Queen Mary and New City College enter new partnership
Last week, Queen Mary University of London signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New City College (NCC), the largest further education provider in the country that is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.
By working closely together, these organisations aim to open new pathways to education to learners irrespective of their backgrounds. In doing so, it will help fill skills gaps locally, nationally and across the globe, under the auspices of the Government’s recent White Paper that rightly calls for a joined-up tertiary education system.
The collaboration also provides an opportunity to establish a long-term strategic partnership between the two organisations, built on their complementary strengths and aligned missions - Queen Mary’s 240-year ambition to open the doors of opportunity through excellence to any student with the potential to succeed and NCC’s focus to widen opportunity, strengthen community impact, and deepen partnerships with higher education.
The first step in this partnership is to explore the development of a foundation degree pathway for UK students into Queen Mary’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Both organisations will also look at other areas where collaboration could benefit learners and both organisations. For example, the proximity of Queen Mary and NCC to Whitechapel and the University’s recent purchase of a large piece of land in the area, means they are uniquely placed to work together to investigate developing new pathways into various careers.
Dr Philippa Lloyd, Vice Principal for Policy and Strategic Partnerships at Queen Mary said: “The signing of this memorandum of understanding is the first step in establishing a long-term, anchor partnership between Queen Mary and New City College, one of the country’s most influential further education groups. I am excited to see the partnership grow and help more people across East London and beyond reap the benefits of continuing their education.”
Dr Alison Arnaud, Principal of New City College’s Tower Hamlets and Hackney campuses, said: “Further to many years of positive and productive work together, I am delighted that New City College and Queen Mary are now establishing this formal partnership. With initiatives designed specifically to benefit local people and open up opportunity across the UK and beyond, this partnership resonates firmly with our strategic aims and commitment to our local communities.
This new partnership is another in a strong line of collaborations Queen Mary has with local partners to support more people who wish to follow different educational paths to achieve their full potential. For example, the London City Institute of Technology is a collaboration between Queen Mary, Newham College, and a range of employers, which delivers degree apprenticeships and more.