More than 100 apprentices are set to have their training continue in Coventry and Warwickshire following an agreement between two of the region’s Further Education colleges.

Coventry College has chosen to transfer its apprenticeship provision to college group WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group).

The agreement will see the transfer of training and assessment of around 150 apprentices to the college group which has four colleges across Warwickshire.

Transfer of apprenticeships is subject to approval from employers but if agreed will see the provision and its long-term benefits retained in the region.

The apprentices are from a wide range of sectors and most are already part of the WCG apprenticeship portfolio, including construction, auto-care, motor vehicle and catering, as well as early years, ICT and accountancy.

Apprentices who move over to WCG as a result of the agreement would be trained primarily at Rugby College or Royal Leamington Spa College.

Apprentices are not expected to need to travel to Evesham College or Pershore College as WCG has the resources to deliver training for the apprentices at its Warwickshire colleges.

Employers will have the opportunity to send students to Moreton Morrell College or Warwick Trident College, but that will only occur on the request of an employer.

Royal Leamington Spa College and Rugby College are both easily accessible to Coventry residents, with strong public transport links including bus routes and then both towns being accessible by rail in under 15 minutes.

WCG is the largest college provider of apprenticeship training in the region, with over 2,000 apprentices trained every year and working with over 1,100 local, regional and national employers.

The college group was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its apprenticeship training in the most recent round of awards.

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “We are pleased to be supporting Coventry College, employers and apprentices in the region by transferring delivery of the college’s apprenticeship provision to WCG.

“We have an existing collaboration with Coventry College and aim to continue to work together in the best interests of the Coventry and Warwickshire region.

“Apprenticeships are crucial in developing skilled individuals that can support our region’s economy and by working with Coventry College we are able to retain the economic benefits of over 100 apprentices here in Coventry and Warwickshire.

“For apprentices it will mean they are able to continue their training locally with minimal disruption. For the employers we look forward to supporting their workforce needs through the existing, and hopefully future apprentices. We will be contacting employers to discuss transferring their apprentices to WCG in due course.

“We know the importance of apprenticeships to all those involved and have seen so many WCG apprentices start successful careers through apprenticeships that we remain firmly committed to providing an extensive range of apprenticeship programmes serving local, regional and national employers.”

Carol Thomas, Principal and CEO of Coventry College, added:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our apprentices and our apprenticeship staff to become part of an extensive, well established apprenticeship provider where they can benefit from working with a large apprenticeship delivery team and extended resources.

“We have an existing excellent working relationship with WCG and already have a shared adult learning prospectus along with our other local partner colleges in the Coventry and Warwickshire region.

“The legacy of our joint successful Strategic Development Fund bid secured last year was to work together, sharing staff resources and directing provision to the most appropriate provider and this is an excellent example of the partnership working.”

WCG includes six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire, including Royal Leamington Spa College, Warwick Trident College, Rugby College, Moreton Morrell College, Pershore College and Evesham College.

The college group offers a wide range of apprenticeships in a variety of industries. For more information visit the WCG website.

Notes to Editors

WCG is a leading education group in the Midlands with six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire – offering a course pathway from Entry Level up to Honours degree.

It is a diverse college group and includes Royal Leamington Spa College, Rugby College, Warwick Trident College, Moreton Morrell College, Evesham College and Pershore College – with more than 10,000 students.

The colleges range from general Further Education to those with engineering, horticulture and land-based specialities.

WCG was the first college in the UK to be granted Bachelor degree awarding powers and in 2021 launched Warwickshire College and University Centre for its Higher Education provision. The college group also benefits from a Student visa licence allowing it to recruit students from overseas.

The college group is the largest college provider of apprenticeship training in the region, with up to 2,000 apprentices trained every year and working with over 1,100 local, regional and national employers.

In November 2021 WCG was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, in recognition of the outstanding contribution made by the group’s engineering apprenticeship programmes, bridging the skills gap successfully and rapidly responding to changing supply-chain needs in industry.