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Somerset colleges win CoVE status

Two Somerset colleges have been awarded Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) status for their work in helping develop the management skills of businesses across the county.

Richard Huish College in Taunton and Strode College in Street were awarded CoVE status in business and management skills.

The CoVE programme is financed and run by the Learning and Skills Council. It was set up in 2001 to encourage further education colleges to develop vocational specialisms and become more closely involved with local businesses.

The two colleges have been collaborating for the past 18 months to deliver a range of tailor made training packages for local companies - from accountancy training to management development.

The aim is to provide flexible training that best suits the needs of employers - it could be anything from a one day course to longer term training leading to National Vocational or other professional qualifications.

Marinos Paphitis, executive director of Somerset Learning and Skills Council, who presented both colleges with CoVE plaques, said: "This brings the number of Centres of Vocational Excellence we have in Somerset to five and I think that shows how progressive our county is.

"I am delighted that Richard Huish and Strode have collaborated on this latest CoVE, which has enabled a greater number of individuals from all backgrounds to access high quality business and management training.

"All our CoVEs have a crucial role to play in driving up the skills of the nation's workforce."

Dr Peter Avery, principal of Richard Huish College, said: "This exciting development allows the two colleges to combine their particular strengths in partnership. As a result businesses have access to a wide range of solutions based on the combined expertise of these two Beacon colleges."

Ian Bennett, principal of Strode College, said: "This award recognises our track record for providing high quality management services, including training, to Somerset employers. We shall be expanding these services in the future.

"The partnership with Richard Huish College enables both colleges to pool their expertise for the benefit of Somerset."

The other CoVEs in Somerset are - automotive engineering, Bridgwater College; early years care, Bridgwater College; construction skills, Somerset College of Arts and Technology, Taunton; advanced engineering, Yeovil College.

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