. The College is seen as a route to employment or on to higher education qualifications at other colleges and universities.
John Wheatley College aims to play a central role in the economic and social regeneration of East Glasgow by supporting its residents and helping them to access employment opportunities in an increasingly competitive labour market.
John Wheatley (1868 - 1930)
John Wheatley was Labour MP for Shettleston during the 1920s and is best remembered for his 1924 Housing Act. He was born in Bonmahon, Waterford, Ireland and emigrated, with his family, to Scotland in 1876. He spent his early childhood in Braehead (later called Bargeddie) near Baillieston.
When he was twelve, he followed his father down the pit to become a coal miner in Baillieston. During this time he became associated with a number of working-class organisations. By 1908 he had left the pits to set up his own printing firm and had joined the Independent Labour Party. Wheatley became a county councillor in 1910, gaining a reputation for his expertise on health and housing policy.
His support for the 1915 rent strikes made him a popular local hero. In 1922, as Labour MP of Shettleston, he became Minister for Health in the first Labour government and it was during this time that he pushed through the 1924 Housing Act. This resulted in the Glasgow housing expansion of the inter-war years when over 21,000 homes with subsidised rents were built, reducing overcrowding and leading to better social conditions for families.
John Wheatley died at home in Shettleston in 1930 and is buried at Dalbeth Cemetery.