[1] It was formed on 1 October 2012 as part of the merger of Edinburgh's Jewel and Esk, Telford, and Stevenson colleges.

[3] In 2010, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reclassified, effective 1 April 2014,[8] Colleges of Further Education in Scotland as central government entities, making them public bodies.

[9] This change meant that the SFC could claw back funds and, as a result, that colleges would be unable to hold large cash reserves.

[14] The Creative Industries centre offers courses in art and design (graphic, interior, and interactive design), the performing arts, broadcasting, photography, sound engineering, computer science and software development, as well as various vendor qualifications such as Cisco CCNA and CompTIA A+ certifications.

Its facilities include various workshops and laboratories, and a field of 2,500 solar panels built by SSE which generates energy for the campus and which is used as an instructional aid.

[15] The centre also partners with MacTaggart Scott, a civil and defence engineering company, to provide training using an oil platform simulator and PLC laboratory.

[17] The centre provides various courses for improving the fitness and health of the participants, as well as courses for qualifications in early childhood education, sports coaching, personal training, sports therapy, nursing, social care, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary nursing, and social science.

[18] The institute's facilities include the Immersive and Controlled Training Environment (ICE), a virtual reality construction site simulator jointly developed by the college and Heriot-Watt University.

[20] The institute's courses include carpentry, joinery, painting and decorating, bricklaying, plastering, highway maintenance, roofing, stonemasonry, civil engineering, architecture, building surveying, as well as various industry accreditations including City and Guilds railway engineering; Gas Safe CCN1 (Core Domestic Natural Gas Safety), CKR1 (Domestic Cooking Appliances), HTR1 (Heating Appliances), and MET1 (Gas Meter Safety Assessment) qualifications; CENWAT (Central Heating and Hot Water) installation and maintenance training; CITB Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) training; various International Powered Access Federation qualifications; National Plant Operators Registration Scheme (NPORS) qualifications; and Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association (PASMA) qualifications.