Harrow College Principal and Chief Executive Pat Carvalho has taken the opportunity to speak with students and address some key issues surrounding the proposed merger of three west London colleges. Ahead of a public consultation on 23 November, Pat Carvalho spoke at a recent Student Council meeting where she outlined the plans.
Described as an exciting new partnership, the proposal will see Harrow College, Uxbridge College and West Thames College come together to help deliver on a vision to develop an outstanding further education provision for West London. The plan will also aim to better meet employers’ and residents’ needs for skills whilst being a more financially secure.
Shared vision:
One of the major strengths of the partnership is the vision shared by the three colleges. These include maximising the volume of high quality education and training as well as the opportunities for success of students and communities in the local area, including employers and residents. One key result, as outlined in the shared vision, will be to achieve a grade of ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Benefits:
The local offer will remain in each borough, namely Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The intention is to maximise student choice and increase opportunities to gain higher level skills that employers need in different sector as well as continue to provide courses for those furthest away from employment. The colleges also aim to offer a seamless service to meet local employer and student demand for apprenticeships. The Principal also talked about the commitment to ensure facilities across all campuses are of a high quality and that investment in staff is critical to achieving these benefits.
Pat Carvalho and Nick Davies (Chair of the Board of Governors) will host a public consultation to discuss the proposed partnership on Wednesday 23 November at 6pm. The session will take place at Harrow College’s Enterprise Centre, located at the Harrow on the Hill Campus.
Click here for more information about the partnership.