Orkney College serves the local island community, which is rural and predominantly agricultural. The local economy has traditionally depended on agriculture and fishing. Both of these industries have shown some decline in recent years with tourism, hospitality, and service industries becoming the main areas of economic growth. The college has strong links with agriculture as well as with the Orkney Islands Council’s (OIC) farm of Weyland, which once belonged to the then North Of Scotland College Of Agriculture. It now provides the foundation for the Agronomy Institute.

Orkney College's main campus is a new purpose built site (opened in March 2000) located on a hill on the outskirts of Kirkwall. The college is one of very few non-incorporated colleges in Scotland, and as such it is the responsibility of the OIC which has devolved considerable powers including management, funding, and staffing to the College Management Council (CMC).