Dorset Chamber has welcomed Bournemouth & Poole College to the ranks of its premier business partners.
The alliance has brought business and further education closer together while strengthening their well-established working relationship.
Bournemouth & Poole College (BPC) joins AFC Bournemouth and Lester Aldridge in the top tier of the chamber’s membership as a premier business partner.
It is the largest provider of further education and apprenticeships in Dorset, while the chamber is the county’ leading business support organisation.
Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling said: “BPC delivers the skills, qualifications and training that are so important for our local economy.
“It is a longstanding chamber member and dynamo of the business community as well as a major local employer in its own right.
“I am excited by the opportunities to bring education and business even closer together through our new premier business partnership.”
Dorset Chamber’s business partner programme is for members that wish to make a greater contribution to the organisation and the business community.
It has three premier business partners at the top level and 23 platinum business partners.
BPC has been a chamber member for nearly a decade and was a longstanding Platinum Business Partner before stepping up its status to Premier Business Partner.
The college serves more than 9,000 learners and works with more than 1,000 employers every year.
Based in North Road, Poole, it employs more than 650 people and brings in around £32m of government funding for skills into the area annually as well as a further £7m of income.
Principal and chief executive Phil Sayles said: “Dorset Chamber is a likeminded organisation which shares our ambitions for our local community, employers and economy.
“Our strategic partnership will further drive educational delivery and economic development in the area and wider region by equipping learners, and their employers, with the skills critical for business growth now and in the future.”
Dorset Chamber, founded in 1949, is the only chamber in the county accredited to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
Ranked as the leading chamber nationally with 118 five-star reviews on Google, the chamber has a vision for ‘a vibrant and prosperous Dorset business community that enhances the quality of life for all’.
With a ‘good’ Ofsted rating, BPC serves 16-18 year olds, apprentices and adults studying up to degree level. Its next open event for prospective students is on November 15.
Visit https://www.thecollege.co.uk/college/about-us/events/open-events and https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/about-us/business-partners/for more information
