The College Governors and managers are great believers in working in partnership with others to achieve results for the local communities that we serve and to meet the Government's agenda of promoting lifelong learning. We are proud of our links with agencies in and around the Wakefield District.

In January this year the Wakefield District Learning Partnership was launched. The Partnership works to address national learning objectives and ensure local needs and priorities are met. It aims to improve job prospects and earnings in the Wakefield District. The Partnership, which is chaired by the College's Principal, Heather MacDonald, comprises ourselves, NEW College, University of Leeds, the Mid-Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, the Local Education Authority and its Adult Education Service, Guidance Services, the Training Provider Network, Employment Service, the TUC, the voluntary sector and local secondary schools.

One of the major priorities locally is to improve the disappointingly low staying on rate in certain parts of the Wakefield District. Although we have taken various steps to address this, unfortunately, this has so far been without much success. We were pleased, therefore, to be invited by the Local Education Authority to take part in their major review of post-16 education and training across the District to identify gaps in provision which lead to poor staying on rates and poor performance. The review involves other providers in the District and will also engage with local employers to assess local labour market needs and their relationship to education and training. It is due to make its report to WMDC and the LSC in April 2002 and will comprise a detailed proposal recommending a potential structure for 16-19 education and training across the District. We very much look forward to receiving the review's findings and to bringing those findings into our future strategic planning exercises.

At the other end of the educational spectrum, we also offer a local base for study at higher education level. The College has for a number of years been an Associate College of Sheffield Hallam University. The priority for this partnership, the Associate College Network, which was renewed at a ceremony in June, is to make university education available to learners of all ages - especially those from families who previously would never have considered such an option. The Network will develop co-ordinated courses and learning units to help students progress smoothly from college to university.