Ealing, Hammersmith and West London’s College and Kensington & Chelsea College have announced they plan to merge. A formal public consultation would be commencing this autumn, the two colleges said, with the newly-merged institution expected to launch in early 2018. Both colleges will retain their existing sites and names.
The announcement follows news yesterday that staff at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College would go on strike tomorrow in a row over job cuts.
Garry Phillips, chief executive of Ealing, Hammersmith and West London’s College, said the combined strengths of the two organisations would offer students an exciting spectrum of educational and training opportunities - including the chance to progress on to higher level apprenticeships and degree courses.
And Michele Sutton CBE, interim principal of Kensington and Chelsea College, said: “This announcement is the result of a long and careful process to ensure the best future for students of all ages in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.”
In May, former Ucas CEO Mary Curnock Cook was named as the chair of governors at Kensington and Chelsea College. She said the proposed merger would “secure future provision in both our North Kensington and Chelsea sites which provide such vital services to our students and the communities we serve.”
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