Skills Revolution

Milton Keynes College Group doesn’t just want to equip learners with the skills needed for successful employment today, it wants learners to be ready for the careers of the future.  

The College Group’s Skills Revolution principle focuses on exactly that. Cat Marin, Executive Principal at Milton Keynes College Group, explains: “Employers need skills to grow and if colleges don’t move at the same speed as industry, learners graduate into skill sets that are already out of date”. 

The College Group has recently been named one of the government’s new Technical Excellence Colleges (TEC) for Digital and Technologies, and will deliver digital skills under the DigiTEC initiative. As part of this the College Group will work with FESA (Further Education and Skills Alliance, a group of seven Further Education colleges across the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor) and other key stakeholders to lead on building capacity with partner colleges through shared curriculum, professional development, and employer engagement. 

DigiTEC is more than a digital education programme, it is a regional partnership ecosystem that brings together employers, education, industry and communities to develop future-ready digital skills, widen access to opportunity, and prepare learners for careers in high-growth sectors including AI, cyber security, automation and emerging technologies.   

Cat Marin added: “For TEC status, we’re not just teaching today’s technology. We’re building the capacity, staff expertise and facilities to keep pace with what’s next. We’re working alongside colleges right across the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, Thames Valley and beyond”. 

With the College Group being chosen to lead on digital technologies with its TEC status, Cat Marin emphasises the vital role that digital skills have to play in a successful and exciting future for our learners, Milton Keynes as a city and the wider region: “Digital skills aren’t just a nice to have, they’re essential for almost any job. If we don’t widen access, opportunity gaps become permanent and that’s the opposite of the Fairer Futures we exist to build”. 

Cat also believes that the Skills Revolution can and should benefit everyone: “We want businesses to find the talent they need on their doorsteps. We want individuals to build real careers in high growth industries, and we want this region to be recognised as a genuine centre for digital and technological excellence”. 

Overall, DigiTEC is at the centre of the College Group’s Fairer Futures for All strategy. By creating a Skills Revolution where learners are prepared for the careers of the future and have the digital skills that employers will be looking for in years to come, Milton Keynes College Group will contribute to the success of its learners, employer partners and wider economy. 

For more information about DigiTEC, visit https://mkcollege.ac.uk/news/mk-college-group-named-as-technical-excellence-college/