Dudley College of Technology has launched an employer consultation on 2 February 2026 to invite businesses in Kingswinford, West Midlands, to help shape what skills are taught in local classrooms. The college says the exercise will ensure training matches local employer needs so that students are ready for work when they finish their studies.
The college is specifically reaching out to businesses on the Pensnett Trading Estate (Multipark Pensnett), which is home to around 200 companies, to help shape new apprenticeship and training plans. The consultation follows the college’s inaugural Employer Recognition Awards in October 2025, which recognised local firms for their work with students.
For residents and jobseekers, the consultation means local courses will be steered toward skills demanded by engineering and manufacturing firms — and the emerging green‑tech sector — in the area. The college intends to formalise employer input through Employer Advisory Boards, where business owners review and advise on curricula to guard against outdated content.
According to Neil Thomas, Chief Executive and Principal of Dudley College of Technology, the goal is to work directly with the employers who hire the college’s students rather than to guess what skills are needed; the approach is intended to help local businesses grow by providing workers with appropriate technical training.
The college, which in August 2025 was named one of only ten Centres of Technical Excellence for the Construction sector (a Construction Technical Excellence College, or CTEC), plans to have the new training in place for the September 2026 intake. College technical staff will also carry out one‑on‑one ‘innovation audits’ — visiting local SMEs to identify productivity barriers and training needs. More details are available through the college’s employer updates and the Association of Colleges case study.
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