New College Durham is delighted to be part of a groundbreaking partnership to expand education opportunities and drive economic growth in North East England.
The Durham Learning Alliance is a partnership between Durham University, New College Durham, East Durham College, Derwentside College and Bishop Auckland College.
Over recent years the collaboration has worked together on expanding employment and apprenticeship opportunities, piloting T-level placements and improving progression routes for post-16 education.
The Alliance has now been formalised with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Meeting education and skills needs
The MoU celebrates what the Alliance has already achieved while setting a three-year vision for how it can be further developed to meet local, regional and national education and skills needs.
Each institution has pledged to continue working together across seven key areas.
These include workforce development, establishing clear pathways into higher education and seeking to minimise unproductive competition while maximising the strength of the Alliance’s collective offer.
Successful collaboration
One of the Alliance’s successful collaborations to date has involved ten T-level students from the colleges undertaking work placements at Durham University. New College Durham placed six T- Level students as part of this initiative.
Eight students completed placements in the University’s Computing and Information Services while two worked in the Department of Chemistry.
The students gained valuable work experience, support and mentorship and there are plans to expand the T-level placement programme across other University departments.
There are also plans to pilot a mentoring scheme for female T-level students in areas where women are traditionally underrepresented such as engineering, digital and technical services.
In the last academic year, New College Durham also provided 20 apprenticeships in partnership with Durham University, and continues into the new academic year with further apprenticeships already confirmed.
Andy Broadbent, Principal and Chief Executive at New College Durham, said: "This partnership marks a significant milestone in our commitment to expanding educational opportunities and supporting economic growth in our region. By working closely with Durham University and our partner colleges, we are creating clear and sustainable pathways for students to advance their skills, gain valuable work experience, and contribute to the local economy.
“By formalising the Durham Learning Alliance through this MoU, we are able to strengthen our collective efforts and show the impact that Further Education and Higher Education has when working together in partnership."
Dr Shaid Mahmood, Durham University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)), on behalf of the Alliance, said: “Our partnership is about inspiring young people into further education and expanding access routes into apprenticeships, job opportunities and work placements.
“For the last couple of years we’ve been building relationships and trust, and the resulting MoU is a groundbreaking example of a University working in partnership with anchor institutions in its local area to improve outcomes for young people and our region.
“We want to provide a more joined up approach to education and skills training, which in turn will boost economic development, because economic growth needs a skilled workforce to drive it.”