[12 FEB 02] LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL NEWS

Coventry's Super-College Takes Off

Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Estelle Morris, has officially launched Coventry's new super-college formed from the merger of two city colleges.

City College Coventry is the result of a merger between Tile Hill College and Coventry Technical College.

City College Coventry, complete with new name and logo, will cater for 20,000 students from throughout the Coventry and Warwickshire region, placing it immediately in the top 5% throughout the country in terms of size.

Principal of the new college, Paul Taylor, said :

“The creation of City College Coventry will ensure continued excellent learning provision for students now and in the future, helping to create a skilled workforce to meet the needs of 21st century industry.

“City College Coventry will be firstly aiming to become a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in the near future in Passenger Vehicle Service, Construction, Automotive Engineering and Performing and Creative Arts, highlighting the quality and diversity of provision available.

“Working alongside the Learning and Skills Council for Coventry and Warwickshire, local employers, schools and community groups we will now be able to offer training and education that meets the skills demands of this sub-region, helping to sustain inward investment.”

In the presence of over 300 invited guests, including former pupils, City College Coventry was formally opened by Secretary of State for Education, Estelle Morris and college principal Paul Taylor, when a plaque was uncovered on the stage.

Estelle Morris said :

“It is exceptionally special for me to be here to open City College Coventry as it was in this city that I first began my teacher training.

“Coventry has always been at its best when it has faced up to the need to change, and it has shown it is brave enough to make that change, but this would not have been possible without education at its heart.

“There are lots of risks that come with change, but this is the opportunity to take this vision and turn it into a reality, as City College Coventry is not just two colleges stuck together with glue, it’s a rebirth.

“To progress we need to be in a society that is committed to lifelong learning in a way that no previous generation has had to do, further education is not an option now it is a necessity, it’s at the core of everything this city wants to achieve for itself.

“Everyone associated with both former colleges should be proud of the history of both colleges, which you can take with you, but the reason you will succeed is that you are equipped to meet new needs in a new economy.”

Special guests included John Harwood, chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council, City College chair Margaret Bell and Ursula Russell, chair of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Coventry and Warwickshire, the funding body for all learning at City College Coventry.

City College Coventry is the result of outcomes from recommendations provided by the recent OFSTED Coventry 16-19 Area Wide Inspection, which took place in July 2000, and the Strategic Options Review, conducted by KPMG in September 2001.

City College was approved by the LSC Coventry and Warwickshire Council, or board, late last year and was formally rubber-stamped by Margaret Hodge, Secretary of State for Lifelong learning in December 2001.

Ursula Russell :

“The balloon launch was somewhat symbolic of the ability of learners at City College, as they will all have the potential to soar skywards and reach lofty goals.

“City College, alongside Henley College and Hereward College will provide a truly powerful network of learning opportunities, and the new college will ensure that the choice of learning in Coventry is now wider than it ever was before.”

“The LSC are committed to improving the learning provision for young people and adult learners alike, and City College Coventry will help tremendously in helping to meet ambitious national learning targets ahead of schedule.”