Academy is just the job when it comes to finding new skilled employees.
Milton Keynes College Group has been given the thumbs-up by local business leaders for its ‘highly tuned’ understanding of their needs.
A new survey of regional companies has shown that 80% of employers believe MKCG has a strong grasp of their sector. Almost two-thirds (65%) of them said the College, which has campuses in Leadenhall and Bletchley, ‘gets’ the requirements of their particular business.
While MKCG trains and educates learners in a wide range of skills and competences, the survey found that engineering, manufacturing, digital and green sectors are the areas on which most employers rely for delivering new workers or to broaden the skills of existing staff.
“Relationships with local employers are key to everything we do,” said Sally Alexander, CEO and Principal of MKCG. “Our role is to produce a pipeline of talent for the city’s workforce. It’s only by having close relationships with business and listening and adapting to their needs that we can achieve that, and I’m delighted this survey suggests that’s exactly what we are doing.”
The research was carried out as part of a major initiative from the Department for Education called the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF). MKCG was chosen by government officials to lead a series of projects involving five local colleges – from Milton Keynes, Barnfield, Bedford, Moulton and Northampton – collectively known as CoSEM (Colleges of the South East Midlands).
More than three-quarters of the employers surveyed described themselves as having a positive relationship with MK’s college, with over two-thirds having taken the apprenticeship route for gaining trained staff.
“Milton Keynes College Group is consistently training and educating more than 15,000 learners, and we’re currently growing in line with the expansion of the city,” said Sally Alexander.
“We’re dealing with 4,000 employers at any given time, so we appreciate that our role in supporting that growth is absolutely pivotal.”
More details on how MKCG works with employers here: https://mkcollege.ac.uk/employers.
