The importance of forging closer links between businesses and education is at the heart of Great Yarmouth College’s vision for the future. It has just launched the Business Partnership Initiative which will use the expertise of local employers to develop its curriculum and offer continued training.
More than 60 business people attended the launch at the college’s training restaurant Ambitions, where they took part in workshops to research future industry needs and explore current skills gaps. The initiative will also look at how the college can help industry in the area by offering continuous professional development for employees.
The college is offering a host of new courses this year and it is developing a programme of twilight sessions for businesses to use to update and up-skill their workforce. Julia Howard, director of strategic development for Great Yarmouth College, says the partnership is important in enabling the college to share ideas with businesses on how to best support the training needs of local enterprise.
“We are looking forward to developing our relationships with these key employers and ensuring that our students are equipped to meet their needs and those of the developing sector,” she says.
Membership of the partnership is free; www.gyc.ac.uk; 01493 419283.
