Fiona Naftel, chief executive of of the GTA University Centre and Trevor Wakefield, principal of the College of FE.

The GTA University Centre and the Guernsey College of Further Education have announced that they will be working closer together to provide training and education solutions to students and professionals in Guernsey.

By working in partnership the two institutions believe they can deliver appropriate training at many different levels while simultaneously driving down costs through economies of scale and the sharing of critical resources.

These costs savings will be passed on to students and professionals looking for training solutions, widening access to skills development and benefitting the island’s economy.

Chief Executive of the GTA University Centre, Fiona Naftel, said: “While we are still committed to programmes that bring in expertise from UK universities, partnering with the College of FE will give students better value for money and a more flexible approach to delivery. It also gives us the opportunity, in collaboration with local industry, to further develop the range of courses available.”

Trevor Wakefield, principal of the Guernsey College of Further Education, said: “This is a first step in what promises to be a more joined up approach to business education and training in Guernsey.”

The first programmes to benefit from this new partnership are the Chartered Management Institute courses for aspiring and middle managers, offered at levels 3 and 5.

“It is our intention to bring in private providers to work with the College on the delivery of these courses to demonstrate the benefits of better public/private sector collaboration,” said Mr Wakefield.

The two institutions will be announcing further joint initiatives in due course.