In addition to the first two years of full-time degree programmes, the college offered training courses and business services to companies in the private and public sectors – locally, nationally and internationally.

The college offered a large number of full time vocational 12-month courses targeted at young people who had successfully completed secondary school education.

[4] The college was founded in 1963 and its first chairman was Charles Oakley, who was heavily involved in the regeneration of Glasgow after World War II.

Like its sister building (also designed by Williams) its aesthetic was strongly influenced by Le Corbusier's famous La Cité Radieuse block in Marseille with the distinctive "upturned boat" roof penthouse which housed a gymnasium.

The newest building, the Central Business Learning Zone (CBLZ), housed the college's information services along with examination and training facilities.