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APPROACH

City College Plymouth is committed to being the training provider of choice, ensuring that our curriculum aligns with the evolving needs of local, regional, and national employers. To achieve this, the College places diversification and strong industry partnerships at the heart of its strategy, requiring staff at all levels to actively engage with key stakeholders across multiple sectors. By creating robust relationships with wider civic, educational, and community partners, the College ensures a cohesive approach to workforce development, where all partners receive a consistent level of quality, engagement, and service.

A fundamental element of this engagement is providing a single point of contact for employers and stakeholders, ensuring that businesses seeking training solutions can easily access tailored support and expertise. This approach allows organisations to navigate the College’s training offer efficiently, ensuring that decision-makers responsible for workforce development understand available opportunities and can seamlessly integrate them into their operations. By reducing complexity and enhancing employer engagement, the College strengthens collaborative partnerships that drive economic growth and skills development.

A strategic approach

To ensure long-term sustainability and adaptability, the College has developed strategic actions to be delivered over a ten-year period. These actions serve as guiding frameworks, providing focus and direction while retaining the flexibility to respond to emerging opportunities that align with industry and community needs. They concentrate on highgrowth, high-demand sectors, ensuring alignment with both regional priorities and national agendas.

The plans directly support the Skills 4 Plymouth Local Authority Plan and align with the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), reinforcing the College’s commitment to meeting the skills needs of the local and regional economy.

By aligning skills development with key economic drivers, the College ensures that businesses, industries, and individuals have the training and expertise needed to thrive in an evolving economy. Through long-term planning, strong employer engagement, and strategic investment in stateof-the-art training facilities, the College is futureproofing Plymouth’s workforce while strengthening its position as a national leader in technical and vocational education. By integrating green and blue skills, driving digital transformation, and prioritising workforce upskilling, the College is not only supporting economic growth but also ensuring that no one is left behind as the city’s landscape continues to evolve.

Strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement

The College actively engages with a diverse range of stakeholders across the Plymouth travel-tolearn area and beyond, leveraging technological advancements in education to extend its reach. It builds strong partnerships with tier-one companies, SMEs, strategic organisations, and community groups, ensuring a collaborative and demand-led approach to skills development.

Key industry partners include Babcock International Group, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Princess Yachts, Livewell, Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, and Kier Construction, alongside smaller but equally important organisations such as BIT Group, Acronyms IT, Improving lives and YGS Landscapes. Additionally, the College maintains strategic collaborations with institutions such as the University of Plymouth, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Local Authority, and Devon Chamber, as well as a wide range of communitybased organisations.

Data-driven curriculum development

The College makes extensive use of labour market intelligence (LMI), alongside local insights, industry data, and employer feedback, to shape its strategy. This data-driven approach ensures that skills planning, curriculum development, and future investments are closely aligned with the evolving needs of the economy. As a result, the College has made significant investments in cutting-edge training facilities, such as:

  • £2 million investment in the Engineering & Nuclear Skills building, developed in partnership with Babcock International Group to support the defence and nuclear sectors
  • The redevelopment of health and business curriculum delivery spaces, including the introduction of the College’s anatomage table, providing state-of-the-art interactive learning for healthcare students.
  • Investment in cyber security facilities and immersive classroom facilities.

Strategic industry engagement

Ensuring broad sector engagement across organisations of all sizes is vital to delivering a comprehensive and responsive skills provision. This is particularly important in Plymouth and the wider South West, where a significant proportion of businesses fall within the SME category.

With a sector-focused approach, the College facilitates regular meetings with sector partners, incorporating industry bodies wherever possible.

This collaborative method reduces competition in an already crowded training market while promoting cooperation and alignment between training providers and employers, resulting in successful partnerships and stronger collaboration with key industry networks.

Stakeholder Engagement Channel

Participation in and hosting of networking events to promote collaboration.

Ensuring alignment with regional and national economic strategies.

Regular discussions with industry leaders to identify emerging skills needs.

Structured engagement with key employers to drive workforce development.

Strengthening industry links through direct engagement at College and employer premises.

Capturing insights to continuously refine training and curriculum offerings.

Promoting key initiatives and partnerships to enhance visibility and impact.

Aligning College activities with national skills and workforce development strategies.

Providing a platform for industry voices to discuss trends, innovations, and opportunities in skills development.

Ongoing curriculum alignment

By maintaining a proactive and responsive engagement strategy, the College ensures that its curriculum, training programmes, and wider educational initiatives remain aligned with industry needs and community aspirations, supporting both economic growth and social mobility.

These engagements have been highly successful, offering employers a platform to discuss sector challenges, skills gaps, and training requirements while also enabling the College to showcase its current and future training programmes. The direct exchange of feedback during these events ensures that course development remains industry-relevant, allowing the College to make real-time adjustments that support local and regional economic growth.