Tameside College has been a proud member of the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network for many years, our involvement has always been rooted in a simple but powerful principle: collaboration drives quality. We first joined the Network to ensure that we were not operating in isolation but instead contributing to and learning from a collective of Further Education colleges and independent providers across Greater Manchester. That early decision has proven to be strategically important enabling us to benchmark, challenge and continuously refine our provision in line with both regional priorities and national expectations.
Jackie Moores, Principal and CEO:
Tameside College is proud to be a member of GMLPN and the values it represents. The network enables the college to share best practice in a supportive and collaborative environment with other GM providers and to learn from colleagues across the sector in GM. Tameside College is also very proud to showcase the talent of our learners and staff alongside our colleagues across the GMPLN.
Tameside College has responded to many challenges and opportunities over the past 25 years to create a thriving teaching and learning environment. Regulatory, legal, technological and social changes have presented opportunities for the college to adapt and grow. Our GMLPN membership has helped shape this growth through shared practice, benchmarking and one voice.
The pandemic is a great example of a shared experience between GMLPN members of quickly adapting a public service online whilst ensuring the most vulnerable learners retained vital access to their teachers and support networks. The practice from this era has been embedded within the organisation.
The government’s increased focus on skills has created a diverse technical and academic further education curriculum to enable student progression to the ever-changing labour market. We deliver everything from A-levels to animal management, cyber security, fashion and design. The impact of artificial intelligence on future employment is also being introduced into the delivery of courses as we prepare our learners for the world of work.
This transformation can be seen in the physical change of the campus. Not only has the estate grown, now four main sites, but the range and investment in specialist facilities has been incredible. The college in partnership with Tameside MBC have been planning to accommodate the explosion in student numbers, due to a spike in birth rate, for over a decade. We are now proud owners of one of the best further education estates in the north-west.
As with other GMLPN members Tameside College is also responding to regulatory changes. The college has been one of the first in the country to be assessed under the new Ofsted framework for its teacher education programme. Changes to SEND legislation have also encouraged the college to adapt its already robust student support service to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
Devolution of adult funding has also forged a closer relationship with GMLPN membership to ensure local communities are prepared in line with Greater Manchester Combined authority skills agenda. Our work with employers has flourished with global employers including Siemens and Amazon training their potential workforce at the college. The college’s membership of Greater Manchester Institute of Technology (GMIoT) has also strengthened the reputation of further education in providing skills in science, technology and maths (Stem).
Working as a member of GMLPN, our ambitions for the future of skills across GM are:
- To be part of Greater Manchester’s economic growth by delivering high quality training and skills for growth sectors across the region.
- To support social inclusion, access and harmony to benefit the health and wellbeing of all our communities.
- To ensure Greater Manchester’s post 16 education sector is the most successful nationally.
