About us
About the partnership
Who we are: The Marches Education Partnership is a collaboration of education providers across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire – committed to working together on a series of initiatives which support the recruitment and retention of skilled staff.
What we do: Our projects are aimed at addressing specific skills needs identified in the latest Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for the Marches area.
Why we exist: We are seeking to address staff and skills shortages in the manufacturing and engineering sectors, including food and drink and construction, and build a ‘green skills’ construction workforce with a focus on environmental technologies.
What we want to achieve: Our aim is to ensure that people seeking careers in growing sectors such as green energy, digital and construction – or looking to upskill for career development – can access improved skills training, helping them secure good jobs closer to home.
Our projects will to help build capacity and respond to local priorities through provision and services, including investment in new or upgraded facilities and equipment.
How we are funded: We deliver Government-backed projects, funded by Strategic Development Fund (SDF) and Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) cash. The funding is helping providers work together more effectively, alongside employers and other partners, to respond to local skills and innovation priorities.
About our partners
Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College
The group is made up of five colleges covering Herefordshire and Shropshire.
We work together to boost skills and improve knowledge right across the region, contributing to increased economic prosperity, innovation and inspiration.
From A Levels to apprenticeships, vocational courses to higher education – there’s something for everyone.
Our five colleges boast excellent, modern facilities including specialist workshops, our new Low Carbon Technology Training Centre, professional training restaurants, salons, science labs, equestrian centres, domestic and exotic animals and more. There’s been recent investment and renovation across all campuses.
You will be given the opportunity to excel and succeed in your learning by our well-qualified and highly professional teachers.
The vast majority of our students progress to higher level courses, including university studies, and then into employment.
The College is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, with our students’ attitudes and behaviours ‘outstanding’.
Shrewsbury Colleges Group
Shrewsbury Colleges Group is the largest provider of post-16 education in Shropshire. The college operates from three campuses, offering academic and vocational excellence, as well as Higher Education and Apprenticeship provision.
We have links and partnerships with over 600 local, regional, and national companies, providing opportunities for work experience, industry placements, apprenticeships, and employment.
We continuously review our courses against local Labour Market Intelligence to ensure they meet the needs of the local economy with appropriate content for the current employment market.
We offer high-quality teaching along with tutorial support to guide you through the courses that we offer. With excellent facilities and resources, we provide an environment which supports your studies to get the outcome that you want.
At the core of our success is our commitment to you, as an individual. We want you to enjoy your time with us and achieve your potential.
At the core of our success is our commitment to you, as an individual. We want you to enjoy your time with us and achieve your potential.
Telford College
Telford College is the largest further education centre in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, working in partnership with employers to deliver upskilling and career development programmes.
These include A levels, T-Levels, apprenticeships, degree-level higher education programmes, blended and virtual learning, and sector-specific specialist training hubs.
The college’s main campus is in Wellington, but it is also opening a new Digital & Maths Skills Hub in Telford’s Station Quarter in autumn 2024, providing a vital pathway to higher quality and better paid careers.
The college is rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, with 100% pass rates across many curriculum areas.
For adult programmes leading to employment, Telford College has been ranked the highest and top performing college in the West Midlands Combined Authority area, based on achievement and retention.
The college is constantly reshaping its curriculum to meet the needs of the local business community, working in partnership with some of the area’s biggest companies who are active partners in a series of sector-specific ‘Employer Hubs’.
People we work with
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association
HWGTA is an employer-led, not-for-profit training provider offering bespoke apprenticeships and training to local businesses and communities.
It has over 50 years of experience in delivering excellent training across the two counties, consistently rating above the national average for learner success rates, holding ‘Outstanding’ grading from Ofsted and maintaining successful, long-term relationships with local employers.
The association was formed in 1967 by local Herefordshire employers to combine their efforts in the training of engineering apprentices. HWGTA has since developed the training delivery available to include apprenticeships in accountancy, business administration, customer service and management.
In 1999 the Association extended its training provision into Worcestershire, forming HWGTA as we know it today, rated as “one of the best providers of bespoke apprenticeships” – Ofsted 2016.
HWGTA is unique in its employer-led approach; with local business leaders heading up the voluntary board of directors, the training model adapts and continuously improves to fit the needs of local businesses.
In-Comm Training Services
In-Comm Training, which is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, is one of the UK’s leading independent training providers, supporting over 1000 apprentices and 500 companies every year with apprenticeships, upskilling opportunities, and strategic consultancy.
Operating from two world class technical academies in Aldridge and Telford, the company has pioneered an employer-led approach to skills, engaging with firms to understand their requirements and then collaborating with them on shaping course delivery, launching new training facilities and futureproofing staff for years to come.
The strategic technical partnerships is one of its unique strengths, closely followed by a £7m investment drive that has given learners access to state-of-the-art technology in CNC machining, CADCAM, 3D printing, fluid power, robotics, welding, metrology and tooling capabilities through the recent partnership with Brandauer.
In-Comm Training’s new home in Telford – at the heart of the traditional industrial revolution – was created in direct response to what employers in that area required and massive demand has seen it already near capacity with learners and apprentices.
SBC Training
Shropshire’s longest established private training provider, SBC Training has been delivering high quality vocational training programmes and apprenticeships across the county for 40 years.
Thousands of individuals have been supported into permanent employment and in their journey towards the achievement of their career goals.
SBC Training is a Skills for Care Endorsed Provider and is rated by employers as one of the top apprenticeship providers in Shropshire. Group sizes are kept to a level where individual’s learning needs are fully supported and wherever possible programmes are customised to ensure that specific employer needs are met.
SBC Training is an experienced provider of training to the Health and Social Care sector, working with NHS Trusts, social care providers and medical practices. SBC Training provides a wide range of courses and apprenticeships in a range of specialist areas from its dedicated training centres in Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Telford which include dedicated teaching space for health and social care as well as engineering, construction, ICT, administration, management, accountancy and digital marketing.
Supported by
