MK College Group is now White Ribbon Accredited, committing to working towards ending violence against women and girls. 

The College Group has demonstrated its commitment to working towards ending men’s violence against women by becoming White Ribbon Accredited, aligning with White Ribbon UK, the leading charity engaging men and boys to end violence against women.  

As a White Ribbon Accredited organisation, MK College Group will deliver a comprehensive multi-year plan to transform its staff culture, systems, and the wider community we operate in.  

White Ribbon Accreditation is an opportunity to make our workplace a safe place for men and women, and to upskill staff to become changemakers. MK College Group has already set up steering groups to support its White Ribbon accreditation and appointed trained active ambassadors and champions. At the College’s annual Student Conference in May, the theme was Belonging: From Awareness to Action, Developing Respect on Campus, and covered important topics like the role of masculinity and gender stereotypes in discussions surrounding consent, gender-based violence, misogyny, relationships, and mental health.  

The College is planning two days of activities for White Ribbon Day on 25^th November including a presentation from former Team GB athlete Peter Bakare in his role as ambassador for local domestic abuse charity MK ACT as well as a dedicated meeting of its Friends and Allies Network on the topic of unwanted behaviours towards women and girls. 

Sally Alexander, CEO and Group Principal at MK College Group, commented: “As a College Group in the heart of communities in Milton Keynes and beyond, we’re acutely aware of the scale of the problem of violence against women and girls. We believe strongly in delivering Fairer Futures for all, and this will only be achievable when women and girls are safe from violence. That’s why we’ve worked hard to achieve White Ribbon accreditation, and we will continue to find ways to stamp out violence against women and girls, whether that’s working with our student population, with our employees or with our wider communities. 

“We are marking White Ribbon Day on 25^th November with a number of activities including a charity football match to raise money for MK ACT, a local charity who supports families experiencing domestic abuse. We will also be talking to our learners and employees about the issue of violence against women and girls and encouraging constructive and positive conversations around how we can all work together to make women and girls safe against violence.” 

Anthea Sully, Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK said, “White Ribbon Accredited Organisations can make a real difference towards ending violence against women by promoting a culture of respect and equality among their staff and wider communities. By raising awareness among employees, people can learn how to become allies and call out violent and abusive behaviour when they see it. We are delighted to welcome MK College Group as one of our White Ribbon Accredited Organisations and are looking forward to working with them towards ending violence against women once and for all”. 

To find out more about the White Ribbon campaign, visit https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/ 

A major survey of local companies has shown that Milton Keynes College Group (MKCG) has a highly-tuned understanding of their needs. 

The survey found that more than 80% of employers believed the College Group has a strong grasp of their sector, with almost two-thirds (65%) saying the Group comprehends the requirements of their particular business. 

Sally Alexander, CEO and Principal of MKCG says, “Relationships with local employers are key to everything we do.  Our role is to produce a pipeline of talent for the city’s workforce.  That’s what we’re for.  It’s only by having close relationships with business and listening and adapting to their needs that we can achieve that, and I’m delighted this survey suggests that’s exactly what we are doing.” 

While MKCG trains and educates learners in a wide range of skills and competences, the survey also found that the engineering and manufacturing, digital and green sectors are the areas on which most employers rely on for providing new workers or broadening the skills of existing staff. 

The research was carried out as part of a major initiative from the Department for Education called the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF).  MKCG was chosen by government officials to lead a series of projects involving five local colleges – Milton Keynes, Barnfield, Bedford College Group, Moulton and Northampton, collectively know as CoSEM, or the Colleges of the South East Midlands. 

More than three-quarters of the employers surveyed described themselves as having a positive relationship with the college group, with just over two-thirds having taken the apprenticeship route for gaining trained staff.   

Sally says, “Milton Keynes College Group is consistently training and educating more than 15,000 learners, and we’re currently growing in line with the expansion of the city.  We’re dealing with 4,000 employers at any given time, so we appreciate that our role in supporting that growth is absolutely pivotal.     

The College’s recent Ofsted report highlighted its expertise in meeting the skills gap faced by industry and business, saying it makes “a strong contribution” in that area.  It says, “Senior leaders work very effectively in partnership with numerous stakeholders to identify, understand and contribute to meeting skills needs in the city, region and nationally.”  

The Ofsted inspectors went on to say, the college was “rightly proud of the work it has done… lifting aspirations for the city and demonstrating to young people what they can hope to achieve locally.” 

To find out more about how Milton Keynes College Group works with employers, visit Employers – MK College