An educational partnership linking New City College with Queen Mary University has been announced.
The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding, aims to develop new learning pathways and address skills gaps across local, national, and international contexts.
Under this arrangement, both organisations will examine the possibility of a foundation degree programme enabling British students to progress into Queen Mary’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Further collaborative opportunities will also be considered, aligned with their shared commitment to increasing educational accessibility.
Dr Philippa Lloyd, vice principal for policy and strategic partnerships at Queen Mary University of London, stated that the signing of this memorandum signifies the start of establishing a durable, foundational relationship between Queen Mary and New City College, one of the country’s largest further education bodies.
She added that she anticipated watching this cooperation develop and allow more people across East London and beyond to benefit from engaging in further education.
Queen Mary’s 240-year heritage centres on providing chances to every student who demonstrates the ability to succeed, while New City College concentrates on widening participation, strengthening community impact, and partnering with higher education establishments.
Dr Alison Arnaud, principal of New City College’s Tower Hamlets and Hackney campuses, noted that following many years of productive and positive cooperation, she was delighted that New City College and Queen Mary were now making this relationship official.
She mentioned that with projects specifically designed to serve local communities and generate prospects throughout the UK and internationally, this cooperation fits closely with their strategic priorities and commitment to their local areas.
The physical proximity of both establishments to Whitechapel, alongside Queen Mary’s recent purchase of considerable land in the area, creates additional prospects for jointly establishing new routes into various professions.
This latest agreement builds on Queen Mary’s ongoing commitment to working alongside local organisations that support learners pursuing non-traditional educational journeys.
New City College functions as the nation’s largest further education institution and holds an ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted, while Queen Mary University of London is a member of the Russell Group and maintains worldwide recognition for research and teaching.