MIDDLESBROUGH and Gateshead Colleges have announced their intention to look at ways of working closer.

The aim is to ensure students have the best possible access to expertise, job opportunities and links with employers.

The colleges will explore models of collaboration which enable them to remain independent and maintain their local focus, while benefiting from their combined strengths.

Both colleges are successful in their own right and are members of the entrepreneurial Gazelle Colleges Group. Each has particular strengths that can benefit the other. For example, Middlesbrough College has a significant track record in delivering high quality, mainstream 16 to 19 education, and Gateshead College is particularly successful in employer engagement.

The two principals believe that, together, they will be better placed to grow, improve performance and increase financial resilience to secure the future of the colleges – for staff, students and the local communities.

Mike Hopkins, principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College, said: “At the end of the day, it is about jobs and giving people and employers on Teesside and beyond the best possible opportunities for prosperity.

“A shared focus on students and employers, allied with commitment to our staff, are qualities that will underpin our collaborative work in the future. The world of further education is changing fast, and this signals our combined determination to ensure the colleges continue to thrive.

Richard Thorold, principal and chief executive at Gateshead College, said: “We’re at an exciting, but early stage in the process to explore ways to work more closely with Middlesbrough College. Both colleges, at this time, want to retain their autonomy and local focus, but we see enormous value and opportunity in growing and developing areas through collaboration.”