Nottingham colleges confirm £80m merger
New College Nottingham and Central College Nottingham have formally merged to create the £80m Nottingham College – set to be one of the largest colleges in the country.
The legal merger announcement comes after months of planning. Nottingham College expects to employ 1,500 staff to work with 40,000 full and part-time students.
Nottingham College CEO John van de Laarschot said: “Today we begin a radical transformation of post-16 education in Nottingham. We have a unique opportunity to bring students and employers into a single, dynamic learning environment and I want to encourage employers, partners, parents and students to join us as we design a new and very different kind of College.
“We are redefining the relationship that exists between education and work – shaping the college around the needs of employers to equip our students with the employability and technical skills to be successful in the workplace. We’ve already entered into discussions with representatives of local and national employers to make sure that the Nottingham College curriculum is designed around their needs for a sustainable and skilled workforce and we will continue to prioritise investment in areas of our business which support the region’s economic growth plans.”
Carole Thorogood, designate chair of Nottingham College says: “I wish to publicly acknowledge the contribution of colleagues and partner organisations who have worked tirelessly to bring this merger over the line. The guidance of the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and the partnerships forged with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, Barclay’s Bank and Nottingham City Council have been invaluable. But the really exciting work starts now.
“Nottingham College is being built on the very best that Central and NCN have to offer and I want to thank Board members, staff, students and partners for their unwavering commitment to moving forward as one team. I am confident that our ultimate ambition to create one of the best colleges in the country is now underway.”
The formal announcement to merge Nottingham’s two FE Colleges was made in July 2015. The Public Consultation exercise took place between 7 March and 15 April 2016 and the findings were published in June 2016.
