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Bedford College No 1 in region and one of largest in UK

Written by Paula Devine | 09 Feb 2017


Bedford College and Tresham College of Further and Higher Education have begun the process to officially merge. The colleges have been in discussions since autumn last year and a formal decision was made by the board of governors on Thursday 2nd February.

Students and staff at the colleges will continue as usual, and current courses will not be affected, however, with the combined efforts of both management teams and Governing Bodies, rapid improvements in quality and financial management will be seen at Tresham to bring significant benefits to the area.

Bedford College Principal & Chief Executive for the past two decades, Ian Pryce CBE, said: “It is a pleasure to report that the Board of Tresham College has today unanimously chosen Bedford College as its preferred merger partner.”bedford college ian

“The merger creates one of the largest colleges in the UK, serving Bedfordshire and North Northamptonshire, with an income of nearly £60m and 15,000 students, including 1,900 apprentices and 1,000 students studying at University level.”

“It will generate exciting new opportunities for the communities, students, apprentices, employers and staff we serve. The combined college will have the size and scale to ensure strong support services and financial security.”

“It is our joint intention that the colleges should merge on 1 August 2017 subject to due diligence and consultation and recognise this is an ambitious timescale.”

“Once the due diligence and consultation has been completed, Tresham Corporation will dissolve and its staff, assets and liabilities will transfer to Bedford College Corporation. Both colleges are committed to this being a true merger; this is simply the legal arrangement that best achieves that end.”

“Tresham is currently led by an expert and highly experienced former FE Principal, Ioan Morgan CBE. I am particularly pleased that Ioan is to stay at Tresham along with other key senior interim staff to ensure the merger is implemented smoothly.”

Ioan Morgan, Interim Principal at Tresham College said:
“I am delighted we have found such a well-respected partner college that shares our values in Bedford College. The future looks exciting for students and businesses both large and small who will benefit from local high quality provision that will be developed by combining expertise from both colleges.”

Jane Gardner, the Chair of Tresham Board of Governors commented:
“I am pleased that we have decided to merge with Bedford, a consistently high performing college and this will result in a new college serving the needs of students and businesses in our region. This merger aims to bring significant benefits to the area and for both the current and future students of both colleges.”

By merging, the colleges will be able to develop new courses that support both the trades and more academic routes alongside offering a wide range of Apprenticeships to meet local business needs.

The merger between the colleges will provide:
• A financially robust college which is fit to grow and adapt to suit the needs of the local area.
• High quality and diverse course provision for school leavers and a curriculum that meets the economic needs identified as part of the area based review.

Disruptions and unnecessary travel will be minimised for students and staff as the new College is focussed on growth.

 

Topics: Bedford College, Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, education

Paula Devine

Written by Paula Devine

Paula is Head of Membership and Global Services at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

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