College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) joins Capital City College Group

Capital City College Group (CCCG) has today (1 November) announced that it is merging with The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL), making the Group the largest further education and training provider in London.

With CONEL joining, the Capital City College Group will provide learning to 37,000 students aged 16 and over, in 11 sites across London and the South East, as well as providing a high-quality training service for employers.

As part of its overriding commitment to provide the next generation of skilled Londoners, the enlarged Group has nationally recognised specialisms in areas crucial to the UK’s future, such as construction, digital technology, healthcare, hospitality, rail engineering and science, and last year, CCCG’s colleges trained more than 2,000 apprentices on behalf of 1,000 employers.

All three colleges (Westminster Kingsway College, City and Islington College, and The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London), which currently have ‘Good’ OfSTED grades, will maintain their individual operating brands.

And, with apprenticeships forming an increasingly important part of further education provision, the three colleges’ services will be supported by Capital City College Training (CCCT), launched by CCCG earlier this year to focus on meeting employers’ training needs and provide the widest range of apprenticeships in London.

Andy Forbes, Executive Principal of CONEL, said: “The merger of CONEL into CCCG will create three strong, confident colleges and help each to grow, develop and thrive.

“CONEL is a fantastic college, and we are extremely proud that at the time of joining CCCG that we’re very much on top of our game, having recently been named in the FE Choices Survey as the best college in England for student satisfaction and top in London for employer satisfaction for the second year running.

“Our commitment to deliver high quality vocational training and higher education courses in Haringey and Enfield remains unchanged as we continue to focus on success as part of this new partnership.

“I’m optimistic that we will all benefit from this merger and, most importantly, that the students and apprentices we teach and communities we serve will also benefit.”

Andy Wilson, CEO of CCCG, said: “We are all very excited that CONEL is joining the group – bringing together three of London’s most successful colleges to create an education and training powerhouse and a regional college for London, which will deliver exceptional benefits to local communities and businesses. All our centres are close to transport hubs, making them accessible to our students, adult learners, apprentices and businesses.

“As the country prepares to exit the European Union, Capital City College Group will be in an even stronger position to help to meet the UK’s skills shortage and transform the lives of Londoners through innovative education and training.”