South and City College Birmingham receive recognition for partnership with us

South and City College Birmingham’s long-standing partnership with us has been recognised for transforming the life chances of young people. 

At this year’s annual Education Awards, the Impact through Partnership accolade was awarded to South and City College Birmingham for effective partnership working with the region’s biggest transport company. 

Over the last decade the two organisations have worked together to provide young people in the community with local education, training and engineering apprenticeship opportunities, supporting them in getting ready for future employment.

Ourselves and South and City College Birmingham, one of the largest further education colleges in the country, celebrated 10 years of partnership working in June this year. The transport company gifted its third coach to the college to help move students between campuses as well as for travel to and from educational trips across the UK. 

In 2018, our Engineering Training Academy was created at South and City’s Bordesley Green campus. The aim was to create a workspace with all of the facilities needed to enable apprentices to have a realistic learning experience that closely matched the workplace while they were learning in college. 

Our Engineering Training Manager, Lee Sandford said: “From the very beginning of the project to create the National Express and South and City College Engineering Training Academy, we all knew that we had the opportunity to create something very special that would provide opportunities and transform lives of people in the local area whilst addressing the skills shortage within the bus and coach industry. 

“Through true partnership working, which includes innovative thinking, joined-up processes and open communication, this initiative is making a fantastic positive impact.”

South and City College Birmingham took home two Education Awards from the awards ceremony. As well as winning the Impact Through Partnership award, the college was also crowned Further Education College of the year. 

The Education Awards highlight the most outstanding contributors to the education sector by recognising and celebrating the achievements of people and organisations that go above and beyond to promote excellence. This year’s event was held at Millennium Point on Friday 1st July.