The Merseyside Colleges' Association (MCA) was established
in 1993 and now represents all seven further education and three
sixth-form colleges in Greater Merseyside. The original
members recognised the strength that partnership can bring and that
there is much that can be achieved in collaboration whilst
respecting the individual ethos of each institution.
MCA strengthens colleges so they can work together more effectively
for the benefit of local people and business by:
- Developing new initiatives such as the FE Responsiveness to Business project
- Sharing good practice in working groups that currently include: Curriculum Developments; EMA; Employer Responsiveness; Examinations; FE Strategy; HE in FE; Marketing; Peer Review; Procurement and an over-arching Principals Group
- Working with local partners in the public, voluntary and private sectors including the Aimhigher partnership, Greater Merseyside & West Lancashire Lifelong Learning Network and the Mersey Partnership
- Influencing decision makers locally, regionally and nationally including Association of Colleges (AoC) Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Government Office NW (GONW)
Colleges make a significant contribution to the social and economic regeneration of Greater Merseyside. In developing their individual and unique strengths the colleges are major players within the North West region and beyond. In addition to their primary educational role, the colleges influence the region's economy as:
- magnets for funding from various national sources
- direct employers
- buyers of goods and services
The MCA is chaired by Kathryn Podmore, Principal of Birkenhead Sixth Form College. The colleges are supported on a day-to-day basis by Andrew Molyneux, Coordinator of the MCA.
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