The Chairs of the Governing Body at Keighley College and Park Lane College Leeds, John Hayes and Lesley Hastings, today jointly announced the outcome of merger talks. “We are delighted to announce that we are planning to merge together to offer greater opportunities for our students and staff.
The merger will allow us to build on our strengths and to develop a wider choice of curriculum subjects for learners. We believe that, by working together to draw on good practice and expertise, we will be able to grow the new organisations’ size and facilities.
Staff and learners at both organisations have been kept fully informed of the merger process and we will continue to offer the best quality education and training throughout this transitional period. Current learners will see no disruption to their studies with the emphasis on high quality curriculum provision.
The colleges have not yet decided on any major options such as name change or internal structure. These will be considered in the next few months as the process develops”.
Chris Moore, Principal of Keighley College, commented, “Keighley College has a published vision to become a learning organisation which provides first class vocational training and education which improves the employability and job readiness of individuals and develops professional standards”.
The college has been working closely with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), whose role is to oversee the process and make recommendations, to ensure that our learners, employers and the local community all have access to the highest quality learning opportunities.
Tony Longworth, Principal of Park Lane College Leeds added “The combined institution offers significant opportunities for the development of learning provision in Keighley and in Leeds and will help us to better deal with the challenges that are heralded in Government policy.”
Lesley Hastings, Chair of the Governing body at Park Lane College Leeds, concluded “Park Lane governors are delighted to be chosen as the preferred merger partner by Keighley College and look forward to working closely together to deliver top quality provision to the learners of the region.”
Source: LSC |
