A group of colleges in the South East Midlands have come together in a successful campaign aimed at further developing their work on meeting local skills needs. 

More than £5,000,000 was awarded to the group, known as the Colleges of the South-East Midlands (CoSEM), via the Department for Education’s Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) with significant support from Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire Chambers of Commerce.

Between them, Barnfield College, The Bedford College Group, Milton Keynes College Group, Moulton College and Northampton College educate and train almost 60,000 people every year, and work with approaching 9,000 different businesses at any one time.

The funding was split over four projects around green skills, improving communication with employers, digital skills, and healthcare.

The green skills project was led by The Bedford College Group, and has a strong focus on developing the skills needed as the country moves towards net zero, with many more people needing trained specialists to install devices including heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.  Investment has also gone into the construction of a new Green Skills Centre at Milton Keynes College’s Chaffron Way campus, and the cutting-edge equipment needed to facilitate training a new generation of skilled engineers and technicians.  In keeping with its ethos, the building itself also showcases interesting design solutions including the installation of a biomass boiler and an attenuation pond. Investment was also made at Northampton College where the refurbishment of existing space has seen the development of a bespoke Green Skills Centre.  Investment at Barnfield College has provided additions to its cutting-edge green skills training facilities. Further work between colleges will see the expansion of a green skills curriculum fit for the future.

Yiannis Koursis OBE, CEO of The Bedford College Group, says, “The Bedford College Group is proud to play a key role in addressing the skills needs of our region, particularly through our work on the green skills agenda. By collaborating with employers and our CoSEM partners, we are ensuring that the workforce of tomorrow is equipped to tackle the challenges of today, whether it’s achieving net zero, advancing healthcare, or driving innovation in digital sectors. These projects showcase the power of partnership in delivering transformative outcomes for both learners and businesses, ultimately strengthening our local and national economy.”

Milton Keynes College Group was responsible for a project around raising awareness among, and growing connections with, employers across the region.  This included a significant piece of research across the region, talking to businesses about their needs and gauging their understanding of what Further Education (FE) can offer, while also identifying any barriers to them seeking FE support.  This part of the project also included a marketing and social media campaign which saw hundreds of referrals of businesses to colleges through a joint online portal, under the tagline, Delivering Skills, Boosting Business.

Sally Alexander, CEO and Group Principal at Milton Keynes College Group, says, “As colleges, we know that where there are skills needs, we can deliver support for employers, whether it’s to train new staff or raise the abilities and competencies of their existing workforce.  When we work with businesses we achieve very high satisfaction rates, as shown by the amount of repeat business we all receive.  One of the great strengths of this campaign was to get in front of companies that didn’t already know about what we can offer.”

A digital skills project fronted by Milton Keynes College has been central to the development of a portfolio of new courses to provide the skilled digital workforce so much in demand in the city and across the region. This curriculum development is being carried out in collaboration with local employers, to ensure learners are being armed with the most in-demand competencies.  These courses will be shared with all the CoSEM colleges. This project saw significant investment in digital equipment for all colleges to support the delivery of new curriculum, it also included a significant upgrade of Moulton College’s Wi-Fi to enhance their student experience.

Barnfield College has led a project working with the region’s employers in the healthcare sector, to support the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.  College staff have received specialised training on the latest clinical skills for those entering the health and care workforce, and also attended workshops with NHS Trust experts on best practice in the use of advanced simulation equipment in healthcare training.   A range of new equipment is being provided to colleges and bespoke training ward facilities are being installed to enable college learners to develop skills for working in hospitals.  The first learners have already begun benefitting from this remodelling of healthcare training.  Through this project, an innovative NHS Career Gateway course has been developed, in collaboration with NHS colleagues, which provides a high-quality, focused route into work for those new to the healthcare sector.

Sally Alexander summarises the LSIF project, saying: “I’m delighted that our CoSEM group of colleges have shown how effective collaboration across the region can be.  Working with each other, working with businesses and working with government and our local community, we can ensure Britain has the wherewithal to flourish.”

Jason Lancaster, principal of Northampton College, says, “Green skills are going to be the driver of economic growth over the coming years so it is vital that colleges work together to ensure we are supplying employers with a ready-to-go workforce that is well-versed in the modern techniques that will turbocharge the region’s recovery and propel it to prosperity.”

Cath Gunn, Principal at Barnfield College, says, “The Local Skills Improvement Fund projects represent considerable investment in facilities and staff training, as well as collaboration with employers, and this investment enhances our ability to train our learners in the skills they need for jobs in our local workforce.”  We are very proud of the work we are doing with the NHS, which provides local people with the training they need to enter high-quality careers and fill critical roles in in healthcare.

Principal of Moulton College, Oliver Symons, says, “I am proud to be part of this collaborative effort to drive forward skills development in the South East Midlands. This investment allows us to enhance our training offerings across high-demand sectors. By aligning closely with local businesses and community needs, we’re not only empowering our students but also strengthening the region’s workforce to meet future demands. The Colleges of the South-East Midlands partnership exemplifies how collaboration can fuel innovation, economic resilience, and sustainable growth in our communities.”

Learners from across Milton Keynes College Group, including its Milton Keynes campuses as well as its 30 prisons, have contributed to this year’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Calendar – celebrating a wide range of cultural and community events.

The EDI Calendar highlights events and celebrations that are often overlooked in traditional shop-bought calendars, celebrating the diversity of our campus and prison learners by marking key dates for celebrations such as World Braille Day in January, LGBT+ History Month in February, Black History Month and Diwali in October, and Hanukkah in December.

The artworks selected for the Calendar were diverse in style and media, all responding to this year’s theme: “Cultural Heritage and Recognising Environmental Diversity.” Encouraging personal interpretation, this theme inspired our learners to explore artistic ways of celebrating both cultural heritage and the diversity of ecosystems, landscapes, and wildlife from around the world. It inspires to cherish and celebrate the cultural heritage found within our campuses and prisons.

A panel of four judges received a fantastic array of submissions this year and independently evaluated all artworks based on their artistic merit and connection to the theme. The judges were impressed by this year’s submissions, saying that ‘there are far more excellent submissions than there are months in the year.’ Altogether, there were 159 submissions. From animal-populated savannahs and seascapes to rural British landscapes, they depicted a wide range of environments and cultures. Many of them blended symbolism and text, with quotes from famous artists and thinkers such as Frida Kahlo and Brené Brown, as well as our learners’ own thoughts on cultural and environmental diversity.

Nine artworks were selected from prison learners, including from HMP Gartree, HMP Frankland, HMP Send, HMP Erlestoke, HMP Fosse Way, HMP Full Sutton and HMP Garth, showcasing the range of talent within our prison learners across England. Three artworks were chosen from campus learners, demonstrating the creativity within our art departments, with one piece from a Photography student and two from students of Art & Design.

Sally Alexander, CEO and Group Principal of MK College Group, said: “With Belonging being a key value at MK College Group, we hope to make everyone connected with the Group feel valued for their true selves. I am delighted to share our Group calendar for 2025, celebrating key dates across a range of communities. I am especially pleased that contributions have come from learners throughout our entire Group, including nine from our prison learners.”

The EDI Calendar is an annual project which allows our learners to explore socio-political and environmental themes through art, with some of our previous themes being ‘Community’ and ‘Belonging’.

Arv Kaushal, Head of People Development and EDI at the College Group, said: “At MK College Group, our ambition to foster a genuine sense of belonging is central to everything we do. This year’s EDI Calendar beautifully exemplifies this commitment. The 2025 calendar, themed ‘Cultural Heritage and Recognising Environmental Diversity,’ has provided our learners and colleagues with the opportunity to explore these concepts through inspirational and thought-provoking artwork.”

“While no calendar can encompass all the significant dates throughout the year, we hope this one sparks your curiosity and encourages you to discover what matters to those around you.”

To find out more about the College Group’s work in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, visit Equality and diversity – MK College.