A partnership between Novus and Gower College Swansea has been awarded a contract by HMPPS Wales to deliver Learning and Skills at HMP&YOI Parc in Bridgend.
Novus Gower is a joint venture between not-for-profit social enterprise Novus, which is the UK’s largest provider of education, training and employability programmes to prisoners, and Gower College Swansea, one of the largest colleges in Wales, with more than 12,500 full time and part time learners. Novus is part of LTE Group, the first integrated education and skills group of its kind, delivering its provision to more than 100,000 learners.
Gower College Swansea has an excellent reputation for the quality of its teaching and learning, delivering a wide-ranging portfolio of academic and vocational courses with strong performance across all areas of provision. It is one of the largest apprenticeship providers in Wales and is widely regarded for its innovative approach to supporting people into new and better work through the highly successful Better Jobs, Better Futures programme. The college also has a strong reputation for its work with employers at local, regional and national level through its industry-led suite of skills, recruitment and workforce development support.
Peter Cox, Novus Managing Director and Board Director of Novus Gower, commented on the venture:
“We are really pleased to be working with Gower College Swansea to form the Novus Gower partnership, following the success of our Novus Cambria collaboration at HMP Berwyn. This contract provides us with the opportunity to really make a difference to the future outcomes of our learners at HMP&YOI Parc, providing them with the skills and qualifications to find job opportunities on release, which in turn reduces reoffending.
“Rehabilitation and employability skills are absolutely key to our delivery in HMP&YOI Parc. We are excited about working closely with local and national employers to provide opportunities for our learners and we’re really keen to hear from any new partners that are interested in working with us”
Mark Jones, Director at Novus Gower and Principal and CEO at Gower College Swansea said:
“We are delighted that Novus Gower has been awarded the Learning and Skills contract for HMP&YOI Parc. The diversity and reach of our provision at Gower College Swansea is something I’m immensely proud of and this contract further demonstrates our commitment to meeting the broadest possible range of education, training and employment needs across south Wales.
“Through our partnership with Novus, we are bringing together not only a wealth of experience, innovation and expertise in education and skills delivery, but also a shared commitment to transforming the lives of learners at Parc through the provision of high-quality learning opportunities which maximise the chances of securing meaningful employment on release.”
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Novus Gower is a partnership between Novus, which is part of LTE Group, and Gower College Swansea. The organisation was formed in 2022.
Gower College Swansea is one of the largest further education colleges in Wales with over 4,500 full time and 8,000 part time learners from across Swansea and the surrounding area studying each year. The College is continually broadening the reach of its provision through an increasingly diverse offering which, in recent years, has included the significant growth of Apprenticeship provision at all levels, the establishment of a large-scale suite of Employability support to communities across Swansea, the expansion of its offer to Year 10 and Year 11 learners, in conjunction with local schools, and a strong HE provision.
The College operates from seven locations across Swansea and is one of the largest employers in the region with over 1,000 staff and an annual turnover of just under £50m.
Novus delivers education, training, employment and support services for adults and young people in custody through to the community in England and Wales. For almost 30 years we have been helping men, women and children of all ages and abilities, in custodial and community settings, to take new directions, by providing them with the learning, skills and opportunity needed to build positive futures for themselves, their families, and our communities. We work together with our public, community and employer partners towards shared aims, helping individuals turn their lives around.
We are part of LTE Group, a UK social enterprise dedicated to improving lives and economic success through learning and skills. The Group is made up of five specialist organisations – The Manchester College, UCEN Manchester, Novus, MOL and Total People – all with a shared mission and values.
Both Gower College Swansea and LTE are members of the prestigious Collab Group.
For media enquiries please contact Allison Lowe on 01792 284262 or allison.lowe@gcs.ac.uk or Emma Ward on 07730 617869 or warde@ltegroup.co.uk