East Kent College and Canterbury College have merged to create the EKC Group - the seventh biggest college group in the country, they say.

The new group, which spans Canterbury, Dover, Shepway, Swale and Thanet, was created in line with recommendations from the Kent and Medway area review report, which was published last August. It has a turnover of about £55 million, 15,000 students and more than 1,000 staff.

‘Unlocking prosperity’

Group principal and chief executive Graham Razey said the merger would enable the colleges to deliver high-quality technical and vocational education across the whole of east Kent.

He added: “It’s great news for the many students we teach who now have unparalleled flexibility to progress through our range of provision, as well as the communities we serve, which I hope will benefit from the skills training and services we deliver.

“I’m pleased to announce that now we have merged, our new strategic plan has also been launched. This important document sets out our vision for a better technical education system in east Kent which will help unlock prosperity for all of our communities in the years to come.”

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