Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

Here at Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, strategic partnerships are key to connecting businesses to organisations that can support their growth, and enabling those same businesses to give back to those same organisations, for the greater good of the communities we live in.

Mutual benefit equals effective cooperation – and our latest strategic partnership with The Bedford College Group, launched on 1^st February, is very much a case in point.

We met with the Group’s CEO, Yiannis Koursis OBE; an enthusiastic and hugely experienced ambassador for education, training, and business in the region, to gain some insight into the partnership, its goals, the activities it will involve, and the benefits it will deliver.

The Bedford College Group: wide-ranging, far-reaching

Importantly, The Bedford College Group, Yiannis explains, is anything but a Bedford-only institution. Consisting of seven colleges across both Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, it serves a population of over 1.1 million.

The Group’s 19,000 students include those joining straight after school, apprentices, T Level students, Sixth Formers, adult learners some of whom are returning to education to gain GCSEs and English and math whilst others join to retrain for totally new careers. The Group also offers courses for undergraduates, – all ably taught and supported by almost 2,000 members of staff, many having experience of working in the industry they teach beforehand.

With such a varied student body and course choice, the Group prides itself on offering options for everybody, but it’s also particularly strong in multiple disciplines, such as digital, health and social care, and engineering.

The Group also works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the King’s Trust to support workforce development and help further young people’s confidence to pursue the careers of their dreams.

Why is the partnership good news for the region?

The essence of the partnership is that it delivers benefit in multiple directions.

The Bedford College Group will showcase its students’ abilities, the students will gain more effective access to employment opportunities, and businesses in the region will be able to recruit talent to support their growth and succession planning.

“Partnering with the Chamber is a way of enabling us to achieve our purpose,” Yiannis says, “which is delivering value to students, the community, and regional businesses.”

“It will enable us to tailor education and training solutions to meet businesses’ needs and address the skills shortage that is such an issue for employers in the region and the UK as a whole. The partnership will create a bespoke engagement plan so we can ask businesses ‘How can we help you? What are your growth plans, and how can our training, education, and students support enable you?’”

“From the students’ point of view, they benefit from an up-to-date, business-aligned curriculum, access to business insight, and critical exposure to the world of work, as well as the opportunities for employment and apprenticeships that it offers.”

How will the partnership work in practice?

In Yiannis’s words, the partnership exists to “bring businesses into us, and take our offering to the people who need it the most.”

Collaboration on projects that drive meaningful opportunities for both students and local businesses – e.g. industry-led student challenges, work placements, and apprenticeships - will feature strongly in the partnership.

At the same time, the partnership will empower the Group to grow its brand and reach across local businesses by sitting on the Chamber’s Board and acting as keynote speaker at the Chamber’s business leader events and round tables.

Building on a proven relationship

As a longstanding Chamber member, The Bedford College Group values our work highly, and Yiannis is excited by the many prospects for promotion and mutual support the partnership will bring.

“The Chamber team is very proactive, and really committed to the region,” he says. “We’re looking forward to leveraging our membership to reach out and add value to a variety of Bedfordshire businesses, of all types and sizes.”

For more information about The Bedford College Group please visit www.bedfordcollegegroup.ac.uk or call 0345 658 8990.

For more information on how to join Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, visit www.chamber-business.com , or call our friendly team on 01582 522448.