Potential disadvantages

Whilst the consultation confirmed that the merger was supported by the colleges’ stakeholders, it also provided the opportunity to capture and understand more clearly any questions from those directly involved in the merger. These will be considered as we move forward with merger plans.

The potential disadvantages that respondents could foresee with the proposed merger are detailed below along with our responses:

Themes Response

Negative impact on the local identities of the colleges.

The CCG brand strategy emphasises the individual colleges’ identities, ensuring each college retains its own unique identity, specialisms and offering, and is marketed using its own visual identity within their local community. We will ensure through our marketing and branding strategy that there is no negative impact on the local identities of the colleges.

The weaker college could negatively impact on the stronger college.

Both organisations have strengths which complement each other. We believe that bringing together two partners will build capacity, create new opportunities and growth.

We also have robust financial plans in place to ensure that our merged colleges are financially resilient and able to support our plans for growth.

Desire for the MET to remain independent.

The proposed merger is an exciting opportunity to reinforce and celebrate the positive aspects and mutual benefits of the merger to GB MET and CCG staff, learners, business customers and local communities.

Key to delivering this is a recognisable cross-group visual identity and a brand approach that ensures our creative images, ethos, and messages support both our group priorities and ensure that our colleges are unique, and truly ‘colleges for their local communities’.

The merger could result in job losses.

The focus of the merger is to bring together two partners and build capacity, looking for new opportunities and growth. We will work hard to mitigate any potential redundancies.

The merger could result in a high turnover of staff to the detriment of the quality of education and student support.

Both organisations have a shared vision of providing excellent technical, vocational, and professional education. Our priority is to deliver the best support and quality of provision to our students, our employers, and our communities. Our staff are our greatest asset and are key to delivering this priority. We have comprehensive plans in place to ensure staff have the required continuous professional development and infrastructure to be able to carry out their roles effectively. We will continue to monitor our turnover of staff and ensure any issues that arise are addressed promptly.

The organisation becoming too large and not having meaningful close contact between the executive team and staff.

Key to the success of the new organisation is our staff and their expertise. Currently, both organisations have a range of communication channels to keep their workforces updated and to gain feedback from staff on issues important to them, including staff committees, surveys, staff roadshows, briefings, and visible leadership teams. Post-merger, best practice from both organisations will be harnessed to maintain and improve cross-group communications, and the leadership team will work closely with both curriculum and business support staff to maintain communications and build relationships across the group.

The merged college would create a structure that is too top heavy.

Management structures are being reviewed to ensure the organisation has the right levels of support where required. The governors and leadership team are committed to ensuring that there is enough resource in place, with appropriate structures and support, to make the merged group a success. As a combined group, the management structure overall will be smaller than the two separate organisations combined.

There would be an increase in the number of students and not the infrastructure and resources to support them.

The merger is about growth and strength. Colleagues within existing colleges will be reviewing structures and identifying best practice to ensure we can continue to provide high quality support for our students moving forward. The financial strength of the new group will also allow us to invest more in our facilities and equipment for the benefit of our students.

Loss of services, such as SEND and wellbeing, that are not profitable.

GB MET is extremely proud of its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. We offer a range of courses specially tailored to SEND students’ needs in addition to an Additional Learning Support department which is dedicated to supporting students with a learning difficulty or disability to achieve.

CCG also offers a wide range of provision and support tailored to students’ needs. Integrated processes are in place to support and identify students’ requirements, which our dedicated Additional Learning Support team manage alongside tutors, pastoral support, and student services.

Across both organisations there are no plans to change the range of services in place to support our diverse student population.

Wellbeing is a core value of CCG, and the group recently won an Association of Colleges’ Beacon Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing. The award recognised and celebrated the important work the group is undertaking to support both staff and students. GB MET has also developed a range of health and wellbeing resources which will be shared with CCG. This important work will continue and be further developed post-merger.

Concerns over courses not remaining local and the result of students having to travel further.

If there is demand for a subject presence in a particular geographical location, then we are committed to maintaining this provision. Where there is duplication of provision in the local area, we may look to rationalise this in the future. We will always take a planned and informed approach to any future changes we make.

Concern over a further dilution of HE courses.

HE is a strategic priority for the group moving forward. We have identified this as an area to develop with the view to expanding upon our existing provision. We will work with colleagues and our employer partners to identify these areas of growth and to deliver our strategic priority.