About the Merger

Following Welsh Assembly Government approval to proceed, the final stages of the legal merger of Coleg Llandrillo Cymru and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor are now complete.

This means that, on 1st April 2010, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor became part of Coleg Llandrillo Cymru.

This is a significant and exciting development for education and training in North Wales, bringing with it new opportunities for both Colleges.

The Colleges merged in order to:

• Create a new, stronger, Further Education Institution serving Dwyfor, Meirionnydd, Conwy and Denbighshire and surrounding areas
• Enable Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor to secure and further develop post-16 education and training opportunities in their area, including opportunities for local businesses
• Further enhance learner opportunities and the bilingual nature of Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
• Respond to national Welsh Assembly Government vision and policies

Partnerships, mergers and other forms of collaboration are being actively promoted by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Process

In March 2008, the Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor Corporation identified the need to look for a more formal partnership with another institution. A year later, following initial exploratory discussions with two potential partners, the Corporation decided to proceed to the next stage with Coleg Llandrillo Cymru.

A Project Plan was then developed to take both partners successfully through:

• A feasibility phase, including the process of Due Diligence
• A consultation phase
• A detailed planning phase for the new organisation, should the merger go ahead

A formal feasibility study, undertaken by external consultants DTZ and Eversheds, was completed in July 2009 and Feasibility and Due Diligence Reports were presented for consideration and further discussion by both Corporations. This process resulted in both Corporations agreeing to move on to the detailed planning and consultation stage.

The consultation process provided key internal and external stakeholders with the opportunity to express their views on the proposed merger and potentially shape the future direction of education and training in Central and North West Wales.

Without exception, all consultation feedback was supportive of the proposed merger, with respondents recognising the considerable opportunities that a new, merged organisation would bring.

The Governing Bodies of both Colleges then unanimously agreed to proceed to the final stages of the merger process. Detailed proposals were submitted to the Welsh Assembly Government in December 2009.

The merger was approved in March 2010. The legal processes and formal merger were completed by 1st April 2010.

What Does This Mean in Practice?

A merger brings new opportunities for both Colleges and of course some changes.

In practice, going to College should feel much the same as it did before. The Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor name will stay the same, timetable commitments will be honoured, learners won’t have to travel further and the choice of language of study will stay the same. There will be small changes (for example, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor has a new logo) and many positive developments.