WARWICKSHIRE College Group (WCG)’s decision to close one of its campuses and reduce the size of another will badly affect students in further education, trade unionists warned today.  

The group is planning to sell off its Malvern campus in August, following proposals announced last year, with learners and staff moving more than 20 miles away to a scaled-back site in Evesham, part of which will also be sold.

The University & College Union (UCU) warned that moving courses elsewhere would limit the options of 16- to 19-year-olds in the area and cut choices for adults wishing to reskill after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The union said there had been a “lack of proper consultation” with students, staff and the local community, and called for the reasoning behind the move to be made public.

UCU regional support official Teresa Corr said the move “does not make sense. At Malvern alone, there were 900 enrolments in the last academic year.

“[After coronavirus] the need for educational opportunities for young people needs to be grown, not cut. 

“We call on college management to properly consult with unions and the local community.”

The WCG has been contacted for comment.