About the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group serves the education and skills needs of the Yorkshire region from its Colleges in Castleford, Selby and Wakefield.
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group was formed following the merger of Selby College and Wakefield College and the formation of Castleford College on 1st March 2022.
The Group offers an expansive range of post-16 provision, apprenticeships, higher education, adult qualifications and distance learning, through its wide variety of full and part-time courses. It also works closely with employers locally, regionally and nationally to deliver work-based training programmes to meet existing and future skills shortages.
Across its three Colleges, the Group serves nearly 10,000 students including full-time, Higher Education and Apprentices. With a combined turnover of £36 million, the Group currently employs more than 950 teaching and support staff.
Following an Ofsted inspection in October 2023, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group was graded ‘Good’ across all four provision types and ‘Strong’ for its contribution to meeting regional and national skills needs.
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group is passionate about transforming our students’ lives by providing an exceptional experience that improves their confidence and develops their skills. We want every one of them to fulfil their potential in society and achieve their aspirations. Sam Wright
Principal and Chief Executive at Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Stronger Together
The merger of Wakefield College and Selby College, and the creation of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group brings many new benefits to learners across the region and beyond.
We will offer a wider range of courses and apprenticeships at all levels, including additional higher education pathways, increased support for our students and extended services for employers.
We will take the very best practice from colleagues at both Colleges and combine it to enhance students’ experiences inside the classroom and outside. We believe this will result in better results for our students, improved progression opportunities and career enhancement.
The merger creates a much larger College entity, which will mean more funding and the ability to invest in developing our offer to benefit students and apprentices across a wide geographical area.
As separate organisations, both colleges have invested heavily in creating real-world learning environments and teaching spaces in recent years. As a Group, this investment will continue at pace to ensure our learners have access to the highest quality facilities.
As a new, combined institution, we will continue to share proven expertise in quality improvement, ensuring that students across our communities can access a high-quality learning experience with excellent standards of support.
Both Selby and Wakefield Colleges already work effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders and partners and are integral hubs within their local communities. We will continue to play a key role in addressing social exclusion and raising aspirations by providing inclusive opportunities.