MCA

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 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; Education Maintainance Allowance (EMA); Employer Responsiveness; Examinations; Aimhigher; Higher Education in Further Education; Marketing; Peer Review; Equality and Inclusion, Estates, 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 and Fusion, the NW colleges consortium,
• Influencing decision makers locally, regionally and nationally including Association of Colleges (AoC) Skills Funding Agency 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 Cathy Waldron, Coordinator of the MCA. 

Contact details for the member colleges can be found below:

Find out more...

A brief guide to the MCA