Student Loans Company to move to state-of-the-art Buchanan Wharf development

The Student Loans Company (@SLCComms) has announced the agreement of a 20-year lease for a new purpose-built office at Buchanan Wharf, Glasgow

The Student Loans Company (SLC) has announced the agreement of a 20-year lease with Drum Property Group for a new purpose-built office at Buchanan Wharf, Glasgow. As part of the agreement, SLC will work with the Government Property Agency to co-locate up to 600 civil servants to support the UK Government Hubs Programme.

SLC enables people across the UK to invest in their futures through further and higher education, paying loans and grants to approximately two million new and returning students each year. In addition to managing the student loan book and delivering trusted and transparent servicing of loan accounts for 8.5 million customers from across the UK, SLC also works in partnership with HMRC to collect repayments.

With over 3000 staff across four offices in Scotland, England and Wales the company is no stranger to the city of Glasgow where its headquarters have been permanently based since the company’s incorporation in 1989. SLC currently employs approximately 1700 people in Glasgow, with 7000 UK Government funded public sector employees now based in the city. This is expected to significantly increase with hundreds of Civil Service jobs relocating to the city over the next few years as part of the Places for Growth initiative. The UK Government Hubs programme will be investing in the whole of the UK, and this includes new hubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The move to the new purpose-built building supports SLC’s ambition to become a more modern, responsive and sustainable organisation as part of its multi-year transformation programme to deliver an outstanding customer experience through the use of new technology. The lease agreement provides long term financial benefits to the taxpayer, contributing towards SLC’s strategic goal of delivering more for less. SLC colleagues will play a lead role in the design of the new office space to optimise opportunities for collaboration and blended working to deliver a new flexible office experience.

Paula Sussex, Chief Executive, Student Loans Company said:“This is a fantastic and timely opportunity for SLC as we continue to transform the company to become a modern, responsive and sustainable organisation. This purpose-built office at Buchanan Wharf allows SLC to shape a new office experience that optimises opportunities for collaboration, supports future ways of working, enabling us to deliver an outstanding experience to our customers across the UK”.

The new building has been designed to meet future climate change goals and meets the UK Green Building Council 2025 to 2030 interim energy performance target for offices.