Merger would create biggest college in Britain

Yakub Qureshi

September 11, 2006

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PLANS to merge MANCAT and City College - creating the largest college in the country - have been unveiled by education chiefs.

Funding bosses are calling for the two institutions, which are already two of Britain's biggest colleges, to join forces creating what will be a 70,000-student "super college".

A major review into college education in Manchester was launched by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) after fears that too many of the courses being offered by colleges were overlapping.

Manchester College of Arts and Technology has 45,000 full and part-time students, while City College has a total of 25,000 students.

Between them, the institutions receive é50m in government cash and employ about 2,100 staff.

College staff have expressed fears that jobs could be lost under any merger.

Recent redundancies have already taken place at both colleges because of a cut in government funding for adult students.

Report

A three-month probe into the future of further education in Manchester was launched in May.

The report, which will be presented to councillors in Manchester next week, also suggests options such as better co-ordination between colleges or that they take responsibility for specific geographical regions of the city.

But it also said a merger between the two colleges would be the best option as it would offer better value for money for the funding agencies.

The report received mixed responses from the two colleges, with Mancat's board of governors voting to support the proposed merger.

But Willie Mills, the principal of City College, expressed caution.

Responding to the report, he said: "Structural change needs to be very carefully thought out.

"To rule out all options other than merger at this stage is simply not supported by the evidence."

The LSC, which is responsible for funding further education, will now formally consult with colleges, unions, and city councillors over the plans.

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Ace Riley, manchester (11/09/2006 at 14:14)

Why do we always Think inside the BOX?We always seem to think that bigger is better?Why because of funding that will eventually run out? Then what ?We need smaller more direct places of education ,never mind making these places larger to collect more money.Its the quality of the education that matters.Why not create smaller more local places of education that way you meet the need of the area ,Rather than spread the education too far.

Colin W, Stockholm (11/09/2006 at 14:42)

However neither Mancat nor City College offer courses that are of real benefit. Will this merger mean they can offer , for example, IT courses for people wanting to improve their current employment skills or remain focused on people who cant type or dont have even the basic IT literacy skills you would expect for a modern western country.

In the Real World, Manchester (12/09/2006 at 10:27)

Do these correspondence know what is happening in Manchester and in further education in general?

I think not!

These colleges are at the cutting edge of providing learning opportunities for Manchester residents and Greater Manchester businesses and their employees. Access to computers is old hat and is an integrated part of these colleges and many others.

Perhaps if ACE happened to get off his backside and Stockholm (er) actually found out what was happening they might make a real contribution!

Gregory Happy, Manchester (12/09/2006 at 12:05)

In response to In The real World. Colin W is absolutely correct, the courses offered by both these collectges are aimed at the lowest common denominator, they are inadequet for real world jobs. There are no technical courses offered above C&G, GNVQ that are of any consequence and are therefore usless in the real world unless you want to be a councillor or some other similar role. Wake up and accept that the people who see the truth have left or are leaving the UK

Colin W, Stockholm (12/09/2006 at 12:10)

In The Real World. I have three degrees - two in IT and one in Mathematics and further teaching qualifications in IT and German. I have twenty years of industry experience and am responsible for the technical recruitment for a well known multinational corporations.So I think im perfectly qualified to comment on the suitability of Mancat and other 'seats of learning'. What did you do again?

In the Real World, Manchester (12/09/2006 at 13:12)

So Gregory Happy and Colin Stockholm are experts on Further Education and what is happening in Manchester!

Absolute rubbish!

There are degree, foundation degrees, HNC, HND, professional , NVQ Level III and so on at these colleges. GNVQs are now dead. Any look at the college websites would show the vast range and levels of courses.

Many students are from industry and many companies work with these colleges. The many examples include partnership with companies with Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) in Construction, Logistics, Media, Computer Networking and Automotive Trades. There are formal links with CISCO at MANCAT.

A massive development has taken place in North Manchester in partnership with the Universities. There is a dedicated Creative Industries Centre at Arden in Wythenshawe. A centre in the City Centre dedicated to business. The biggest construction Centre in the country.

And so on.

In the real world - too true with what is actually happening, not in someone's fantasy mind!

Ace Riley, manchester (12/09/2006 at 15:41)

Unfortunately ive had my share of degrees and other education now im dissabled and to old to work any more .but i remember things like the tops courses that gave the masses something to do when there was no real jobs around ?we had millions of people who could build walls but no jobs for them .we are getting into the same situation where some of these qualifications mean very little .I have a few mates with""NVQs""In computers and theve not a clue how to use or repair a computer so i wonder why did they take the time to do the courses?? Some of these IT courses are useless with no job prospects at the end of them ?If we are going to educate people lets at least do it properly. Most students now tend to go for ""Media studies"" ???????We will end up with millions of people with certificates for media studies working in a burger bar because there are no jobs for them????What a waste

Gregory happy, manchester (13/09/2006 at 08:20)

In The real Workld, actually yes I am an expert . CISCO courses may all be well and good for name dropping but where are the jobs. There is a shortage of software developers in the UK in general yet the courses on offer are inadequate. NVQ are aimed too low for what is required. City and Guilds are pointless and way too easy. I have done several and successfully completed them months ahead of time. So whats the point. I think you need to get your head out of the sand as see what is really required. Places like Vision2Learn are trying ... but the only course relevent to my job was 'unavailable at a college in your area' Nuff said. Most tertiary colleges like South Trafford/North Trafford have little or no online courses for partime or evening classes so again it means physically being on site to do the work. Hardly entering the 21st century.

Dave Edge, Manchester (13/09/2006 at 08:24)

Interesting conversation here. Can In The real World show me the IT 'professional qualifications' and Ill do them. The only ones ive seen offered at Manchester colleges are the Institute of management courses in Team leading and Line Management - all of which i already have. It is apparant that the level of courses widely on offer are aimed to tick boxes for government /council quotas at eduating the masses with no regard to actual employment prospects. So what else is there on offer. Nothing. Ace Riley is correct, IT courses are becoming like media Studies certificates - easily available and worthless in the real world.

Colin W, Stockholm (13/09/2006 at 08:25)

'Creative Industries Centre'.... Hmmm, enough said I think

EducatedAndUnimpressed, Wythenshawe (13/09/2006 at 08:32)

Wythenshawe FE College, City College or whatever it was called before being bulldozed for new house - the one on Moor Road, Baguley tried to get things right a few years ago. Aligning with people like Microsoft to offer decent level programing courses. However from the experience of the two courses i attended, the lecturers were inadequately trained - often working from mental scripts/notes and could not offer answers to anything topics slightly off the fixed curriculum - even though the courses were aimed at a higher level for the professional engineers and so assumed a modicum of knowledge. The college has now gone and they dont seem to be offering similar levels courses anymore at any of the other City College site. Shame but not untypical

Colin W, Stockholm (15/09/2006 at 06:20)

Hmm, this thread seems to have just died. Surprising since there are so many different posters.... has the MEN censor been at work again??

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